SERVICES
Not sure what type of editing you need?
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Manuscript Assessment
Have you finished your first draft and aren’t sure what to do next? Want to know if you’re on the right track in terms of plot, characters, tone, and other big-picture aspects? When doing a manuscript assessment I’ll read your book wearing two hats—both a reader’s and an editor’s—and provide both broad and specific feedback describing what’s working, what’s not, and examples of each to help guide you in your next draft. $12 per 1,000 words
Line Editing
Line editing addresses tone, syntax, flow, style, and word choice to help you make sure every word is as powerful and vivid as possible. Sometimes a long, rambling sentence does the story and the reader a disservice and needs to be revised – other times it’s illustrative of a character’s state of mind. (One reason AI isn’t ready to replace human editors!) Repetition might be for effect, or might be an oversight. “Tight” language feels better to the reader, even if they don’t know why, so phrases like “She looked down at the ground” will be flagged for redundancy. A character who “walked slowly” might be creeping, moping, meandering, or sauntering – how do you want your reader to envision the scene? Line editing can help! $20–$30 per 1,000 words
Copyediting
You’re confident that your manuscript is solid – the plot is cohesive, your voice is distinct, your characters are vibrant and three-dimensional. Now how about that grammar and punctuation? The part of your brain that creates worlds, adventures, conspiracies, and passionate romances is not the same part that remembers where the apostrophes go, if you spelled your character’s name Fishburg or Fishberg, or whether Chad put his wallet in his pocket or on the table. That’s the job of a copy editor. I will correct spelling, punctuation, grammar, capitalization, sentence structure, dialogue tags, and word usage (just to name a few!), and leave comments and suggestions regarding clarity, consistency, continuity, and style. $15–$25 per 1,000 words
Proofreading
Proofreading is ideal for work that’s been reviewed and revised previously, or any other document that just needs a fresh pair of eyes to do a final check for errant formatting, misspellings, simple grammatical errors, or misplaced punctuation marks that evaded the eyes of the writer and/or editor who has been working with it intensely. This is the least expensive option, involves the least intervention, and usually occurs after formatting and before going to print (or e-print, as the case may be). $12–$14 per 1,000 words
“I was impressed by a sample copy-edit from Robin, but our timelines didn’t mesh. Instead, I hired her for the final proofread and am so glad I did. She caught issues of language consistency, punctuation, and grammar that both the copy-editor and I missed.
She delivered well before the promised deadline, responded quickly to my emails, and at all times behaved like a true professional. She made the book so much better. I hope to use her again for my next project.”
“Discovering the services of Shadowcat Editing is one of the best things to happen to me as a writer. A great editor can make all the difference in the world of independent publishers. Robin is not only a tremendous talent, she is reliable, easy to work with and good with communication. I highly recommend her services to any writer who is serious about their craft.“
Selected Fiction Portfolio
