A lot of editors offer one-size-fits-all price lists. When I first started this website, I followed suit and put up a price list. But the simple truth is that a one-size-fits-all approach doesn’t work. The truth is that it’s impossible to put a price on services until one has a better idea of the work that needs to be done. 

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What makes more sense is to have an initial consultation via email and phone, in which you tell me about your project and what you hope to accomplish. After that, you can send me the first 20-50 pages of your manuscript (or less if it’s a short piece or article), and I will read it and see if it makes sense for us to work together.

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At that point, we can discuss the scope of the work to be done, and I will give you a written estimate of the fee as well as the turnaround time, trying to work within your budget. Once we’re agreed upon the fee, a timetable will be outlined and work will commence. 

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What do you want and what should you expect from an editor? Well, first, you probably want a general overview. With most books I agree to work on, the first phase consists of me reading your manuscript a couple of times, then writing a report that addresses the book holistically, considering issues of structure, voice, plot, pacing, character, and dialogue. Generally, following that phase, it will be your turn to go back to work, armed with new insight into what needs to be done and how to improve your book. Following that, the next phase would be a line edit, which, in a highly competitive marketplace, can be the difference between perishing or publishing.   lithub.com/is-line-editing-a-lost-art/

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One other thing…If I read your manuscript and decide not to work with you, please don’t take it as a judgment on the value of your work. It is rather a very personal response on my part having to do with whether or not I feel I connect to the material in a way that will enable me to be of real help to you. I’m not interested, and I doubt you are either, in a collaboration conducted with less than true enthusiasm and belief in the material. 

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As far as what types of material I am open to, I can help with fiction, nonfiction, memoir, and screenplays. I am also open to ghostwriting and writing screenplays or pilots for hire, based upon an idea you might have.