The Written Word Editorial Services

developmental edit

A developmental edit is an examination of your manuscript from the ground up. This is the most intense type of edit, and I charge 0.009 a word, or about $2 a page ($800 for 100K). This edit addresses: character arc & development, point of view, character voice, author voice, plot structure, theme and symbolism, consistency throughout the story, weaknesses within the story, strengths of the story, etc.

What it does not do is catch typos, spelling, formatting, and grammar issues. I'll give you a written overview of my impressions so that it's clear what I think needs to be addressed overall. This is the best choice if you're worried about the structure of your story or think there's some inherent flaw present, but you might not know what it is or how to fix it.

Line edit

A line edit is a less intense edit that focuses more on syntax and grammar, and would be 0.006 a word or about $1.50 a page ($600 for 100K). A line edit will: catch redundancies, tighten your writing, pick up on overused or unneeded words, reveal confusing passages due to improper grammar or poor transitions, inconsistencies in tone, address stilted phrasing, or plot issues like structure and pacing.

This is the best choice if you're comfortable with your plot and feel you know what you want to say but maybe it's not as impactful as you might want. Also, if you know that your grammar needs some help, or feel the tone needs to be more consistent, or have similar concerns.

copyedit

A copyedit is a lighter edit than either a developmental or line edit, and is 0.004 a word or about $1 a page ($400 for a 100K novel). This includes catching: misspellings, mistakes in punctuation and grammar, correct hyphenation usage, syntax, tone, style, consistency, as well as limited fact checking. It doesn't go as in depth as the line edit and doesn't deal with any plot issues.

proofread

Proofreading is the lightest type of edit, typically performed right before publication, and may be performed multiple times. This type of edit looks for typos and misspellings, homonyms, etc. It might catch some confusing sentences, but it won't address or even look for any larger issues at hand that a developmental edit or line edit would catch. I charge 0.002 a word or $200 for 100K words.