About Me
I hold a Master of Publishing degree from Simon Fraser University and have been editing for over twenty years. For ten years I worked in manuscript evaluation for Harlequin/Mills and Boon. I have also performed freelance manuscript evaluation for Atom (an imprint of Hachette) as well as various levels of editing for Oxford Literacy. I currently edit for digital publishers and work as a reader for a literary scout.
I offer the following services:
Substantive Editing
This entails both a mark-up of the manuscript as well as a ten page report addressing the writing, plot, characterization, pacing and suspense, inconsistencies and issues, as well as suggestions for improvement. This is the same template I use when I work for acquisition editors at publishing houses.
Line Editing
Line editing takes place after the second or third draft. Once structural issues and plot problems have been addressed, the line edit addresses the smaller issues that can make or break a manuscript such as run-on sentences, repetition, contradictions, and unnecessary description that can slow the pace of a story.
Proofreading
The final step before submission to agents and/or editors. This is where typos and small details are cleaned up.
Writing A Synopsis
A short, complete, effective synopsis is crucial when pitching to an agent and to a publisher. Some authors find it a daunting task to boil down their manuscript into a 3-5 page synopsis. I will read your manuscript and write a synopsis as part of the submission to an agent/publisher. When working for publishers I routinely synthesise a complete manuscript into a synopsis 2-3 paragraphs long. I also do a 2-5 page more detailed synopsis as well.
Genres
I work in romance, crime and thriller, commercial fiction, literary fiction, YA and memoir/biography. Unfortunately, I do not do science fiction or poetry.
Rates available upon request. Feel free to drop me a line at the contact page.