Member
MFA, New Mexico State University
Developmental editing
There's a myth that when writers finish a draft, they're supposed to feel good about it, or even know what they have on their hands.
So you've finished a draft. Celebrate! Most people never reach that phase. They get stuck in first draft purgatory. So congratulations, you've crested the mountain. The true peak lies a little further on.
Every writer and every manuscript needs a careful read from someone who can sleuth out what the book wants to become.
For many, this is the most satisfying part of the process, because it's collaborative and the finish line is in sight. And you have someone in your corner, fighting for the book and helping you stay out of the bog.
Writers usually come to me at one of three moments.
You've finished a draft and you don't know what you have. It might be close. It might need a structural rethink. From inside the book, there's no way to tell.
You've revised so many times you can't see it anymore. Every path through the manuscript is worn smooth, and what you need is a fresh, careful read and a way forward.
You're about to send it out, to agents, to a publisher, or into the world on its own, and you want a professional review before you do.
I read literary fiction, memoir, poetry, self-development, and founder books, and the questions are the same: what is this book becoming, and what does it need next?
I read and reread the manuscript, then send you a detailed editorial letter, usually 8 to 12 pages. This letter covers structure, pacing, voice, and my sense of what the book wants to become. You'll also get a full revision map, a practical document that turns the letter into a sequence you can follow. Then we talk it through on a 45-minute call.
$950 for manuscripts between 50-80,000 words. Longer books quoted. You'll have everything in hand within two weeks of sending the draft.
It's the professional review that tells you things like whether the book needs a structural rethink, a focused revision pass, or lighter adjustments to the opening, the pacing, or the point of view. Line-by-line editing is a fine thing, but that comes last. At this stage, it matters less how polished anything is.
Send me a few sample pages using the form below, with a note on genre and word count. I'll give you a free evaluation of your sample pages to give you a sense of how I work.
"He was able to draw out of me what I wanted from the story without setting any terms for me. He would listen, ask questions and reiterate until it became clear."
Gina C, fiction writer
For many writers, a manuscript assessment and revision map gives them all they need. If you want to go deeper, we can continue together with a full developmental edit. Book one within 60 days and the assessment fee credits toward it in full.
What if the draft is a mess? Then you're in the right place.
Do you work in my genre? I have worked with writers in many genres, including literary fiction, memoir, poetry, self-development, and business books.
What do I get, exactly? A substantial editorial letter that tells you what's working and what should change. You'll also get a full revision map that gives you a sequence to follow. If you'd like, we can also talk through everything on a 45-minute call once you receive my edit.
"My novel was literally transformed in a day. I expected the block I had been feeling to go away, but I didn't expect the floodgates of creativity to open as they did."
Jennifer Sage, novelist
I'm the author of seven of my own books and I hold an MFA in creative writing. I've spent the past two decades helping writers finish what they start. I have done this through international retreats, developmental editing, and ghostwriting for founders and memoirists. I read manuscripts in poetry, literary fiction, memoir, self-development, and nonfiction.
Member
MFA, New Mexico State University