Editor 

As an editor, I realize that when a manuscript  sits on my desk it is not just a bunch of words on paper.  The pages are a culmination of months or years worth of work, compiled by a real human being who wants to be recognized as a bonifide author.  I hold in my hands the writer's heart, the crux of who he is.  While the editor side of me salivates to dissect the pages and sew up the seams, the writer side of me cringes at the thought of causing pain to the author.

But in the end, the editor and author must come to terms with the fact that it's all about the page.  The relationship between editor and author must be a partnership built on trust.  A trust that negates personal agendas and builds on the mutual understanding that pages will only work if craft and technique are applied and genre rules adhered to.  As the editor, it is my job to make sure the pages work.  As the writer, it is your job to (try to) detach from the work enough to see it as objectively as possible.

To this end, I rearrange chapters, I rewrite sentences and paragraphs, I delete the fat; but I do it so that “Cheri still sounds like Cheri.” I do not make changes to the point that it becomes my manuscript instead of yours. I work very hard to keep the integrity of your narrative voice. I challenge the writer to be better; I ask questions and point out areas that lack credibility as well as areas of success. My goal, always, is to improve the text while guiding the writer to the next level of his or her ability. I am interested in developing long term relationships with authors, agents, and publishers who use freelance editors.

I will warn you: I do not pull any punches. This part of the process is not easy. Having a book edited is not for the faint of heart. The thing to remember is that your manuscript must be able to stand on its own legs. Once it leaves your nest, you cannot follow it around to explain ideas or apologize for meandering themes. It has to be able to communicate with your readers all by itself. Therefore, do not take it personally when someone tells you your work could be better. Hear it as a compliment; they are taking your work serious enough to want it to be better. It is naive to think that because we take pen in hand, we have a bestseller on our hands. It takes years to learn and perfect the technique. So when an editor corrects you, or gives you advice, take it for what it is: a lesson in technique that needs to be practiced and perfected. It is not a personal attack. Do not make the leap that because your work is flawed that you are flawed. You and your manuscript are two separate beings and I am first and foremost interested in making your manuscript the best it can be while developing your skills as a writer over the span of your career. 

Manuscript Critique 

This is a detailed analysis of your manuscript. If you are stuck, or wondering how close you are to being finished, this is a great service to get you back on track and moving forward. The writer is so close to the work that at times it can be hard to see where she has been and where she is going. I check for narrative voice, theme/thesis control, character integrity, the use of time, setting, structure, organization, genre, whether or not you are talking to other books, what shelf you are on, etc. I read every word of your manuscript and highlight the strong points, the weak points, the areas that need more development, the areas that can be deleted, and give an action plan for each point discussed. 

To see an example of a Manuscript Evaluation, go to the Samples Page.

Content Edit 

This is where the major work is done. A content edit invokes the partnership between author and editor to improve the manuscript. An entire chapter may be disassembled and plugged-in to several other chapters; the structure may need to be re-worked; several parts may need to be re-written. If a theme or thesis isn’t consistent, a major reconstruction may need to be done to sew it all together. This is where the real partnership begins between writer and editor, and between editor and publisher. There is a trust factor here. This is where long term relationships develop and the manuscript gains the strength to stand on its own.

I also include Line Editing under this category. A line edit is performed in conjunction with the content edit. I insert comments, rewrite sentences, fix typos, and check for overall clarity and consistency. If a content edit is deemed necessary while performing the line edit, I alert the reader to the problems.

To see an example of how I perform a Content Edit, go to the Samples Page.

Copy Edit

Copy Editing, aka proofreading, is to look for missing words, page numbers that don’t match up, errant periods, etc. It is basically the final look before the manuscript heads off to the printer. I am not a grammarian. If you ask me what a gerund is I won’t be able to tell you. I am quite good, however, at seeing typos.  If I have already performed a content edit, line edit, or manuscript evaluation, then it is not recommended for me to also perform the copy edit. For the highest accuracy rate in getting rid of typos, I need to have the freshest eyes possible. This only happens on the first read through so therefore I need to copy edit manuscripts I have not previously seen. 

To see an example of a Line Edit, go to the Samples Page.