Work With Me

Historical Fiction Book Editing

Learn more about the services I offer and then get in touch to book a free discovery call or a sample edit.

Fast Feedback

Mini Edits

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. 

You can also get feedback on an outline, chapter summaries, or a synopsis. 

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 2-3 page letter identifying what is working well and where you need to improve. I will make sure to take into account what you any areas 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: $200 USD (add a feedback call for an additional $75 USD)

*Canadian clients can receive their invoice in CAD

Book Coaching

Writerly Growth

Writerly growth is specifically designed to give you regular custom feedback on your work-in-progress. Great for writers in the planning and drafting stages. You can send an outline, story synopsis, chapter summaries, or any section of writing up to 5000 words.   

This packaged of 10 mini edits gives you a chance to apply the techniques you learn from earlier edits and receive feedback on how well they are implemented. It’s like a personalized masterclass in writing! Add on follow-up calls to gain even more insight on how to improve your story.

Writerly Growth is great for: 

  • Learning to apply writing techniques in your own work 

  • Identifying how well you are implementing feedback 

  • Improving writing skills over time 

  • 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

  • One-on-one Q &A (*for additional cost) 

What it is not good for: 

  • Capturing all the big picture problems in a manuscript

  • Fixing grammar or punctuation 

Please note: While I aim to be supportive and provide some accountability in the ongoing feedback sessions these are heavily focused on improving your writing skills and learning to apply writing techniques rather than addressing issues that might hold you back from writing. If you need that kind of support, I can recommend some great book coaches who focus on the mental hurdles involved in writing a book. 

What you will receive:

  1. Each mini edit will come with a 2-3 page letter identifying what is working well and where you need to improve.

  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. 

  4. Video calls to review your questions and help set you up for a successful revision (*for additional cost) 

Investment: 10 mini edits (written feedback) $1800 USD

 *With 10 1-hour feedback calls $2500 USD

*Canadian clients can receive their invoice in CAD

Revision Support

Are you deep in the trenches of revision? Have you received beta reader feedback and don’t know how to put it to use? Are you unsure about your next steps? Revision support is a great way to get feedback when you are feeling stuck.  

This is great for: 

  • Receiving examples tailored to your main issues 

  • Reviewing the changes you made to ensure you are on the right track 

  • Managing feedback from multiple places 

  • Developing strategies for what elements to tackle and in what order

  • One-on-one Q & A 

What it is not good for: 

  • A second round of developmental edits or manuscript critique (no new edits will be added)

What you will receive:

  1. Additional examples or resources created just for you to help you address issues that came up in your developmental edit or manuscript critique. 

  2. One review of changes to the manuscript (no new edits will be added) 

  3. Three video calls to review your questions and help support you through a successful revision 

Investment: $950 USD

*Canadian clients can receive their invoice in CAD

Full Draft Editing

Manuscript Critique

Similar to a development edit, the manuscript critique addresses big-picture issues but without the granular feedback included in a full edit. This can be a great way to save on editing when you want feedback and are able to execute those 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 and background with an emotionally compelling storyident you are on the right track after you have received feedback and applied your new skills

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. An editorial 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 

  3. It will not include any margin comments or tracked changes. 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: $800 USD up to 80,000 words

*for longer manuscripts there will be an additional fee of $50 per 10,000 words 

*Canadian clients can receive their invoice in CAD

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 and background with an emotionally compelling storyident you are on the right track after you have received feedback and applied your new skills

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 ~10-15 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. Sentence-level feedback is kept to a minimum unless it is a second-round edit

  4. Feedback is tailored to the needs of each manuscript so additional supporting documents may be included as needed

  5. One call or email to review your questions and help set you up for a successful revision. 

Investment: $.027 -$.030/USD word (For an 80,000 word manuscript the range is $2160 - $2400 USD)

A firm price quote will be provided after a quick review of the manuscript

*Canadian clients can receive their invoice in CAD

Query Critique Package

Query Letter and Synopsis Critique

You have a polished draft of your manuscript and you are ready to start querying agents or publishers. You need a strong query letter, synopsis to accompany your first pages. 

This package includes a two-step process. First, I’ll send you some resources to make sure your query letter and synopsis meet industry expectations for structure and formatting. Then, I’ll review your query letter and synopsis and provide big-picture feedback. Once you have implemented my feedback, I will do a second review to polish the prose and make sure it is ready to send off. 

Not sure your first pages are ready to go? Book a mini edit or manuscript critique and make sure those pages are ready to captivate some agents. 

This is great for digging deep into the key elements of storytelling including: 

  • Creating a stand out query letter that meets industry expectations

  • Making sure your synopsis and query letter are working together

  • Polishing your query package so it is ready to send out 

What it is not good for: 

  • Unfinished manuscripts 

  • Book proposals 

What you will receive:

  1. A PDF handout with some basic guidelines on writing a query letter and synopsis

  2. One round of big picture feedback on the query letter and synopsis using comments function in Word. 

  3. A second round of editing focused on sentence-level polishing. This will be done using tracked changes and the comments function in Word. 

Investment: $250 (add a feedback call for an additional $75)

*Canadian clients can receive their invoice in CAD

Frequently Asked Questions

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • Yes, of course. Your manuscript is kept secure and confidential. Not sharing work is an essential part of being an editor.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.