Editing Services

PLEASE NOTE: I AM CURRENTLY CLOSED TO ENQUIRIES. 

If you’d like to consider other editors, please visit the Freelance Editors’ Network for a listing of professional Australian-based editors, or the searchable directory on the Institute of Professional Editors website.

Writing a piece of fiction is like trying to solve a jigsaw puzzle. The story idea in your head is the picture on the box and your job as a writer is to interpret and recreate that image. However, during the writing and drafting stage, there are lots of pieces to juggle and it can be hard to keep that big picture in mind. After so much time immersed in the world of your story, it can be difficult to see whether everything fits together.

This is where an editor can help. A good editor will have the skill and experience to see what’s clicked into place, what’s missing, and what doesn’t quite match. They’ll be able to guide you to make your work as strong as it can be, and to make sure you’ve translated your vision onto the page.

About me:

I’m a multi-award-winning fiction editor and a professional member of the Institute of Professional Editors Limited (IPEd). I teach writing workshops with Brisbane Writers’ Workshop, and I’ve been a submissions reader for the Aurealis magazine, a judge for the Australian Shadows Awards, and an Australasian Horror Writers Association mentor. My horror short fiction, nonfiction, and poetry have appeared in Australian and international markets.

I edit a broad range of manuscripts including children’s fiction, young adult fiction, speculative fiction (science fiction, fantasy and horror), and mystery and thriller. I work on both short and novel-length projects.

I offer the following editing services:

Manuscript Assessment:

This focuses on the big-picture elements of the narrative. I’ll read through the manuscript, making note of the story’s overall strengths and any areas requiring further development. I’ll then provide you with a detailed report covering issues such as plot, pacing, setting, writing style, characterisation, and genre conventions. The report will include positive feedback as well as further resources and practical suggestions on how to revise the manuscript. The assessment includes a thirty-minute phone or Zoom call to discuss any follow-up questions or ideas.

Manuscript Assessment and 10-Page Line Edit:

This involves an assessment report and a line edit of the first ten pages of the manuscript.

Line editing examines the writing line by line, checking for spelling, sentence structure, grammar, punctuation, word choice and factuality. More than a simple edit for correctness, a line edit improves readability, strengthens voice, addresses telling versus showing, cuts wordiness and awkward or unclear writing, corrects point of view issues, removes clichés, and smooths flow. I provide coaching and clear examples for revision via the Track Changes and Comment functions in Word.

Once you’ve addressed any structural issues, you can apply the line-level suggestions from the first ten pages to the rest of the manuscript; issues that appear in the first few chapters often repeat throughout the entire work. This results in a cleaner manuscript, free of simple errors that would otherwise take time and money for an editor to correct.

 (Please note: a line edit is not a proofread. A proofread is the final quality check before publication and ensures that a manuscript is error-free and formatted correctly.)

Rates:

Manuscript Assessments:

Up to 50,000 words – $1,500 AUD

50,000 – 60,000 words – $1,700 AUD

60,000 – 70,000 words – $1,900 AUD

70,000 – 80,000 words – $2,100 AUD

80,000 – 90,000 words – $2,300 AUD

90,000 – 100,000 words – $2,500 AUD

100,000 – 110,000 words – $2,700 AUD

Manuscript Assessments and 10-page Line Edit:

As above; $150 AUD to include a 10-page line edit

Please feel free to contact me for a quote and to discuss your manuscript. If you’d like to see what past clients have said about my work, head over to my testimonials page.

I look forward to working with you.