What does your story need right now?
Brainstorming
Are you a planner with a beautiful outline that you’re not sure how to actually… write? Are you a pantser who ran into a plot problem on page 103? Do you need somebody to ask you questions about your worldbuilding? Are you not sure what your next step should be? Let’s find a time to Google Hangout or get on the phone and talk it out.
Picture book editing
Whether you’re an author-illustrator or a text-only picture book author, you already know that picture books take a whole different skill set than novels. Should it rhyme? (hint: probably not.) Is there a clear and immediate hook for your young readers? Does it have a lesson or message, and if so, how do you express it without sounding preachy? Send me your full text or dummy and for a flat fee I’ll give you both written and phone-based feedback.
Big-picture editing
Whether it’s your first draft or your twelfth, sometimes what you need most is a fresh set of eyes. This is my most popular service: I’ll read your full manuscript and write you a ten- to twenty-page edit letter telling you what’s great about your book, and my prescription for exactly how to capitalize on those strengths and make it even better. Afterward, we’ll have at least one hour-long phone call to answer your questions and discuss next steps.
Query analysis
Maybe you’ve been querying agents for a while without success. Maybe you’re just getting started and want to make sure you’re putting your best foot forward. There are a lot of reasons why agents say no—and a lot of ways to make them more likely to say yes. Whether it’s just the query letter, query plus your first few pages, or a full submission package, I’ll put on my agent hat and help you talk about your manuscript in a way that makes agents sit up and take notice.
Line editing
A good option if you’re pretty confident about the big-picture stuff and ready to dive into the nitty-gritty. Send me your manuscript (or an excerpt) and I’ll mark up every page, paying special attention to issues like character voices, show-don’t-tell details, sentence structures, word choices, and logistical inconsistencies. You will emerge from Track Changes hell with a manuscript that’s polished and ready for your agent, your editor, or your self-publishing service of choice.
Something else
If none of the services on this list seems like quite the right fit, that’s fine! Shoot me an email and we’ll figure out what you need—and if I’m not the right person, I’ll do my best to refer you along to someone who can help.