Affordable proofreading for novels, novellas, and short stories, with three levels of service to make sure you get the attention you need.

Basic Proofreading:

Makes sure writing is free of mechanical errors—spelling, grammar, punctuation, consistency of text-based elements such as hyphenation, capitalization, italicization, etc. Rate: $0.0015/word. Flat rate of $15 for stories that are less than 10,000 words.

Editorial Proofreading:

All the elements of Basic Proofreading, in addition to consistency of story-based elements such as character eye color, checking for repetition and wordiness within sentences and paragraphs, correcting awkward or irregular sentence structure and word usage, and commenting on actions that could be perceived as improbable or impossible (such as FMC ripping off MC’s shirt in the living room, and then again in the bedroom, or putting handcuffs on a bad guy after the hero already did that two paragraphs ago). Rate: $0.0018/word. Flat rate of $18 for stories that are less than 10,000 words.

Dragon-Taming:

Editorial Proofreading + formatting. In addition to all the quality control checks included with Editorial Proofreading, your manuscript will also be formatted using Microsoft Word’s Styles palette. Unless other specifications are requested, formatting will include 0.5-inch margins, single-line spacing, 0.4-inch first line indent, and Times New Roman (size 12) for the main text. Rate: $0.0020/word. Flat rate of $20 for stories that are less than 10,000 words.

Editorial Proofreading and Dragon-Taming also include:

* A customized Style Sheet listing a variety of elements within your story. Perfect for maintaining a specific look through a series or an author’s entire catalog.

* Two MS Word files (or PDF files if you prefer)

• A file with Track Changes and Comments turned on, showing all changes made.
• A file with changes accepted, leaving only Comments for easy reference.

Also available:

• All new clients receive a free 1,000 word sample edit. Please make sure to write ‘Sample’ in the Special Notes section of the contact form.
• Conversion from UK English to US English (no extra charge). Request when scheduling service.

Details:

• All story lengths and genres are welcome, with the exception of non-fiction.
• I work only on electronic files, and edits will be carried out using Microsoft Word’s Track Changes and Comments features.
• Turnaround time is approximately 24 hours per 20k of manuscript so a 60k novel will take approximately 72 hours. I say ‘approximately’ because some manuscripts need a little more attention than others and some need a little less. However, I will always do my best to work with any deadlines you may have.
• I live in Texas, placing me in CST (Central Standard Time). I check my email on a regular basis but please be patient if you try to contact me in the middle of the night.
• Manuscripts need to be emailed on the day you booked by no later than 9am CST. If a slot is booked and no manuscript is received on that day by 6pm CST, 50% of project fee will be charged and booking will be cancelled.
• Cancelations without a minimum of 72hrs notice will be charged 50% of project fee.
• Invoicing is done through PayPal so please include your PayPal email address when you send me a manuscript. I charge 3% on total project cost to cover PayPal fee. You will receive an invoice within a day or two of the assignment being completed. Please pay the invoice within three to five days after receiving it. Payments not received within five days will be charged a late fee.

To reserve time for your proofreading job, complete the contact form on my website. You can also send me a PM or email me at [email protected] and provide the following information:

• Basic, Editorial, or Dragon-Taming service
• Title of short story, novella, or novel
• Genre
• Word count
• If you need conversion from UK English to US English
• Preferred days