"You're brilliant! Thank you SO MUCH for your thoughtful edits and comments. Just what I was looking for. So very, very helpful. I really needed someone to really look at all those niggly details." — Beth R.
BASIC COPYEDITING: My copyediting (finding typos, grammatical errors, wrong words and punctuation, misspellings, etc.) will also include light line and continuity editing – these are more on the side of word choice (could a different word serve your purpose better perhaps?), consistency of details (like place or people names, making sure Lucy is always Lucy and not suddenly Lucie or Lacy), or suggestions for prose that might flow better, be clearer, more descriptive, or what have you.
I will provide you with the edited document with comments and track changes and communicate with you about what changes you want to implement. We will also figure out if you want me to show you every single change (such as a simple correction like adding a comma) or just fix it as I go. You are free to implement the changes yourself to save time, but that always allows for additional errors to be put into the MS and I would want to check any changes against the original to make sure all intended changes are preserved and no new errors introduced. I can do this with just a “compare documents” tool and not need to re-edit the entire MS. (Or you can do this too if you’re familiar and comfortable with this process or want to learn what to do.)
I will provide you with the edited document with comments and track changes and communicate with you about what changes you want to implement. We will also figure out if you want me to show you every single change (such as a simple correction like adding a comma) or just fix it as I go. You are free to implement the changes yourself to save time, but that always allows for additional errors to be put into the MS and I would want to check any changes against the original to make sure all intended changes are preserved and no new errors introduced. I can do this with just a “compare documents” tool and not need to re-edit the entire MS. (Or you can do this too if you’re familiar and comfortable with this process or want to learn what to do.)
"[My] story has taken flight through your gifts of caring and writing. Your skillful abilities as editor and publisher have polished the rough edges and added depth to the experience. ... Thank you with all my heart." — Ruth J.
DEVELOPMENTAL EDITING: If you need help working through a "sagging middle," fleshing out ideas, figuring out plot points or why your story arc seems hung up on something, where to take a story, what doesn't seem to be working in your manuscript, or anything with developing your story, I can read and coach to help get the momentum going again.
"I never would have gotten my book to the publication stage without Cheri. Her background as a successful author won my confidence. Her editing instincts are top notch, and she has the technological know-how to format books for all the varied publishing platforms. Knowing I have a busy schedule, Cheri was very patient with me and worked with me at my own pace while at the same time motivating me and cheering me forward to completion." — Laurie G.
ONE PAGE OR CHAPTER CRITIQUE: An extensive critique with editing, alternative suggestions, overall feedback, and another pair of eyes might be just what you need to get a feeling for how your writing is working on the page. Getting ready for a submission? Contest entry? Or just want in-depth feedback so you know how you're doing? This may be just what you need, without as much financial commitment. In addition to your sample page(s) returned with comments, you’ll receive at least a page (750 words minimum) critique with my ideas for making your prose more powerful, precise, and pretty. (Like my alliteration? :)
"Thank you! We were surprised and pleased for the amount and quality of the critique you provided on our manuscript pages. ... We have considered your comments carefully and have made changes in our work accordingly, to the better." — John R.
FORMATTING PHYSICAL BOOK: This would include interior design (font choices, design elements, graphics), formatting, margins (for example, to allow for gutter width, which will require different odd and even pages), numbering, alternating author and title/chapter headers, drop case or other desired chapter opening design elements, photo compression as needed and positioning on the page, photo caption formatting, front matter (copyright page and related info) and end matter development and placement, obtaining ISBN or inserting your ISBN, Library of Congress number placement (and guidance to register if you desire), and any other interior work to make the MS print-ready. This is in addition to the copyediting prep. If I don’t do the copyediting prep, I would still need to read the manuscript as I work on it and format and this would be part of the hourly charges. This process would make a document ready for upload to print (PDF).
"Please know that your thoughtful critique has helped me improve my work, has encouraged me greatly, and has certainly given me additional insight. Your evaluation of my work is indeed treasured." — Jo-Ann C.
EBOOK VERSION: This takes different formatting and layout from a print book AND requires navigational elements with Table of Contents that uses internal bookmarks and hyperlinks. I will provide you with a second complete Word document ready to upload to KDP and/or Smashwords, which is a distributor to multiple online Ebook stores including Barnes and Noble, KOBO, Scribd, and many others. I will guide you through the process, or do it for you at my hourly rate, to get your Ebook uploaded, live, and available for purchase. Amazon must be done separately and is its own animal. We can talk about the options and pros and cons. Ebook versions must have their own ISBNs and I’ll help you get what you need, or I can get it for you. Print and Ebook versions (Kindle/Nook/AppleBooks) of the same book must have different ISBNs for each.
"Need an editor who understands technical secrets? Is skilled at formatting? Pays attention to detail? Knows proper grammar? And, equally important, listens to her client's wishes? Then allow me to recommend the editor who has given life to several of my projects — the talented Cheri Gillard." — Sandra A.
SOME OF THE NITTY GRITTY: If I help with the set-up on KDP or elsewhere, you will need to provide me with the copy for any of the short and long blurbs required from online stores and distributors, for taglines, bio info, headshot, etc., and supply keywords and categories for metadata. You will be responsible to determine price and distribution rights, royalty rates, and other choices available through distribution sites. I can always help you decide and hold your hand as much as you want. If I do the set-up, I will need access to your profiles and accounts on Amazon, Smashwords, or other distribution sites of your choosing.
$15 per hour for all services described.
Cheri has been a professional writer and editor for more than twenty-five years. She has won numerous awards for her fiction writing, plus she has helped both aspiring and seasoned writers realize their own dreams of getting their Indie books turned into reality or their manuscripts ready for submission to traditional publishers. Her experience includes writing for many publishing houses across the nation, including Random House, with her work has been read and used all over the world. She also managed a vast team of writers and a fourteen-page spread in an international print magazine when she was editor for its book and product review section. For many years, she proudly served as judge for the Paul Gillette Memorial Writing Contest, part of the highly esteemed Pikes Peak Writers Conference (PPWC), providing critique and feedback as well as helping choose the best of the best for award recognition.
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