Jason Whited

You've finished your book. What’s next?

You hire an experienced editor like me who will treat your words as if I had written them myself, who will examine your manuscript top to bottom for any possible problems, and who will help you craft a story that turns readers into fans.

Authors from Asia to Europe to right here in America trust me to help them with both an X-ray into their work and my confidential advice on distilling their voices to their highest potency, their greatest reach.

Because definitions vary and some types of editing can overlap, here’s how I describe the packages and services I offer:

Copy Edit
What some mistakenly call the simplest form of editing, a copy edit is actually a detailed, technical edit to make sure your writing is as tight and consistent as possible before you send it out into the world.
A copy edit is a final step mainly reserved for manuscripts that have already been thoroughly examined and revised in a line edit.

Never in my career have I seen a book that needs “just a copy edit.” Not even from my best-selling clients.

Your copy edit includes relentless checking for:
Grammar Errors
Spelling Errors
Punctuation Errors
Usage Errors
Missing Words
Basic Formatting
Consistency in Names of People, Places, Creatures, and/or Things
Basic Errors-in-Fact

A copy edit costs $.02 per word.

Line Edit (also called a Substantive Edit)
A line edit is a thorough, top-to-bottom examination of every aspect of the book. Line editing is what most authors think of when they picture a sort of manuscript X-ray that inspects all aspects of their writing and how, or whether, those parts and features work together.

A line edit looks at every mark, every word, every phrase, every clause, every sentence, every paragraph, and every page you’ve written to ensure they’re built solidly, that the book accomplishes what you want it to, that your characters are unique and alive and work together to serve the story, and that your mechanics and style work together to push the story forward.

Your line edit includes checking for:
Grammar Errors
Spelling Errors
Punctuation Errors
Usage Errors
Missing Words
Basic Formatting
Consistency in Names of People, Places, Creatures, and/or Things
All Errors-in-Fact

PLUS, your line edit also includes a meticulous inspection of:
Sentence Structure
Paragraph Structure
Chapter Structure
Narrative Structure
Narrative Flow
Consistency in Structure and Style
Character Development
Dialogue
Action
Voice
Tone

Finally, your line edit also includes:
•Scores of notes about all aspects of your book, what works, and how to fix what doesn’t. I provide suggested revisions (from sentences to entire sections) that read as if you had written them, and I give you lots of options.
•Scores of tips, tricks, and techniques I’ve learned in my career for how to maximize your power and efficacy as a writer and storyteller, including real-world examples you can use today.
•A full, written critique of both your novel and your strengths and weaknesses as an author, plus advice and consulting on further development—minimum five pages.
•A Final Read-Through that examines your corrections and decisions based on my earlier advice and serves as a final pass through each aspect of your book. The Final Read-Through takes place after the longer first round of editing and typically takes one to two additional business days after you’ve made your changes.

A typical line edit costs $.04 per word.

Developmental Edit
Formalized by the late, great Max Perkins (editor to Ernest Hemingway, Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, and Thomas Wolfe, among others), developmental editing is the deepest of dives into, under, and through the structure of your book, often as you’re writing it, while asking you scores of questions about your characters, your worlds, and whether all ideas, concepts, and relationships in your book are fully developed.

A developmental edit takes the longest amount of time, involves multiple readings of your book (or what you have of it), and is a way for editor and author to work more closely together as we talk about building or revising your novel from the foundation up.

Developmental edits start at $.06 per word.

Words are fire. They’re power and light. Don’t hide yours under a sloppy edit.

E-mail: jasonhwhited@gmail.com
Twitter: @SaltyScribe
Facebook: JasonHWhited
LinkedIn: Jason Whited

Contact me for a full estimate.
Together, we can build an editing package that meets your needs at a price you can afford.