Editing FAQs
1 year and a half, plus 3 months.
What Type of Editing Do You Do?
Fiction
- Line editing: this is the second stage of the editing process, focuses on improving the style, flow, and clarity of the text. This involves revising sentences and paragraphs to make them more coherent and compelling, ensuring that the language is engaging and appropriate for the intended audience. It addresses issues like awkward phrasing, redundancy, and tone.
- Copyediting: this is the third stage of the editing process and involves reviewing a manuscript for grammar, punctuation, spelling, and consistency errors. It ensures that the text adheres to specific style guides and corrects any inaccuracies or inconsistencies in language usage. The goal is to enhance the readability and overall quality of the writing.
- Proofreading: this is the final stage of the editing process, aimed at catching any remaining errors after copyediting and line editing. This includes checking for typographical errors, formatting inconsistencies, and minor grammatical mistakes. Proofreading ensures that the manuscript is polished and ready for publication.
Do You Offer any Other Services?
Yes.
- Editorial Critiques: provide an overall assessment of a manuscript, focusing on its strengths and weaknesses without making specific line-by-line changes. This service offers feedback on aspects such as plot development, character arcs, pacing, and thematic elements. Unlike developmental editing, which involves hands-on restructuring and rewriting, an editorial critique delivers a broad evaluation and suggestions for improvement, helping authors understand the areas that need attention for a stronger narrative.
- Alpha Reading: In-depth feedback on early drafts to assess plot, character development, and overall story structure.
- Beta Reading: Thorough review of polished drafts to provide constructive criticism and reader perspective.
- Fantasy
- Paranormal
- Romance
- Children books
- Poetry
Are there any genres you don’t work with?
- Topics Containing Abuse, Religion, Violence, or Rape: I won't edit books that contain themes of abuse, religion, violence, or rape, as these can be particularly triggering and distressing.
- Dark and Intense Fiction: do not edit novels that delve into heavy themes, violence, or disturbing situations, such as psychological thrillers, horror, or gritty crime fiction.
- Explicitly Traumatic Stories: I steer clear of editing books that directly address trauma, abuse, or difficult experiences. This includes memoirs or novels centered around trauma survivors.
- Graphic Content: I do not handle genres with explicit content, such as sexual violence, physical abuse, or graphic descriptions of traumatic events.
- Historical Fiction: I do not edit historical novels that may depict traumatic events from the past, including wars, oppression, or societal hardships.
Do You Work With First Time Authors?
Yes!
I am passionate about introducing fresh, new ideas to the literary community.
I work with authors at all stages of their writing careers.
Do you work via phone or in writing?
Most of my work is written. Writing is how I think best, and besides, I want my clients to have a written record of their notes to refer to as they revise.
So, my editing is done completely in writing unless I’ve made a custom arrangement with a client.
If you absolutely require phone support, look for an editor who will hop on the horn. But it’s all about how you work best and what you need.
Do you provide an introductory call or sample?
I'm happy to provide a sample edit for you to assess my editing style and see how I can assist with your project.
However, I do not typically offer introductory calls as part of my service. Instead, I find that providing a sample edit allows you to gauge my editing skills more effectively and make an informed decision about whether we're a good fit for your project.
If you have a specific excerpt or portion of your work that you'd like me to edit as a sample, please feel free to share it with me. I'll be prompt in providing the edited sample, giving you a sense of how I approach your writing and whether my editing style aligns with your preferences and needs.
If you have a specific excerpt or portion of your work that you'd like me to edit as a sample, please feel free to share it with me. I'll be prompt in providing the edited sample, giving you a sense of how I approach your writing and whether my editing style aligns with your preferences and needs.
Are there any dealbreakers for our working relationship?
Any rude, derogatory, suggestive, profane, and/or threatening behavior is completely unacceptable in any relationship, personal or professional. Such behavior will immediately and permanently disqualify a person as my client.
What Style Guides Do You Use?
- Chicago Manual of Style
- The Gregs Reference Manual
- Butcher's Copyediting Handbook
- McGraw Hill's Proofreading Handbook
- The Chicago Guide to Copyediting Fiction.
Do You Have an Editing Contract?
Yes, and I will send it to you before we begin.
What file type do you use to edit my work?
Depending on your preference, I can edit your work in a Microsoft Word document utilizing Track Changes, or we can work in Google Docs utilizing the suggestion feature.
Do you have client contract?
- Yes, I have a client contract.
- The contract serves as a formal document that outlines the terms and conditions of our collaboration.
- It covers important aspects such as the scope of the project, pricing, payment terms, timelines, confidentiality, and the rights and responsibilities of both parties.
- This contract is designed to ensure clarity and transparency throughout the editing process, protecting both you as the client and me as the editor.
- It also serves as a reference point for any potential questions or issues that may arise during our collaboration.
- Before we begin working together, I will provide you with a copy of the agreement for your review and acceptance.
- If you have any questions or concerns about the agreement, I am more than happy to discuss and clarify any points to ensure that you are comfortable with the terms before we proceed with the editing work.
Can you connect me to a reference?
- Certainly, you can find a list of the authors I've had the pleasure of working with under the "My Authors" tab on my website.
- Additionally, if you're interested in reading testimonials from my satisfied clients, you'll find them conveniently located on the Client Testimonials Page.
Do you offer design/layout/formatting?
No.
How do you handle billing?
All invoicing happens after we’ve talked through your needs, set our goal, and agreed on a timeline.
Generally, I will send you an invoice once the editing project is complete.
However, billing is subject to the type and cost of service and the payment plan option you choose.
Can you guarantee my work is error-free?
- All documents are edited to a high standard. I provide you the best possible service to the best of my ability and cannot guarantee that written documents are “perfect” or “without error.” We do not live in a perfect world; Heartfelt Editorial Services provides no guarantee that a client’s work will be completely error-free.
- Thank you for remembering that we are all human.
Are you going to steal my work?
Absolutely not! Not only is that unethical, but it also can scare away other potential clients and ruin my business. Besides, I’m a writer too. I have no interest in passing off your work as my own.
I don’t check my email regularly. Can we communicate in some other way?
Because of the nature of this work, email is my primary method of communication with clients. I do my best to solve problems and answer questions independently, so if I email you, that means I need your input. If I’m going to meet our deadlines, I need your response(s) ASAP. Similarly, I check my email at least daily and answer client emails promptly.
Can you give me daily/weekly updates on my project?
No. If I agree to a deadline, I’ll do everything in my power to meet it. But I can’t do my best work with someone demanding constant updates, emailing me all the time, or otherwise breathing down my neck.
Do you Offer Payment Plan Options?
Yes
See Payment Plans
How do I pay your invoice?
I use PayPal as my primary payment method. You don't necessarily need a PayPal account to make a payment, but if you already have one, you can certainly use it.
What Are My Options for Payment
My preferred method of payment is via PayPal.
I accept Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover cards.
When Do I Pay For Editing or Other Services Listed?
Payment information is submitted at the same time you place your order.
When your payment has been approved, I receive a notification of the transaction and will begin to work on the document.
To avoid delays in processing your order and returning the revised document to you, please be sure to provide an accurate word count to receive an accurate quote for services.
*This depends on the service and which payment plan options you choose.*
How do you calculate the rates for your services?
I use the Editorial Freelance Association’s industry-suggested rates as a guideline for my prices.
My rates are calculated based on my professional expertise, the type of service, the total word count, the complexity, and the quality of the writing (a messy first draft will require more work than a second or third draft that has gone through multiple rounds of self-editing).
Although, I’m more than happy to talk through your needs and work with your budget.
My rates are calculated based on my professional expertise, the type of service, the total word count, the complexity, and the quality of the writing (a messy first draft will require more work than a second or third draft that has gone through multiple rounds of self-editing).
Although, I’m more than happy to talk through your needs and work with your budget.
What Does Your Editing Process Look Like?
Basically, the length of an edit depends on four things:
- The manuscript's word count
- The type of editing required
- The amount of work or level of editing input needed to bring a manuscript to publishing or submission standard
- Your editor’s schedule and availability
Reach out to me to check my availability long before your manuscript is ready for editing. Many editors book out their schedules months in advance. Book your editing slot as early as you can to avoid disappointment.
Does an Author Have to Accept Every Change an Editor Makes?
Many editors use Microsoft Word’s “track changes” feature to edit manuscripts; they also insert editorial comments throughout the manuscript.
It’s up to you whether or not to accept or reject any given “track change” edit.
There are common writing mistakes you should avoid at all costs, but there's also a time when you can make a case for your writing intuition to win out over structure.
Missouri, United States.
I’m in Missouri, USA, so I’m in the Central Time Zone (CST).