No preaching. No lecturing. No criticism.
Encouragement and support every step of the way.
I HAVE BEEN ASKED
1) Do you use the Chicago Manual of Style?
I use whatever STYLE the author prefers. I do not believe in starchy rules of any kind, and while you can be assured of flawless editing (my standard is 0.0025% misses), if you want to argue about the correct size of an en-dash, or whether your quote marks should be straight or curly, you need a different editor. The clue is in the name: The Chicago Manual of STYLE – not GRAMMAR.
Having said that, yes, the CMOS rules are the standard for fiction, so that is what I use as default unless you give me a really good reason to disregard them.
2) How long will it take you to edit my manuscript?
Content edits, including fact-checking, I can complete in two or three weeks, depending on the amount of work required, based on a manuscript of up to 90,000 words. A copy and line edit would take a week to ten days, and a proof 48 to 72 hours. It would be a good idea to check my availability before you make any release plans, and I strongly recommend we do a free 2,000-word sample edit so we can both see if we are a good fit.
3) Will my book be a bestseller?
Unlikely, without a seriously powerful promotional plan behind it. So why are you paying for editing then? Because without a near-perfect product, you stand NO chance at all. There are plenty of good books out there; some are even outstanding. To beat them in the rankings, your work has to be out-of-this-world amazing. You need to have a good book to start with, and together we will make it the best it can be. It may take you several goes, but if you are a hardworker - or incredibly lucky - you will get there.
SERVICES AND FEES
Would you like to develop and improve your writing style? If yes, this is the service for you.
DEVELOPMENTAL COACHING FOR AUTHORS – in the most important areas of a fiction novel writing: character development, plot, tension, dialogue, and the dreaded ‘show versus tell'.
How does it work? You send me a manuscript you feel is in need of improvement. I assess your needs and get back to you with a plan of action. Once we agree on the subject of our coaching sessions, we set up an hour-long WhatsApp/Teams workshop in which I explain how the issue at hand can be improved. At the end of the session, I set you one or several tasks to complete on your manuscript (homework, for lack of a better description). We set a date by which this should be sent back to me and decide the date of the next face-to-face session.
Fees: GB£200 (approx. US$270) initial assessment, payable on manuscript submission. GB£200 (approx. US$270) per workshop.
DEVELOPMENTAL COACHING FOR PUBLISHERS – I will hold your author's hand throughout the drafting process, guiding them relentlessly with the aim of achieving the best first draft or rewrite they are capable of. Structure, pace, info-dumps, show vs. tell, natural-sounding dialogue, description, and fight scenes that make sense, commercial viability, and anything else you need.
Fees: GB£200 (approx. US$270) per week. What does it include? Assessment of completed manuscript, detailed notes on improvement required, with examples, re-assessment on completion of rewrites, up to a total of 5 hours per week.
EDITING – copy, line, content and proof. Personal favorite: content editing. If there’s a weak point in your novel, I will find it, and I will show you a way, or several, to fix it.
FREE 2,000-word sample.
Editing Fees payable 50% in advance, 50% on completion or 30 days after payment of the first invoice, whichever comes first.
Most edits can be completed in under 2 weeks.
Emergency 48-hour proofs available. (Check availability first.)
Contact me directly to check for availability (ellamedler@gmail.com). Last-minute slots may become available, but please note my schedule fills up fast.
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The fees for OPTION C - FULL MANUSCRIPT EDITING include however many passes are necessary to complete a project,
be they two, or five, or ten.
Make sure you allow time for rewrites and adjust your deadlines accordingly.
A sample edit (provided the rest of the manuscript is of the same standard) should help with our time estimate. Try it. It's free.
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Option A – 48-hour proofreading (but please allow 72 hours, in case), which involves looking for typos, punctuation errors, and simple grammar mistakes.
Flat rates:
GB£250 (approx. US$330) for manuscripts of up to 20,000 words.
GB£450 (approx. US$600) for manuscripts from 20,001 to 50,000 words.
GB£700 (approx. US$940) for manuscripts from 50,001 to 90,000 words. Manuscripts over 90,000 words are subject to special fees. Quote on request.
Please note, some projects may run to 72 hours if they're error-heavy. If they are likely to, I will update you as soon as I realise it.
Please specify whether you require US or UK English.
Priority surcharge: GB£150 (approx. US$200). I will stop anything else to fit you in (though I won't bump a priority project I'm in the middle of).
Option B – copy and line edit, making sure your message comes through and your story flows. Talk to me nicely, and I'll sort out your stunted dialogue and dialogue tags too. This is not a full content edit, because you've already addressed that, and it's not proofreading, though I am in the habit of proofing as I go regardless. Multiple retainer contracts with a busy publisher sharpened my skills.
Flat rates:
GB£600 (approx. US$800) for manuscripts up to 70,000 words.
GB£900 (approx. US$1200) for manuscripts up to 100,000 words.
Manuscripts over 100,000 words are subject to special fees. Quote on request.
Please specify whether you require US or UK English.
Option C – full manuscript editing – from the smallest issue to the most complex. Starting from spelling and punctuation (again, please specify whether UK or US), structure of sentences, subject-verb agreement, correct tense and word usage, order of words within the sentence, structure of paragraphs within the chapter, logic of chapters within the overall manuscript. Moving on to consistency of plot and overall readability, including clarity of thought, voice, believability, fact-checking, pace and tension, cliff-hangers, secondary plots, and relaxed, naturally flowing dialogue. And finally, looking at character voice and personality, authenticity and point of view, and assistance with developing characters and plot where required. Studying human nature is a personal favorite of mine; I dedicate a lot of my time to observing and attempting to understand people.
Flat rates:
GB£900 (approx. US$1210) for manuscripts up to 50,000 words.
GB£1200 (approx. US$1600) for manuscripts from 50,001 to 100,000 words.
Short synopsis suitable for your back cover included in the fee.
Manuscripts over 100,000 words are subject to special fees. Quote on request (ellamedler@gmail.com).
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EDITOR ON RETAINER
Gain access to an editor who is always there, whenever you need her.
Priority editing / Renewable 12-month contract / Lower fees / Easy budgeting
Minimum 500,000 words per year. Maximum 8 million words per year. Fees start at GB£250 (US$330) per month.
Please email me to discuss your needs.
(ellamedler@gmail.com)
I get them right every time.
Much dreaded by most authors, synopses and blurbs can hook a reader or an agent and sell a novel. There’s nothing more off-putting than a blurb that proves an author’s inability to describe their novel in a few lines.
Option A – tidy up an existing synopsis.
Flat fee: GB£100 (approx. US$130).
Option B – write a synopsis from scratch.
Flat fee: GB£150 (approx. US$200).
Please allow time for me to read the book first.
Writing a book is a lonely journey. I'll be your companion. Lean on me.
IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR REQUIRE A SERVICE NOT MENTIONED ABOVE, PLEASE CONTACT ME VIA EMAIL AT
ellamedler@gmail.com
(exchange rates correct at the time of site update – please check conversions as exchange rates fluctuate from day to day)