Services
My Editing Services
What does your story need?
Story Editing
Need a consistency check-up? I can help.
Need plot holes identified? I can help.
Need wordiness or repetitiveness trimmed? I can help.
Need pacing reviewed? I can do that too.
I will work with you to polish the story, whatever it needs. We're a team: I will respect your voice as an author, but I will also advocate for your reader.
Other Services
Professional Beta Read
Not sure if your story is ready for editing? Get a professional opinion without the commitment.
Realm Guide and Timeline/Chronology
Maintain consistency with a style guide for your world.
Proofreading
A final review after formatting.
What's Included:
Story Edit
> An initial read through of the entire story, flagging big picture issues for discussion before editing.
> A style sheet
(unless you have provided one) for names and unique terms.
> An Excel-based timeline sheet
(unless provided).
> In-manuscript suggestions, using Track Changes, comments and highlights, to address issues such as plot holes, repetitiveness, timeline and pacing; also noting other things that might jar readers out of the story and awkward wording or clarity problems.> A summary report
of major issues.
I only work on one novel at a time. Yours will be my priority for the time I have you booked.
Note:
The manuscript will still require a proofread after you have made changes based on the suggestions.
Professional Beta Read
> A careful read through of your manuscript, keeping notes of places where I was jarred out of the story.
> A report
with both my opinion as a reader and
my recommendations, as an editor, for the next steps.
Note: the recommendations will be broad strokes; the original manuscript is
not
returned.
An average length novel (50–70,000 words) takes 8-12 hours to complete. I book a full week for a beta read.
Note: A Beta Read is a supplement to self-editing. The manuscript will still require professional editing.
Realm-Guide or Timeline/Chronology
> An easily searchable Word document
(Realm-Guide) or Excel sheet
(Chronology) covering world-building lore or key events, respectively. The details will go beyond the style sheet provided in an edit.
As a stand-alone service: each book (50-70,000 words) in a series will take 10–15 hours, including reading and setting up the document(s). No editorial suggestions will be made beyond flagging inconsistencies, if they exist. May also be added to story edit if requested at the time of booking.
Proofread
> A review of the final formatted e-book
(mobi preferred) for typos and other glitches that have fallen through the cracks.
I will only proofread books that have been professionally edited by me or a colleague. I find it difficult to ignore plot inconsistencies and it does a disservice to us both for me to be distracted.
Resources
Click on the button to access:
Learn More
- Resources written by Nicola
- Links to useful websites and blogs
- Reviews of books
