Whether you are a new writer or a published one, the help of a professional editor is invaluable. From receiving a constructive report on your work to detailed editorial guidance, I am able to give you just the advice you need. Below is a list of ‘services’, but generally I think the best way to start, if you have written a book and want an honest assessment, is to have a Reader’s Report. This will tell you if you’re on the right path and ready to move on to the editing stage, or whether you need to do some more work on your book first.

Reader’s Report

I will read your book carefully and give you an honest, constructive report on how I judge its commercial potential and what further work I would recommend. The report is generally about 1½-2 pages A4. Cost: £150 up to 100,000 words; £200 up to 150,000 words; £250 up to 200,000 words.

Editor’s Report

This is a more detailed report on your storyline, style of writing and a breakdown of chapters and characters for more specific suggestions and assessment. Usually the length of the report will be about 3-4 pages of A4. Cost: £250 up to 100,000 words; £300 up to 150,000 words; £350 up to 200,000 words.

Copy-Editing

When you’re happy that your work is in good shape, then it’s wise to have it professionally copy-edited. Apart from checking spelling and grammar, the copy-editor may make adjustments to structure and writing when this will help the flow of the narrative or for clarity. The copy-editor also checks consistency. Changes are always marked up clearly in track changes so you can check everything that’s been done to your work and it’s up to you to decide whether to accept the changes or not. Cost: I will give you a quote based on the kind of work you have written and its length, but for a guideline it costs about £7 per 1,000 words, so a 75,000 word fiction title would be about £525; 100,000 words novel would be £700. Non-fiction costs more as it generally takes more time, and a book up to 75,000 words would be £600; 100,000 words would be £800.

Proofreading

If you have your book copy-edited, then it shouldn’t need proofreading before you submit it to an agent or publisher. Generally proofreading happens in the publishing process after the work has been set by a printer to check for any mistakes. However, if you feel your work doesn’t need copy-editing then you may just want a professional proofread before you submit it. And of course if you are self-publishing, once the book is set by a typesetter, then you may well want it checked before it’s printed. Cost: I will give you a quote based on the work and its length.

Submitting Your Work to a Publisher or Agent

I can’t act as an agent for you, but I can help you get your submission into a good shape before sending it to a publisher or agent. Sometimes people write great books and then let themselves down with a poor submission package, which is basically a letter, synopsis and sample material. For more information about cost, please contact me, but a guideline cost for this service is about £150.

Payment

Payment is required in advance for all work.

Contact

For more information please email me at: kay.gale@gmail.com