Grammarwitch LLC
Services Offered
Developmental Editing
I am a holistic editor. Line, developmental, and copy editing; sensitivity review; proofreading; and some fact-checking and copywriting are part of my editing package.
How developmental editing fits in: I will tell you if you need to write a new first chapter, strengthen the ending, move a passage to a new location, or work on your story arc or character arcs, etc. However, I do not offer a full developmental edit separately.
Rates: I have included a ball-park hourly estimate, but I rarely charge by the hour (book coaching is an exception). I usually charge per word. Every project is different, and I must review your manuscript to see what sort of work it needs in order to give you an informed cost. Please contact me.
Line Editing
Clarity, word choice, rhythm, flow, syntax, consistency, logic, meaning, pace, beauty, voice appropriate to genre and story, controlling POV, making sure your timeline is logical...all these things and more are elements crucial to your book, and I address them in the line edit as part of my editing process. I will monitor overused words and suggest alternatives. I may ask you, "Would this character say this?" or tell you when details you know but your reader doesn't (and needs to) are not on the page. I will work closely with you, asking questions during the edit and having you review after each edit (there will be at least three full edits). My guiding philosophy is: This is YOUR book. I am adamant about preserving your voice and intent.
Copy Editing
I do thorough copyediting: spelling, grammar, punctuation (everyone's nemesis, I know), consistency (is your character's name spelled exactly the same way every single time? Did his green eyes mysteriously turn a warm brown in Chapter Sixteen? ), sentence and paragraph structure, avoiding tags where possible, and when it's not, placing tags strategically to maintain good cadence. I am a compulsive fact-checker, but my authors must also do their own fact-checking and are ultimately responsible for the accuracy of their work. Clarity is of utmost importance. I know the rules (hello, Chicago Manual of Style) but I also know when it's useful to break them. My only non-negotiable rule: Thou shalt use the Oxford comma.
Sensitivity Review
I am mindful of potential sensitivity issues and will query you if I think you might want to phrase or approach something differently. However, I do not offer a full sensitivity review as a separate item.
Proofreading
Proofreading is part of my editing package. After we have finished editing (minimum of three full editing passes) and we are both satisfied that it is done, I do a final pre-design proof. (Some manuscripts are so clean that the third edit is the pre-design proof--but they are rare.) Depending on how you plan to publish, I may also do a post-design proof.
Copywriting
Where needed and desired, I will collaborate with my authors on cover copy.
Indexing
Occasionally. If you ask very, very nicely.
Projects worked on
Select client list
I have worked on projects, several award-winning, both fiction and nonfiction, that are affiliated with or connected to HarperCollins, Parallax Press, Bethany House, Mercer University Press, Heart Ally Books.
Book-relevant education or training
School: yes. Learning to diagram sentences turned out to be much more useful than I ever expected, and classes in composition were an excellent foundation. Sixteen years as fact-checker for a monthly magazine made me compulsive about accuracy, credible sources, and teaching my authors to question everything. But despite all the theory, I turned out to be a hands-on learner. I still learn something new with every book I work on.
Additional information
I look for books that have value, that are beautiful in their own unique way, that bring light and kindness, justice and compassion, useful information, and peace and beauty to the world.