I offer different levels of line editing for your various needs. In lighter edits, I copyedit for accuracy and I flag the sentences that you need to revise for clarity. In heavier edits, I revise your sentences and send them back to you for review. I also provide developmental editing–feedback on your ideas, structure, organization, and big-picture writing choices. If you are a new client, you may want to consider an introductory package, where I work with an excerpt or shorter text. For any project, I will provide you with complimentary sample edits (about 250-500 words) at several levels of editing. This will allow you to determine what kind of editing best suits your needs at this point in the writing process. I will send you quotes for the full project along with the sample edits, after I have reviewed your draft and we’ve settled on a timeline.
Please email me to set up your free sample edit, and to inquire about rates and availability, if you are interested in any of the services below.
Intro Package: Academic and Nonfiction Drafts
For new clients who want a trial run to see if my editing is a good fit for your needs, I recommend we start with an excerpt from your work (between 5 and 7 pages, about 1500 words). I’ll provide three levels of edits in three separate documents: light copyediting, heavy line editing, and developmental editing. These samples will give you a sense of what sentence-level feedback can do for your writing. You will receive three Word documents of your manuscript excerpt with tracked changes and comments added. You will be able to accept, modify, or reject those changes and comments. If you would like to add a video or phone consultation after you receive your edits, I’m happy to talk more about my suggestions and answer any questions you have. I offer this package at a flat fee of $100.
Manuscript Editing
I work with any scholarly or nonfiction genre, including book manuscripts, theses or dissertations, journal articles, writing samples, conference papers, or public scholarship. Work with me to determine what level of editing you need at this stage in your writing, and we’ll put together the right timeline, rates, and options for you.
Perfectly Polished: Proposals/Abstracts/Personal Statements
Every sentence and every word counts in the high-stakes, limited-space writing that conveys your research in a nutshell. I specialize in helping you distill your most interesting ideas in these short formats. We’ll work together to convey your contributions in prose that non-specialist readers can follow. I’ll work with any genre you need from abstract to proposal, including copy for your website or application materials like cover letters, research statements, personal statements, and teaching statements. For a personalized quote, contact me at heather@writingisthinking.com.
Abstract Makeover
Would you like to work with me to produce a more accessible abstract (or research statement or chapter summary), as seen in this Abstract Makeover? If you have a full draft of your paper (even if it is not a final draft) and a draft of a short abstract, I can help you figure out how to effectively reach a non-expert reader. This process can be helpful when a draft is mostly polished, or when it is still a work-in-progress. Abstract Makeovers range from $50-150 depending on the length of the paper and the state of the draft. For a personalized quote, contact me at heather@writingisthinking.com.
Deliberate Practice
You can read more about the process of deliberate practice on the Writing is Thinking blog. If you are a curious writer looking to improve your writing skills, you might be interested in getting customized feedback on your writing trends and habits. Many clients find that feedback on short sections of their writing dramatically improves their writing moving forward. For a personalized quote, contact me at heather@writingisthinking.com.
Payment
I will send you an invoice via email when I return your manuscript. You can pay through PayPal or Venmo using bank routing, debit, or credit card. I can also accept personal checks. For larger projects, I may request half the total in advance and half upon completion.
Editing expenses are typically considered appropriate uses of research funds. Contact me if you have any questions about paying with a corporate card or would like to get me set up as a vendor at your university or institution.