I have worked on fiction and non-fiction for more than 15 years focusing on both UK and US English. My editing feedback aims to be honest but not hurtful. I act as a guide, pointing you in the right direction to be a better, more accomplished writer before you publish. However, if your book is a first draft, I suggest you spend some time self-editing before you submit. I will not take on books that in my opinion require a complete rewrite. That is not generally the role of an editor. For rewrites, I would charge writing fees.
Preferred Genres
Fiction:
When it comes to fiction, I prefer to edit books from genres I actually enjoy reading in order to offer expertise appropriate to the type of book and category of work my authors have written. This means that if you are looking for a fantasy or science fiction editor, I am not the right editor for you. My preference is for commercial fiction, with a focus on literary fiction, thrillers, mysteries, historical novels, YA and romance.
Non-Fiction:
I have edited across the board – from sociology, to psychology, to chemistry, to business, to self-help. I have many years’ experience in academic editing, including textbooks and theses.
Genres I don’t edit:
I do not edit poetry, short stories, screenplays, or inspirational, religious or political themes. I generally prefer not to edit something I can’t stand behind or be proud of once it’s in print. So that would exclude any hate speech or documents that promote inhumane practices or cruelty to animals.
Experience:
I have worked in-house at magazines and in various large publishers including Macmillan, Van Schaik, Pan Macmillan and others. My fortes are attention to detail and meeting deadlines as well as creativity when it comes to word choice and “firing” up your writing. I am a passionate reader and have my finger on the pulse of current reading tastes and trends, since I read over a hundred books annually. I have had book reviews published in several different publications and I also publish a blog on this site. As a freelancer I am adaptable and since I am a published author myself (of both fiction and non-fiction), I am aware of the challenges you will have faced to get your book to where it is now. I hope this affects my communication with my authors as I aim to be both empathetic and constructive.
Services:
I offer a range of editing services, including: developmental editing, copy-editing and proofreading.
In order to begin work, I require a 50 percent payment on agreement of the project. The balance is payable before I deliver the edits to you. I accept payments in either South African Rand or in US$ via PayPal. (Prices are quoted in ZAR but I am happy to send a quotation in dollars.)
My rates are expressed here as a guide. They can vary depending on the nature of the work, the time frame of the assignment, the degree of special expertise required, and other factors. The industry standard for a manuscript page, however, is 250 words. Please email me to query my availability. I am efficient and work well under pressure, but I do prefer a bit of notice.
All work must be submitted in electronic format.
Developmental Editing:
(also called substantive editing or structural editing)
Your work, whether it be a novel, article, book, blog or thesis is as far as you can take it alone. Once we have discussed your goals and target audience, I will review your work and give you advice and a review on the following:
- How to develop your work
- Flow
- Big picture
- Advice on how to rework the project to deliver quality content
- Overall structure and how to organise the content
- How to fill in blanks and remove repetition
- Clarity
- Deep fact checking
- Advice on characterisation, setting or anything else that needs work
- Partial rewriting
- Substantive changes
- Comments on the value of the content
- Tone/voice
I will not rewrite your work, here my job is to appraise your writing and structure and advise you on how to improve it.
Copy Editing:
Your work, whether it be a novel, article, book, blog or thesis has been read by others and you’ve incorporated feedback. You’re absolutely sure your writing is working but now it needs to be checked through before being laid out typographically. I will go through your manuscript and check for the following:
- Grammar
- Unnecessary
- Punctuation
- Final changes to general flow and readability
- Spelling
- Sentence structure
- “Over”writing
- Adherence to language structure or dialect (UK English versus UK English)
This will be, in essence, one round of thorough copy editing, to give your manuscript a professional finish.
Proofreading:
When your manuscript, book or document has already been professionally edited, it is the proofreader (not editor – people often confuse the two) whose job it is to spot typographical and mechanical errors and any other mistakes that may have been missed by the copy editor. Once the document has been designed, the proofreader can also look for formatting issues, scrutinising design and layout. This is the final time your work will be reviewed before you print online or offline, and people expect error-free work!
Rates:
| Document | Developmental Edit | Copyedit | Proofing |
| General documents | From 30c to 50c per word | 25c to 40c per word | 15c to 20c per word |
| Fiction/non-fiction books (not textbooks) | From 30c to 50c per word | 15c to 25c per word | 10c to 20c per word |
| Government documents | From 30c to 50c per word | 20c to 40c per word | 15c to 20c per word |
| Textbooks and technical documents | Generally do not do development edits, only copyedit. | R50 to R75 per page | R15 to R45 per page |
| Academic theses/dissertations and related documents (excluding reference checking) | Generally do not do development edits, only copyedit. | R40 to R60 | Generally do not proof theses, only copyedit. |
| Website copy | From 30c to 50c per word | 30c to 40c per word | 15c to 20c per word |
Excluding VAT (for SA citizens) International clients can request a quote in dollars | |||