Editing Services
I offer thoughtful, story‑centered editing for fantasy manuscripts across middle grade, young adult, adult fantasy, and romantacy. My approach is gentle and encouraging, focused on helping you strengthen your story at every stage of the writing process. Below, you’ll find the services I offer and how I can support your work.
Developmental Editing
I offer thoughtful, story-centered developmental editing for fantasy manuscripts. I look at the big‑picture elements that shape your story’s impact: worldbuilding, character motivation, plot cohesion, and the emotional throughline that carries readers from beginning to end. My goal is to support your vision while helping you create a story that feels immersive, heartfelt, and engaging for your intended audience.
My approach is gentle and encouraging. You’ll receive clear guidance on what’s working, what could be strengthened, and practical next steps to help your story shine.
What’s Included
You’ll receive:
A detailed editorial letter (3–6 pages) covering plot, pacing, character arcs, worldbuilding, and thematic clarity
Scene‑level notes on structure, tension, and reader engagement
Suggestions for strengthening emotional beats and clarifying character motivation
Guidance on worldbuilding consistency and reader immersion
A clear revision roadmap outlining next steps
One round of light follow‑up questions for clarification
This service focuses on big‑picture storytelling. It does not include line editing, copyediting, or rewriting.
Starting Price
Developmental Editing —Starting at $0.02 per word
*Final pricing depends on manuscript length and complexity.
Sample Developmental Edit
Below is a short excerpt along with the kind of big-picture feedback I provide during a developmental edit. This sample reflects my focus on clarity, emotional continuity, pacing, and world-building.
Writing Sample
Liam turned, wide-eyed, to the forest now pulsing with light. “Are they all fairies?”
“Oh, no,” echoed a velvety, purring voice from the treetops. Only the tassty onesss.”
Without warning, every firefly and fairy light blinked out, as if snuffed by unseen hands. The trio looked up. At first, Liam saw only blackness. Then two golden orbs appeared in the darkness, blinking, one… And then the other. An outline bled slowly from the shadows. Blue-black feathers catching the faint firelight. Their iridescence reminded Liam of oil on water.
The creature fluttered down to a lower branch and twisted its head unnaturally to regard them. Liam blinked. At first glance, it was an owl: feathers, wings, a broad head, and round, glassy eyes. But closer inspection revealed the wrongness: feather tufted ears, a cat’s nose and bobbed tail, and a wide predator’s mouth lined with teeth.
“Grishere,” Gallgrump spoke the name as if he’d swallowed a rotten worm.
“Hello, Gallgrump.” The owlcat slunk along the branch, pacing on four feathery paws tipped with enormous talons. His voice hissed through the dark. “What pray, are you doing in this part of the woodsss… So close to Grimvault?” He stopped and tilted his head, blinking one eye, then the other. “And most importantly, where is your ssstaff? It seemsss to be misssing.” Grishire’s mouth spread wide, a grin too full of teeth to be anything but sinister.
Hrmph. “Never you mind.” Grumbled Gallgrump.
Developmental Review
What’s Working Well
This scene immediately draws the reader in with vivid sensory detail and a strong sense of atmosphere, using light, shadow, and sound to build tension in a way that feels perfectly suited to middle grade fantasy. The creature reveal is especially effective: the gradual emergence from darkness, paired with specific visual cues such as iridescent feathers and mismatched features, creates a memorable, delightfully eerie moment. Dialogue adds personality and contrast, with Grishere’s sibilant voice and Gallgrump’s gruff responses hinting at history between the characters. Overall, the excerpt balances wonder and danger well, offering young readers a compelling mix of mystery, magic, and suspense.
Areas to Address
Some moments in the scene would benefit from a bit more grounding to help young readers track the action and the characters’ emotional responses as the tension rises. Clarifying where each character is positioned and how Liam, in particular, feels as the creature emerges would deepen the sense of immediacy and strengthen the reader’s connection to him. You might also consider tightening some dialogue beats to sharpen the rhythm and ensure each line reveals character or advances the scene. These refinements would enhance clarity and heighten the suspense already present in the excerpt.
“I was provided with a comprehensive developmental edit that touched every aspect of my work. I was also provided with encouraging pros contrasted with what needed attention, which gave a balanced view of my skills and how I could use them to strengthen other areas of my work. I both appreciated and needed her attention to detail and consideration for an artist's ideas.”
— Jade S.Ready to Strengthen Your Story?
Line & Copyediting
Line & Copyediting is a sentence‑level edit that brings clarity, flow, and polish to your manuscript. For middle grade fantasy, this stage helps your prose feel vivid, engaging, and easy for young readers to follow. My approach is gentle and collaborative, refining your voice while strengthening rhythm, tone, and emotional impact.
I also address grammar, punctuation, word choice, and consistency so your writing reads cleanly and professionally without losing the heart of your story. This service is ideal when your structure is solid, but the prose needs a thoughtful, supportive pass to shine.
What’s Included
You’ll receive:
Sentence‑level edits for clarity, flow, and readability
Corrections to grammar, punctuation, and syntax
Refined word choice when meaning is unclear or imprecise
Consistency checks for tone, tense, and internal logic
Light smoothing of awkward or confusing phrasing
Comments explaining suggested changes when needed
A polished, reader‑ready manuscript that still sounds like you
This service does not include developmental feedback or rewriting.
Starting Price
Line & Copyediting — starting at $0.015 per word
*Final pricing depends on manuscript length and the level of editing required.
Sample Line & Copyedit
Below is a short excerpt showing how I refine clarity, rhythm, and flow during a line and copyedit. This level of editing focuses on sentence‑level craft, including tightening language, smoothing pacing, strengthening voice, and ensuring consistency, all while preserving the author’s unique style.
Before: Unedited Excerpt
Liora hurried down the narrow trail, trying to ignore the strange prickling feeling crawling up her arms. The trees on either side of her seemed to lean closer the farther she went, like they were listening to her footsteps. She told herself it was just her imagination, but the forest had been acting odd ever since she’d stepped past the old boundary stone. A branch snapped somewhere behind her, sharp enough to make her jump. She spun around quickly, but all she saw was darkness and a few drifting sparks of light that might’ve been fireflies… or something else entirely.
After: Edited for Clarity and Flow
Liora hurried down the narrow trail, trying to ignore the prickling that crept up her arms. The trees on either side seemed to lean closer the farther she went, as if listening to her footsteps. She told herself it was only her imagination, yet the forest had felt wrong ever since she’d stepped past the old boundary stone. A branch snapped behind her, sharp enough to make her flinch. She spun, but saw only darkness and a few drifting sparks of light that might have been fireflies… or something else entirely.
Ready to Refine Your Pages?
Proofreading
Proofreading is the final polish before your manuscript is ready to share with agents, editors, or young readers. At this stage, the story and prose are already in place; now the goal is to catch small, lingering errors that can distract from your world and characters.
I review spelling, punctuation, minor grammar issues, and formatting consistency to ensure your pages read smoothly and professionally. This is a careful, surface‑level pass that helps your manuscript feel clean, confident, and ready for its next step.
What’s Included
You’ll receive:
Corrections to spelling, punctuation, and grammar
Consistency checks for capitalization, hyphenation, and formatting
Light smoothing of minor clarity issues (when meaning is obvious)
Final review for typos, repeated words, and small errors
A clean, polished manuscript ready for agents, editors, or publication
This service does not include developmental feedback or sentence‑level rewriting.
Starting Price
Proofreading — starting at $0.01 per word
*Final pricing depends on manuscript length and the level of polish needed.
Proofreading Sample
Below is a short excerpt showing the kinds of mechanical corrections I make during a proofreading pass, including spelling, punctuation, grammar, and consistency checks.
Before: Raw Excerpt
The moon hung low over the Whispering Woods, casting it’s pale light across the crooked path. Liora tiptoed forward, clutching the map Gallagrin had given her earlier that day, though she wasn’t sure if this was the right way or not. A cold breaze rustled through the trees, carrying the faint sent of something sweet… or maybe sour. “Hello?” she called, her voice echoing farther then she expected. Nothing answered, except for a soft rustle that made her stop in her tracks and wonder if she should of stayed home afterall.
After: Polished Proofread
The moon hung low over the Whispering Woods, casting its pale light across the crooked path. Liora tiptoed forward, clutching the map Gallagrin had given her earlier that day, though she wasn’t sure if this was the right way or not. A cold breeze rustled through the trees, carrying the faint scent of something sweet… or maybe sour. “Hello,” she called, her voice echoing farther than she expected. Nothing answered except for a soft rustle that made her stop in her tracks and wonder if she should have stayed home after all.