All my services are available for both fiction and nonfiction. A free, no-obligation sample edit can be arranged upon request. The style guides I am trained in are The Chicago Manual of Style (US style) and the New Oxford Style Manual (UK style).
Line Edit
A line edit is focused on how you tell your story or share your message. Is the character’s voice well-developed? Is this the best way you can show the setting? Is your author voice shining and your message being delivered clearly? Are these the right words or phrases or only the almost-right ones?
A line edit gives you the best of both worlds—developing and honing author and character voice while also correcting blatant grammatical errors.This is a deep dive into how you and your characters use words and seeks to improve word choice and truly make your story shine.
Cost for a single-round line edit: US$0.019 per word.
Cost for a two-round line edit: US$0.025 per word.
South African clients: please contact me for a quote in ZAR.
“Claire gave me the exact kind of feedback I was looking for: edits that helped me elevate my prose, paint my scenes more vividly, and keep readers engaged. I’d 100% recommend her to any other writer.”
Josiah DeGraaf, fantasy author
josiahdegraaf.com
Copyedit
This focuses on the three Cs: correctness, clarity, and consistency. Correctness seeks to correct punctuation, word usage, grammar, and spelling errors (affectionately known as PUGS in editing circles). Clarity seeks to make sure the sentences and paragraphs clearly convey what you want them to and, if they don’t, seeks to find a way to clarify it without losing your voice. Consistency ensures the details of the story are consistent throughout both the story and the individual scenes.
A copyedit differs from a line edit in that a line edit takes a deep dive into the individual word choices and seeks for places where the prose can be improved. A copyedit is focused on the mechanics and correct use of English. A line edit seeks to improve your overall style while a copyedit seeks to have your manuscript free from errors.
Cost for a single-round copyedit: US$0.015 per word.
Cost for a two-round copyedit: US$0.02 per word.
South African clients: please contact me for a quote in ZAR.
“Claire immersed herself in my manuscript as though it was her own, painstakingly working to recommend the best suggestions that would tighten the text. By the end, I felt she knew the manuscript and my characters as well as I did.”
Alicia van Huizen, biblical fiction author
www.aliciavanhuizen.com
Proofread
The final check before publishing, a proofread seeks to remove any errors that were missed in the previous stages of editing. This will correct spelling and punctuation errors but will not clarify confusing sentences or ensure that details are consistent throughout the story or scene. Every manuscript should be thoroughly proofread prior to publishing.
This service is available for both Microsoft Word documents and PDFs.
Cost for a single-round proofread: US$0.011 per word.
Cost for a two-round proofread: US$0.015 per word.
South African clients: please contact me for a quote in ZAR.
“If you need a thorough, detail-orientated, sharp-eyed editor, you cannot go wrong with Claire. She went above and beyond to help me get my middle-grade novel as error free and smoothly written as possible.”
Vanessa E. Howard, middle-grade and YA fantasy author
https://www.vanessaehoward.com/
Frequently Asked Questions
What genres do you edit?
I edit most things except for theses, academic writing, horror, and romance. My preferred genres to edit are Christian fiction, speculative fiction, Christian nonfiction, and devotionals.
How long does an edit take?
This depends on the length of the manuscript, how much work it needs, and the type of edit being performed. Turnaround times also vary from editor to editor.
In general, for a manuscript of 80,000 words, you can expect a developmental edit to take 8–10 weeks, a copyedit to take 6–8 weeks, and a proofread to take 4–6 weeks. But always get an estimate from your editor.
What does the editing process look like?
When you contact me for a project, I will send you a questionnaire about your book to help me get to know it. Should you want a free, no-obligation sample edit, this will be scheduled. Once you have accepted me as your editor, an editing agreement letter will be drawn up and work can be started.
I will typically work through a manuscript three times in one round of editing, although this can and does vary. But I like to read through a book from start to finish, then perform the edit, then go back over the edited manuscript and perform final checks before returning it to the author.
What’s the difference between a single-round edit and a two-round edit?
A single-round edit means that I will only work on the manuscript once, making corrections and adding comments where needed. Once the manuscript is returned to the author, it will not be returned to me.
A two-round edit means that after I have performed the initial edit, the manuscript is returned to the author for their review. They work through the corrections and suggestions in an agreed-upon time frame, then return it to me along with specific questions or comments they may have. I then go over the manuscript again, addressing their questions and comments and doing one final editorial pass.
A single-round edit is cheaper than a two-round edit, but a two-round edit gives room for conversation between the editor and the author.
You’re South African. Is that a problem?
No, it isn’t. My mother tongue is English, and I have been trained in both UK and US style guides. I believe that my nationality is an asset, as it gives me a different perspective to many in the publishing industry.
How do I pay you?
I am able to receive payments via PayPal or direct bank transfer.