Editing
Available Services
- manuscript assessment
- developmental editing
- instructional editing/ coaching
- ghostwriting/rewriting
- line editing and copy editing
Notable Recent Projects
Please click through on the covers to explore these lovely books on Amazon, to sample the quality and diversity of the writing and the level of editing I have
provided--line editing and copy editing for the exciting medieval adventures Gisele and the
Northman and The Saracen Storm
and the mid-century American exploration of war, peace, and protest, The King
of Kreskin Avenue. I worked at the developmental editing stage for the biographical novel Red Bishop, about an Anglican bishop in Maoist China whose grandson wrote from private family papers, and I developed and line
edited the delightful memoir of a childhood in India, Curious
One. I have also worked in collaboration with others on monumental series like Cry for
Jerusalem, worthy of an epic film, and provided near-ghostwriting services for the ambitious series Girl With a Knife. My most ripped-from-the-headlines recent effort was with a long-term client who has done historical fiction until this speculative
novel: Armageddon 2029.
Praise From Clients
Well over a hundred private clients and Reedsy clients have enjoyed our collaborations over the last several years, and I invite you to sample their feedback on a wide variety of projects, including memoirs, anthologies, novels in series, and historical, fantasy, contemporary, and other fiction.
Let's Talk About Your Project . . .
Send me a message to begin a conversation about your editing needs. My industry-standard fees range from light copyediting to deep consultation and even ghost writing. You may expect a refund if my work requires less than 90% of the estimated time.
Here is how we will proceed:
- After our initial discussion with the message form on this page, you submit a representative sample of about 3000 words of your project.
- I evaluate your needs and demonstrate the different levels of editing you might want to consider, in a sample of 500-1000 words.
- You decide on a level of service, and I will prepare a contract and invoice you with a nonrefundable booking fee of $200, or you may skip the deposit if you prefer to wait for my availability.
- By the agreed start date, you send your manuscript and remit half the total invoice, minus the booking fee. When I complete about 10% of the project, I will submit a report and the edits for your approval, with any proposal for adjusting our agreement.
- You approve the work and remit the remainder of the fee, and I will complete the project by the expected due date. (Returning clients may pay the balance at project completion.)
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ALLi members enjoy a 5% discount, but you must notify me before billing. Use the ALLi seal below to explore membership, for which I earn a small
commission - thank you!
Use this button to make a deposit or pay on your editing account via PayPal
Need a low-cost option? Consider manuscript assessment or editing of just a chapter or two . . .
More Details . . .
With over thirty-five years' experience teaching and writing for academia, business, government, and the creative world, and as an independent author myself, I can help your writing rise to its highest level. I am a Partner Member and under the oversight of the Alliance of Independent Authors. I use industry-standard fees of the Editorial Freelancers Association, of which I am a member, and I have completed their course in Intermediate Developmental Editing and have offered mentoring services to other editors.
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Consider the unique offerings below. Do you want an opinion on whether your work is publishable, or about what would improve it? Email or use the form above to discuss your needs - I will provide detailed, transparent fee quotes for your unique project. You may download a copy of my curriculum vitae at the bottom of the page.
In 2019 I began offering Manuscript Assessments and highly recommend this service for those who want to know how a careful reader experiences their book. This service includes detailed feedback of several thousand words (usually 5% of the total manuscript word count!), designed to serve as a light developmental edit. I will honestly tell you how much editing your book requires, and my comments have been enough to guide many writers through a revision that readies them for copyediting at the next stage. I offer this service for $1000 for a 50k-word short novel, for example. I work mostly with contemporary, literary, and historical fiction, and I am open to romance, sci-fi, horror, fantasy, or YA or MG with higher-level historical or literary interest. I prefer not to work with explicit sexual content, heavy violence, nor occult material, but we can discuss it.
Instructional Editing / Coaching
Blending the best of my experience guiding student writers with my desire to help aspiring authors bring their work to market, I will work with your story
or novel draft, a chapter at a time, to address your most pressing needs. Using my feedback, you will revise the evaluated portion and apply the principles of the evaluation guidance to
improve subsequent chapters, which you will submit as you work with them. This service is designed for those who are open to learning more about the craft of writing, who are willing to
consider their drafts as raw material that can be developed into marketable fiction (or nonfiction). Consider this service as intensive tutoring for your development as a writer. Rates
are based on the time actually spent according to YOUR needs, but you can anticipate something like $3000 - $6000 for a 50k-word manuscript in a collaboration of six
months or so of weekly interaction.
Interested in my taste in books? See my reviews on Amazon here or on Goodreads here.
I now do most of my editing services through Reedsy, "where authors meet the best publishing professionals." My services on Reedsy include additional charges but allow you to compare the services of vetted editors and designers, with guarantees of your satisfaction. Please take a look at my profile here: Cindy Marsch - Editor. Note that if you contact me via Reedsy first, we must complete all our work together via Reedsy.
See a founder of Reedsy in a BBC World News interview here.
Read Reedsy's great blog post here describing the roles of different kinds of fiction editors.
Members of ALLi, the Alliance of Independent Authors, enjoy a 5% discount on all services. Click on the seal above to learn more.
