My job as your editor is to make certain you have the absolute best manuscript I can possibly provide — and that doesn’t always mean “pay more and you’ll get better editing.” I once turned down an offer for over four times my going rate because the manuscript simply wasn’t ready for editing, and neither was the author. If you want to pay me extra, I won’t complain; but I won’t half-ass my job even by request.
All editing is an opinion. Both authors and editors are, fundamentally, artists; and art is a matter of taste. My job is to give you the tools and information you need to produce better art, not redefine or rewrite your work. You are free to question, object to, and reject my suggestions; they are never offered as a take-it-or-leave-it package, because you are in control of your own manuscript, not me. I will also never talk about our discussions unless I feel it is sufficiently anonymous or you have given me permission to do so. You’ve given me a piece of yourself, and you haven’t done that so I can just tell you it’s wonderful, but rather so it will get even better than it already is. It may be rough and painful at times, but you wouldn’t be in this business if it were easy.
Submitting a Manuscript
Do not send in an unsolicited manuscript. I will tell you if I’m interested in seeing it after you go through the following process. All new submissions should be directed to thenovelninja@gmail.com, with the subject line EDITING SUBMISSION and the name of your manuscript.
I have limited slots available, if any. It may be some time before I can get to your submission, and I only schedule three manuscripts at a time.
Consultation or Copy Edit (fiction): Send me an email detailing your request, genre, market, and desired changes.
Consultation or Copy Edit (nonfiction): Send me an email detailing your request, topic, market, required formatting (such as Chicago/Turabian, MLA, AP, etc.), and desired changes. If you are submitting something intended for academic evaluation, please see my Academic Paper Policy.
Development or Line Edit (fiction or nonfiction): Send me an email with your elevator pitch, as well as a summary of your work in 200 words or less (for manuscripts of 20k words or fewer) or 400 words or less (for manuscripts over 20k words total). I am aware that summing up an entire book in 400 words is difficult, but there are specific reasons why I require it; please see Why the Pitch and Summary? for a detailed explanation of the policy and its benefits for you as an author.
Format and Style
Unless there is a specific reason otherwise, please submit all manuscripts as Word files. I will be using comments and the Track Changes feature to do these edits. If you require any other process, please say so in your initial email.
Please also detail any specific writing styles that an editor might confuse for mistakes. For example, an element of worldbuilding or character development that is supposed to feel wrong because it will be explained away; odd accents or other speech patterns; a narrative style intended to reflect an older tradition (such as medieval manuscripts or Regency romance); and so on.
Genre, Topic, and Limitations:
- Fiction: I specialize in science fiction and fantasy, but I also accept mystery and romance.
- Nonfiction: I accept history, literary studies, physical sciences, and Catholic theology and philosophy.
- Due to personal reasons, if your work contains detailed sex scenes or sexual material, I will not edit those scenes; you may feel free to omit them from the document in order to bring down your word count total for a reduced rate as applicable.
- No erotica of any kind.
- No manuscripts with more than incidental use of present tense.
- No manuscripts which treat Catholics as default bad guys, or present Catholicism in general in a negative light. I make no secret about my faith, and I have plenty of work ahead of me without dealing with that sort of thing. That said, I’m very open to different interpretations, so if you want to double-check, please feel free to include it in your initial email.
Rates
I charge in increments of 10k words, usually rounded down; so if you are submitting a 103k-word manuscript, it counts as 100k. The sole exception is that anything under 10k is charged as 10k. Please see my Manuscript Serials Policy if you are submitting a webnovel, short story series, or article series.
All editing fees include my availability for consultation and revision, subject to my continued availability, for six months after the completion of your edit, for anything related to that edit. This means if my edit results in you rewriting some number of chapters, I will not charge additional fees for looking over those chapters for you. However, please note that I reserve the right to require a fee for a completely new draft.
Please click on the drop-down lists to show different editing options. I have included the Editorial Freelancers Association’s median rates for comparison, in as direct of an apples-to-apples match as I can manage.
Reading Fee/Evaluation
Reading Fee/Evaluation: FREE.
If I ask to look at your manuscript, I will not charge a reading or evaluation fee. If you pay me, it’ll be for editing. Most editors charge at least a “speed bump” fee in order to limit submissions to serious candidates, which is part of why I require a strict pitch and summary first — both free and beneficial for you as an author.
Consultation
Consultation Fee: $30 per 10k. (For comparison, the EFA median is $500 per 10k.)
I frequently consult on a fragment of a story rather than a whole manuscript. This is similar to a developmental edit, but usually involves a particular aspect of a story outside of its context. Examples of past consultations include helping out with a magic system, describing life on an O’Neill cylinder, medical ethics during the zombie apocalypse, character consistency, seventeenth century sailing ships, Catholic theology and canon law, economics during the collapse of civilization, wormhole physics, Late Bronze Age politics in Mesopotamia, and the actual procedures of the Spanish Inquisition and their contributions to the modern US judicial system.
In other words, I help out with a lot. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to email me. If I don’t know the answer, I’ll probably be able to tell you who does
Copy Edit
Copy Edit, Fiction: $50 per 10k. (For comparison, the EFA median is $200 per 10k.)
Copy Edit, Nonfiction: $75 per 10k. (For comparison, the EFA median is $300 per 10k.)
A copy edit checks for grammar mistakes, syntax issues, typos, consistency of tone or style, and a last-ditch check on story continuity. Copy edits always require a fresh eye, and if I have worked with you on development or line editing, you will require a separate copy editor. I very rarely take on copy edit contracts because there are many editors who can do a good copy edit, and good developmental and line editors are harder to find.
(As a side note, “proofreading” means something different in publishing versus how most people use it. In academia, a proofread is effectively a copy edit. In publishing, it is the process of checking the formatting of a work, usually by going over a test copy — the proof — to make sure it looks right. Proofreading used to be a full-time career, but most of the work is now handled by computer programs. Please do not email me with a request for a proofread under either definition.)
Developmental Edit
Developmental Edit, Light: $75 per 10k. (For comparison, the EFA median is $300 per 10k.)
Developmental Edit, Medium: $150 per 10k. (For comparison, the EFA median is $600 per 10k.)
A developmental edit looks at story structure, character development, and worldbuilding. It may result in moving chapters around, refining a character’s background or motivation, or improve the description of advanced technology or help the consistency of a magic system.
Many beginning authors have no idea how much they need a developmental edit until the story is already published and they are working on a sequel. It is worth going through the submission process to see what I might have to say about your manuscript before deciding you don’t need a developmental edit. The majority of my clients do wind up asking for at least light dev editing.
I do not offer heavy dev edits as a standard rate because the amount of work that goes into a heavy edit will require me to be heavily invested in your work. To avoid burnout, I generally avoid heavy edits except with close friends and family.
Line Edit
Line Edit, Light: $150 per 10k. (For comparison, the EFA median is $400 per 10k.)
Line Edit, Medium: $250 per 10k. (The EFA does not distinguish between different grades of line editing.)
A line edit involves suggested rephrases, scene rewrites, terminology and description updates, and other changes to your prose to bring out the best version of your vision. This kind of edit focuses on getting your story to easily communicate ideas, improve the sound of your prose for audio versions, avoid infodumping or white room syndrome, and otherwise make your story come to life on the page.
As with developmental editing, I do not list heavy line editing as an option as this option requires me to be heavily invested in your work. To avoid burnout, a heavy line edit is reserved for close friends and family.
Discounts
I offer some discounts for active members of certain organizations, mainly because I approve of some aspect of those organizations and their effect on or contribution to creative writing. This can help in editing due to the common reference point, and so an easier time for me means a cheaper edit for you. Only one discount may apply, so if you qualify for more than one, you’ll probably want to ask for the highest possible discount. (Unless, of course, you just want to pay extra. I won’t say no, but I will look at you funny.)
If I don’t recognize your name or username, I reserve the right to ask for proof of association before offering any discounts.
- 10% off: Royal Road authors, either actively updating or active in comments on other webnovels.
- 15% off: Active members of WCA, the WriterDojo, or any paid member of Legend Fiction.
- 20% off: Current students, alumni, faculty, or staff of Christendom College.
Payment Schedule
Unless otherwise arranged, all payments are handed as half up-front, half on delivery. I may accept payments that are more spread out, but this is generally reserved for authors I have worked with before or who are recommended by the same.
I am currently investigating the possibility of taking escrow payments against future work, allowing authors to gradually pay ahead. Before I do this, however, I have to be certain how this will work for tax purposes. If you are interested in this method of payment, check this space at a later date.
Novel Ninja 