As a published novelist, editor, and ghostwriter, I’m uniquely positioned to help you reach your literary goals. No one will work harder to make you happy. Every novel needs that "I-can't-put-it-down" page-turning power, and I can help you get it.
Writing a novel is a very personal experience. With all of my valued clients I take a very respectful approach, but I’m also very tough. Why? Because it’s better to power through the difficult questions now rather than have a literary agent reject your book without offering an explanation (I know how this works; I’ve received more than my share of rejection letters. Every author has them!).
For fiction projects and memoirs, I provide a wide range of customized services. They include:
Developmental editing. This is where we tackle the “big picture” elements that form the bones and muscles of your story. I’ll dig into the plot, characters, pacing, flow, and the all-over readability that’s necessary for your book to become the very best that it can be. I’ll also work with you on your voice – that difficult-to-quantify essence that makes your book shine with its own personality and character. I firmly believe that there’s no such thing as a wrong voice; there are only voices that have yet to be fully developed.
Line editing. Once the framework of your story is both sturdy and captivating, the next step is to polish the prose. There are two elements to this. First, I’ll work with you on the mechanical elements: grammar, spelling, punctuation. These are “objective” fixes. Then comes the part that’s more like art. This is the sound and flow of the individual sentences. Your voice may be eloquent or abrasive, romantic or noir. Whatever it is, it needs to be vivid and magical.
Proofreading. This is the last step where we find the little mistakes that are hiding in plain sight. To be honest, you cannot proofread a book too many times. Think of it this way: in a novel with 80,000 words, there are roughly 500,000 individual characters and spaces. Half a million – and each one needs to be perfect! My goal is for your manuscript to have zero mistakes.
Comprehensive editing. This is what I do most often for my clients. It’s a combination of developmental editing, line editing, and proofreading. The goal is to make your manuscript ready to publish or submit to a literary agent. There are no other steps necessary. It’s “one-stop” service, and my most popular choice.
I Look Forward to Serving You!
As a practicing author of fiction, I know what it’s like to stare at that blank sheet of paper (or screen, nowadays) and wonder how to get started. I understand how you feel when you’ve written something – a chapter or a complete manuscript – and you wonder, “Am I doing the right thing? Will anyone want to read this?” You need advice and guidance, and sometimes a fresh eye. I’m here to provide them for you.