Editorial Services

Learn more about my professional experience, my editorial services below, and if you have any additional questions, please contact me. Please note: I request 50% of the project fee at the beginning of the project and 50% at the completion of the project. This deposit allows me to reserve your spot for editing. Please reach out if you’re interested in a payment plan.

AI policy: Artists, editors, and other creatives feel strongly about the use of Large Language Models (LLMs) and artificial intelligence (AI) tools when it comes to creative work. I believe in human-created art and that intellectual property and copyright should be respected. Please know, I will not use any form of generative AI in my editing process.

What is a manuscript evaluation?

A manuscript evaluation—also known as a manuscript critique or editorial assessment—provides broader feedback on big-picture elements of your story. If you want more substantial, professional feedback than a beta read but you don’t want a full developmental edit, a manuscript evaluation might be the right next step.

A manuscript assessment is kind of like an appraisal or diagnostic report. It gives you an honest look at your current manuscript and what areas of improvement you need to focus on in the revision process.

Similar to a developmental edit, a manuscript critique is an evaluation of the book’s main ideas, structure, and storytelling techniques such as plot, pacing, dialogue, characterization, and more. However, rather than a full manuscript edit with heavy rewriting, a manuscript evaluation is more of a one-pass, close, critical reading with suggestions for revision.

What to expect:

• Critical review: I offer a one-pass, close reading of your manuscript.
• Marginal notes: I provide comments, questions, and suggestions via Microsoft Word’s Track Changes.
• Assessment letter: You receive comprehensive feedback (usually five to eight pages) on the book’s strengths, weaknesses, and marketability.

Investment: All my rates fall within the EFA pricing guidelines. My manuscript evaluations are USD $0.018 per word (with a minimum of $500). Pricing varies based on the complexity of the project, turnaround time, and other factors. Please reach out for a personalized, fixed-rate quote and schedule.

What is line editing? What is copyediting?

I’ve mentioned before how line editing and copyediting are different levels of editing. Throughout the 10+ years I’ve worked as a professional book editor, I’ve learned most authors want a blend of the two services. I currently treat line edits as “heavy copyedits” for this reason.

Line editing focuses on improving and tightening language, making it more compelling and concise. As a line editor, I focus on style, tone, and strengthening various storytelling techniques on a line-by-line level, making sure the content isn’t repetitive or redundant.

I smooth out awkward sentences and transitions, improve the overall flow and word choice, and keep the reader in mind while preserving the author’s voice.

Copyediting catches errors in grammar, usage, punctuation, and syntax. As a line editor or a copyeditor, I strengthen the prose to be coherent, concise, and compelling. A copyedit may involve light fact-checking and, like line editing, an emphasis on clarity and consistency.

Line editing, like copyediting, is a two-step process. After reviewing the full, edited manuscript and style sheet, you can accept or reject changes and send it back for a “clean up” pass. This way, I address all queries and deliver a redline-free manuscript ready for proofreading.

What to expect:

• Line-by-line, full manuscript edit: I make at least one detailed pass of editing through Microsoft Word’s Track Changes, abiding by The Chicago Manual of Style, 18th edition, Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, 11th edition, and/or other rigorous house style guides.
• A final “clean up” pass: I perform a final pass to review minor changes after you’ve reviewed and accepted or rejected changes.
• Style sheet: I keep detailed notes about your stylistic preferences as the author, including punctuation, the spellings and treatment of words, miscellaneous facts/notes, character lists, and any other pertinent information to keep consistent (e.g., timelines, style choices that stray from Chicago, etc.).

Investment: All my rates fall within the EFA pricing guidelines. My line/copyediting rates start at USD $0.03 per word. Pricing varies based on the complexity of the project, turnaround time, and other factors. For line editing, the rate may be higher, especially if it requires heavy research or fact-checking. For copyediting, or if your book has already been through a round of professional editing, your rate may be lower. Please reach out for a personalized, fixed-rate quote and schedule.

What is proofreading?

Proofreading is the final step of the editing process, and it’s known as the “polishing” stage. Before hiring a pretypeset or typeset proofreader, your text should be quite clean.

But proofreading isn’t just about catching typos and a rogue comma. As a proofreader, I aim to rid the text of errors and make sure everything is clear and correct at the most granular level.

While line editing will zhuzh up your copy edit (i.e., perform a copyedit while also paying attention to voice, flow, pacing, word choice, and more), a proofread has more to do with fixing typographical errors and formatting inconsistencies than which word choice would enhance a sentence.

A proofread focuses on correcting infelicities of grammar, usage, punctuation, and syntax; reviewing running heads and front and back matter; checking chapter titles, numbering, spelling, hyphenation, endnotes, and tables; and fixing typos, stray punctuation, and formatting/spacing issues.

I follow style sheets and style guides closely, querying decisively and effectively. I flag or fix misused words; subject-verb disagreement; issues with correlation of the parts of a book; pagination problems; incorrect spelling or word choice; illogical, garbled, repeated, or missing text; problematic widows, stacks, or bad breaks; type font and line spacing errors; redundancies within a phrase or sentence; dangling modifiers, inconsistencies with punctuation or capitalization; and any issues for the designer to address.

What to expect:

• Full typeset/pretypeset proofread: For pretypset proofreads, I mark corrections using Word’s Track Changes feature. For typeset proofreads, I use text-editing tools to mark corrections in Adobe Acrobat/Reader.
• Style sheet: I keep detailed notes (updated since copyedit stage) about your stylistic preferences as the author, including punctuation, the spellings and treatment of words, miscellaneous facts/notes, character lists, and any other pertinent information to keep consistent (e.g., timelines, style choices that stray from Chicago, etc.).
• Included add-on proofread for final pages: You have a thirty-day window post-proofread to send last-minute or revised material (typically two to five pages) for proofing, such as revised author’s notes, acknowledgments, back cover copy, endorsements, etc.

Investment: All my rates fall within the EFA pricing guidelines. My proofreading rates start at USD $0.016 per word. Pricing varies based on the complexity of the project, turnaround time, and other factors. Please reach out for a personalized, fixed-rate quote and schedule.

What does editorial mentorship look like?

As an editing mentor, I’m your biggest cheerleader, and I’m there to offer guidance, accountability, and feedback. I’m not a writing coach telling you what to write, and I’m not a ghostwriter. But I am in your corner. I’m a sounding board when you need to brainstorm.

But I don’t just provide moral support; I review your work along the way to offer editorial support. I review up to twenty-five pages in between calls to offer high-level feedback. This type of collaboration helps us course-correct or recalibrate if needed, fine-tune your goals, and identify any areas in your writing or writing process that need improvement.

Mentoring for editors:

I also offer editorial mentorship to aspiring freelance editors. If you want to launch or elevate your freelance editorial business, grow in confidence, or simply ask questions about my own editorial business to generate ideas for your own, you can book an $85 hour-long consultation call or four hour-long consultation calls for $300.

Instead of reviewing up to twenty-five pages of a writer’s current project, I review editing exercises, website copy, business materials (contracts, editorial offerings, author questionnaires, etc.), and more.

What to expect:

• Collaborative, 1:1 mentorship package: Mentoring consists of four monthly hour-long consultation calls to explore new ideas; tackle feedback on a chapter-by-chapter level rather than working on a full manuscript; work on a book proposal, outline, writing assignments, or creative prompts; or discuss storytelling craft issues in detail. I provide guidance, encouragement, and act as a sounding board. You can pick my brain on the editorial process, and I will help you map out a customized revision plan and find resources, new perspectives, goals, and more.
• Manuscript page reviews between consultation calls: I will review up to twenty-five pages for high-level feedback in between calls (optional).
• Voxer access: You will have voice messaging support Monday to Friday through Voxer, a free text/voice note app, in between calls and feedback for the duration of four months.

Investment: For the package above, you can book four hour-long, monthly consultation calls for $300. You also have the option to book a one-time $85 hour-long consultation call/office hour to discuss your work. I offer mentorship services for aspiring editors as well. Check out my e-course, Freelance Editing 101: Launch or Grow Your Editorial Business.

What Clients Are Saying

“Mollie’s eye for detail and her thoughtful approach to editing and proofreading make her work an invaluable part of our publishing process!”
Ruth Castle, Managing Editor at New Growth Press

“Mollie is an experienced, meticulous, and insightful copyeditor and proofreader with a growth mindset. She is reliable with deadlines and a pleasure to work with.”
Laura Wright, Senior Production Editor at Penguin Random House

“Mollie delivers feedback that’s clear, concise, and calibrated to support authors in revising effectively. She brings a keen, kind eye to her editorial collaborations, and working with her is a pleasure.”
Lindsey Alexander, Editorial Director at Reading List Editorial

“If you’re thinking of hiring Mollie—do it. She was indispensable to us standing up a content team from scratch. Her edits were detailed, accurate, clear, and always on time. She’s a kick-ass editor but also just a great person. She’s kind, smart, and always willing to lend a hand. Mollie will make your project better, I’m sure of it.”
Andy Hartman, Managing Editor at Pillar4

“Mollie delivered our manuscript in record time. She did an amazing job of maintaining the original voice of the book while polishing the verbiage. I was very impressed and give her my highest recommendation!”
Emily Osburne, Owner of Red Marketing and Technology

Mollie has been wonderful to work with. Timely, pleasant, helpful—she executes everything with a high level of expertise. Couldn’t ask for a better editor.”
Elliot Brooks, Author of Peace and Turmoil: The Dark Shores

“Not only do I feel like Mollie helped me bring my book to a level of polish I could not have achieved alone, but I feel she put me through a post-graduate class in writing that allows me to add “writer” to my resume with confidence. Thank you, Mollie!”
Thomas Anderson, Author of Birds of the Pacific Flyway