The Whole Kit and Caboodle:

Sometimes writers turn out copy that's a little murky. Or verbose. Or dull. Let me rephrase: All writers do this, at some point. You need a middleman before it reaches your final audience. I will be your ultimate unsuspecting reader--and I mean that in a good way. I’ll look at your manuscript as a whole, reading for the story and characters, as well as the writing, and how they work together. You see trees, but I'm looking at the forest.

A line edit is premature at this stage, because I may suggest major changes, such as cutting sections, rearranging chapters, or rethinking elements of the plot and characters. This doesn’t mean you’ll get back a clean manuscript--far from it. It will come back heavily decorated in red, where I’ve asked questions, inserted comments and marked places for improvement. You’ll also get an intensive written critique, in which I’ll offer you specific feedback on where things went wrong, and suggestions on what to do to improve them. Cost: $150. + $12.00/1000 words.

Just the Caboodle:

Who’s with me? Most writers have agonized over that question at one time or another. You know your story better than your phone number, but the trick is to make sure your readers are keeping up. In those first few chapters, you build the foundations of plot and character. If those aren’t working, the book isn’t working. For this service, I’ll read up to 10,000 words of your novel and give you manuscript notes as well as a separate written critique. Although I don’t read the entire manuscript, you’ll get a good idea of how you’re doing, and can apply my comments and suggestions to the rest of the book. Cost: $250.

Basic Proofreading:

Who remembers all that 7th grade grammar stuff? Um, that would be me. I'm also the one who shelled out for the big dictionary that requires its own stand. I'm one of those people who proofread menus; I can't help myself. Gift? Curse? I don't question. But if I get my hands on your manuscript, I'll make sure it's technically excellent. Cost: $12.00/1000 words.

Picture Books:

Go ahead, make me laugh. Make me cry. Make me want to read it again. Because that’s what a good picture book should do. I’ll help you craft a story, keeping in mind the considerations of the picture book format. Cost: Generally about $100, for an edit as described above, but because picture books vary so widely, I might quote you something different.

Got something else in mind? Got questions? Contact me and we'll figure it out. I’ll try to work with you to give you the service you want.

Contact me at: pdianebailey@gmail.com