Details can be everything in a manuscript. A single letter, bit of punctuation, or word can change an entire sentence, thought, or meaning. But it’s often the little things that escape us in the editing process, making editors an invaluable resource.
Need an extra set of eyes to ensure your work is ready to go without those pesky mistakes? Contact me about how I can help you fine-tune your manuscript! I offer copyediting and proofreading services for any genre and any length of manuscript. I’m here to read your work and find those issues with spelling, grammar, sentence flow, consistency, clarity, and more.
As an author myself, I know what it is to put manuscripts through a rigorous editing process and pick through every sentence to make them the best they can be. I’m merciless when it comes to the small stuff. Detail-oriented work with a critical eye is my specialty, all of which I offer with my services. I specialize in fiction work, including fantasy, science fiction, and romance, but I also have a background in science, not-for-profits/NGOs, business, and poetry. Whatever your project, I’ll give it the focus it deserves and work with you to polish it up.
My prices are listed below, along with suggested sample sizes and a comparison of copyediting vs proofreading to better determine your needs!
Pricing for Copyediting & Proofreading
* All prices in USD
Copyediting
$0.004 per word
Proofreading
$0.0025 per word
Both copyediting and proofreading require careful attention and thought, but so does hiring someone to do them. If you’re interested in working with me, I offer free samples to see if we’ll make a good team before focusing on the whole manuscript. There is no charge for those samples whatsoever. I’ll simply work through the sample, leave my suggestions and comments, then return the file back to you for your review. If you’d like to continue working together from there, we can discuss the rest of the manuscript and the fee for the manuscript as a whole.
Sample sizes:
For longer works (30,000 words and up), feel free to submit one of the following for a sample: the first 10 pages, the first 3 chapters, or the first 5,000 words — whichever is best for you and your work.
For shorter works (from 10,000 to 30,000 words), you can submit these for the sample: the first 5 pages, the first 2 chapters, or the first 3,000 words. Again, whichever is best for you.
For even shorter works (under 10,000 words), please contact me to discuss the length of your manuscript and what a suitable sample size will be.
Copyediting vs Proofreading: Which is Which, and Which One Does Your Manuscript Need?
Copyediting and proofreading are two very different things! They also happen at different times in the writing process, and while they overlap in some ways, copyediting is more involved than proofreading.
What is Copyediting?
Have you finished your manuscript and put it through developmental and structural edits? Are you ready to polish it up to get a solid, near-final draft? If you answered yes to all of that, welcome to the next stage: copyediting!
This is the part of the process that happens before finalizing the manuscript for proofreading and/or publishing. It’s a careful look at a variety of details; a focused fine-tuning to catch small issues that escaped detection during the editing process. Essentially, copyediting (and its sibling, line editing) looks at the following:
- Spelling (including capitalization and abbreviations)
- Grammar
- Typos
- Missed words
- Punctuation
- Syntax
- Verb tenses
- Consistency (including spelling, hyphenation, and numerals)
- Continuity
- Word choice
- Clarity
- Overuse of punctuation or words
- Repeated words
- Fact-checking
- Legal liability and items needing permission, such as copyrighted entities, trademarks, and brand names
What is Proofreading?
This is the final read-over just before your manuscript is published; a light polish after you’ve completed edits and copyediting, with the manuscript just about ready to go to market (also known as the proof). This isn’t as in-depth as copyediting, but it can make a difference in the amount of errors in your work. This is a last effort to make your work as error-free as possible.
In particular, proofreading checks on the following:
- Spelling
- Grammar
- Typos
- Missed words
- Punctuation
- Syntax
- Verb tenses
- Formatting issues
For more info about these services, please check out the FAQs and read more about Payment Information & Delivery! If you’d like to chat about a project you’d like edited or proofread — or you need an answer about something I haven’t already addressed on this site — you can contact me via form or by email: AshborneStardustEditing@gmail.com.
Ashborne Stardust Editing & Design 