Developmental Editing Services

With almost twenty years’ experience, I got my start as a literary agency intern, reading and responding to query letters. As I requested pages, I was fascinated to see people’s writing through the lens of the publishing side of the industry—i.e., what makes a compelling story that will sell?

I like to think of editing as mining a manuscript for potential--what can be added to bring a character to life? What can ratchet the conflict and tension to compel the reader to keep turning pages? Are there plot holes that need to be filled? Can description be added to bring more dimension to a scene? Is the trajectory of the arc leveling off rather than sky-rocketing? I’m not here to tell you what’s “wrong” with your story. I’m here to help you make your story truly shine in a way that will get the attention of agents and publishers!  

I get most of my referrals from Andrea Hurst and Associates, as well as Black Rose Publishing. I work mostly with women's fiction, historical fiction, and young adult, although most general fiction works for me. (I probably wouldn't be a good candidate for science fiction or fantasy). I charge $4/page, for which you receive side notes throughout the manuscript, as well as a full report at the end. It takes me about 4 weeks to edit 80,000 pages (although, if you're working on a deadline, I can send back blocks of pages as I edit).

Note: While I make line edits when I see them (misspellings, typos, punctuation errors), I am not a copy editor. My focus is on the overall story.