Services
Find out about the services offered at Rookwood Editing
Beta Reading
While a full developmental edit (see below) is the best way to get thorough feedback on a manuscript’s strengths, weaknesses, and ways to move forward, beta reading is an affordable alternative for writers who want general feedback on their manuscripts. When I complete a beta read, I read your manuscript with an eye for the biggest-picture strengths and weaknesses. I look for places where your characters’ motivations may not match their actions and I check that the central plot arcs and conflicts make sense and tell a good story. After reading through your manuscript, I write a short two-to-three-page letter with my reactions and some basic suggestions, full of encouragement and support as you move on to begin your revisions.
Includes:
margin comments on the manuscript
a short report with positive and constructive feedback
Rate: $0.01 per word
Developmental Editing
Developmental editing, also known as content editing or substantive editing, is the earliest stage of editing, where the editor works with the author to strengthen a story’s plot, character, conflict, and more. When I complete a developmental edit, I read through your whole manuscript once to get a feel for the story. At the end, I write down my initial thoughts—strengths, weaknesses, questions I may have. I then read your manuscript a second time, this time taking careful notes about specific aspects of the text. Finally, after two read-throughs of the manuscript, I write an extensive letter to the author detailing the manuscript’s strengths, my questions, and my suggestions for ways that you can revise the plot, characters, tone, and more. At this point, you take over, incorporating my feedback and reworking the manuscript.
Includes:
margin comments on the manuscript
an extensive report on the strengths and areas for improvement in the manuscript, including chapter-by-chapter feedback and suggestions for revisions
Rate: $0.01 per word
Stylistic Editing
The second stage of editing is stylistic editing, or line editing. This takes place after a developmental edit, once the author feels confident that the overall story is in the best shape it can be. Stylistic editing works on the paragraph level to smooth and polish sentences. At this point, I make sure that your characters’ dialogue is consistent, that your writing flows smoothly, that your sentences are varied in length, and so on. When I complete a stylistic edit, I read slowly through a manuscript, primarily using margin comments to suggest specific ways that an author can strengthen sentence flow and writing tone.
Includes:
margin comments on the manuscript
in-line edits using tracked changes
a short report providing feedback on frequently made edits or writing techniques
a clean copy of the manuscript with all the same edits as the tracked version but with the changes accepted for ease of reading and revising
Rate: starts at $0.035 per word
Copyediting
Copyediting is the final stage of editing before a book is formatted. Whereas stylistic editing ensures that writing flows smoothly from one sentence to another, copyediting looks at each sentence individually to correct spelling and grammar. This is also where I check for consistency throughout your text to ensure that if a character has blue eyes on page 12, she doesn’t have green eyes on page 67. When I copyedit, I work with a style sheet. This is a document I create for each project to track spelling and grammar choices in your manuscript, as well as character details, name and place spellings, treatment of numbers, and more.
Includes:
margin comments on the manuscript
in-line edits using tracked changes
a short report providing feedback on frequently made edits or writing techniques
a clean copy of the manuscript with all the same edits as the tracked version but with the changes accepted for ease of reading and revising
Rate: starts at $0.035 per word
Jewish Sensitivity Reading
If you are not Jewish and your book has Jewish characters, or if you think your book might include Jewish stereotypes or tropes, a sensitivity (or authenticity) read is the best way to ensure that your book is not accidentally doing harm. When I complete a sensitivity read for Jewish topics, I read your book to make sure that antisemitic stereotypes are not being used in harmful ways.
Includes:
margin comments on the manuscript
a short report with feedback on the use of Jewish characters, topics, or related tropes and suggestions for how to improve sensitivity or authenticity
Rate: dependent on project
Hiring an editor is a major investment, so it’s worth it to try to get as far in the editing process as you can by yourself before hiring a professional. You want to take advantage of an editor’s training and expertise, and that means allowing the editor to focus on higher-level, more complex areas of advice. I recommend going through your draft on your own to find major things to fix so the editor isn’t fixing more basic things like plot holes, and when you’ve gone as far as you can that way, find critique partners or beta readers to give you some feedback for free. Then it’s time for an editor.
While this may vary based on my workload and the time of year, I generally say one month for books under 100,000 words and two months for books over 100,000.
Yes! Full payment must be received by the end of the edit, but I am more than happy to break my fee into multiple installments leading up to the edit.
While I will consider working with most fiction, my favourite genres are romance, fantasy, and science fiction! I also love working with Jewish clients or books with Jewish characters or themes.
I don’t typically work with nonfiction writers, although I tend to make an exception for Jewish content. I don’t edit sports fiction or horror.
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characters with hooked noses, greasy hair, and sallow skin (like Severus Snape, Dracula, or most witches in fairy tales)
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greed/fondness for money
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witches, goblins, vampires
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lizard people
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world domination
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conspiracy theories in general
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cabals
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ritual murder (blood libel)
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characters with goat/devil horns
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