Work With Me
Specialist Editing for Historical Fiction and Family History
I help authors write compelling stories that appeal to historical fiction fans. Writing a family history? I can help with that too!
If you’re looking for feedback on a work-in-progress, the mini edit is probably the best choice. You may not have a full manuscript yet, but don’t worry; it’s germinating beneath the surface, its roots digging deep and readying for its time. I’d love to help you get there.
If you have a complete manuscript ready for professional editing either the developmental edit or manuscript critique are for you. This is where we will dive deep with a detailed exploration of all the craft elements and how they work together to produce a compelling story.
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Mini Edit
Writing a draft can take a long time and it can help to get a sense of what is going well and what needs work before you keep going. The edit is performed on a shorter piece of writing (up to 5000 words) and can be done much earlier in the writing process than a manuscript evaluation or full developmental edit.
This is great for:
• Improving writing skills
• Checking a particular craft element such as POV, use of description and backstory, creating interiority, creating tension on a scene level, improving dialogue
• Finding your strengths and identifying areas to improve
• Regularly hearing the same feedback from a critique group or beta readers but needing help figuring out how to fix it
• Feeling confident you are on the right track after you have received feedback and applied your new skills
What it is not good for:
• Solving big picture problems in a story
• Identifying plot problems
• Getting to the root of issues with character arc or motivation
• Fixing grammar or punctuation
What you will receive:
1. A 1-2 page letter identifying what is working well and where you need to improve. I will make sure to take into account what you have identified as issues you want to focus on improving.
2. The manuscript with comments and suggestions added throughout using margin comments function in Word.
3. It will not include any tracked changes. If I have suggestions for new ways to word something I will include examples in the margins and the letter.
Investment: $250 USD
Additional mini edits receive a 10% discount.
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Manuscript Critique
The manuscript critique addresses big-picture issues but without the granular feedback included in a full edit. Manuscript critiques are a good way to save on editing when you are able to execute revisions on your own.
This is great for digging deep into the key elements of storytelling including:
• characterization and motivation
• character arc
• plot and pacing
• theme
• point of view
• dialogue
• story structure
• genre and market expectations
• balancing historical details with an emotionally compelling story
What it is not good for:
• Detailed feedback with margin comments on the manuscript
• Lots of sentence-level tweaks and pruning
• Fixing grammar or punctuation
What you will receive:
1. A detailed letter of ~5-12 pages describing the strengths and weaknesses of your story including suggestions and examples for revision.
2. Feedback tailored to the needs of each manuscript so additional supporting resources may be included as needed.
3. It will not include any margin comments or changes to the manuscript. If I have suggestions for new ways to word something I will include examples in the letter.
4. One call or email to review your questions and help set you up for a successful revision.
Investment: $18 -$20 USD/ 1000 words
A firm price quote will be provided after a free sample edit is completed
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Developmental Edit
The aim of a developmental edit is to help you address the big picture issues in your story. I provide an in-depth analysis of the key features in a novel.
This is great for digging deep into the key elements of storytelling including:
• characterization and motivation
• character arc
• plot and pacing
• theme
• point of view
• dialogue
• story structure
• genre and market expectations
• balancing historical details with an emotionally compelling story
What it is not good for:
• Incomplete manuscripts
• Lots of sentence-level tweaks and pruning
• Fixing grammar or punctuation
What you will receive:
1. A detailed letter of ~5-12 pages describing the strengths and weaknesses of your story including suggestions and examples for revision.
2. A marked-up manuscript with comments and suggestions in the margins using the Microsoft word comment feature .
3. It will not include any changes to the manuscript. If I have suggestions for new ways to word something I will include examples in the margins and letter.
4. One call or email to review your questions and help set you up for a successful revision.
Investment: $27 -$30 USD/ 1000 words
A firm price quote will be provided after a free sample edit is completed
Frequently Asked Questions
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Every manuscript is a bit different and editing time depends on length of the manuscript and the complexity of the edit. Turnaround times for mini edits will generally take about 2 weeks. Manuscript critiques take around 3-4 weeks and a full developmental edit will take 4-5 weeks. Timelines will be included in your estimate and agreed upon in the contract.
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1. Send me a message via the contact form or email with details about your project including word count, deadlines, and your publishing goals.
2. Once I am clear on the right service for you I will request you send the full manuscript in MS Word (industry standard) or in the case of the mini edit, the sample of writing you want edited up to 5000 words. I do need to see a full manuscript in order to give the best estimate.
3. If you are booking a manuscript critique or full developmental edit I will provide a sample edit on a few pages to make sure we are a good fit. Sample edits are not available for the mini edit.
4. Along with the sample edit, I will send you an estimate of the cost and timeline.
5. Once we agree on terms, I will send an invoice for the initial payment. Mini edits require payment in full before work begins, but critiques and developmental edits require 25% of the invoice up front to hold the spot in my schedule.
6. Once the edit is complete, I will send an invoice for the remainder of the payment along with the edited manuscript.
7. After reviewing your edits and taking some time to think them over, you will have the opportunity to send me a list of questions which I will answer over email or zoom. This is available for manuscript critiques and full developmental edits only.
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Yes, of course. Your manuscript is kept secure and confidential. Not sharing work is an essential part of being an editor.
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Payments can be made directly through the invoice using a credit card. I can also accept direct bank transfers through Wise.
*Canadian clients can request their invoice in CAD and pay through interac e-transfer.
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I don’t because reading a manuscript for big pictures issues is quite different from reading it for the nitty gritty types of things that you look for in a copyedit or proofread. My strengths are in crafting great story elements. So that is what I focus on. That said, if I notice some egregious errors you can bet I will point them out. I do tend to notice consistency errors so I often flag those in any edit.
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I do not include fact checking as part of the editing process. Although I have a background in social science research, I am not an expert on any particular historical time period. I do read a lot of history and historical fiction but that doesn’t quite make me an expert. What I will focus on is how the history is used to enhance the story. And yes, if something strikes me as erroneous I will certainly pop in a question about it so that you can check its accuracy.
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I do not use AI when editing. My edits are 100% human-powered. I prefer not to work on manuscripts that are substantially written with AI but I don’t have a problem with writers using AI as an assistant for brainstorming, editing, and refining ideas.
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Yes, for the most part. My business is registered in Canada but I am currently living in France on a visitor visa. Until August 2025, I will not be able to accept any clients who live in a Schengen Area country.