Line Editing
Rate begins at .02 per word. Includes copyediting (except for heavy line editing).
I’ll focus on these areas at the paragraph level:
- Awkward sentence construction
- Choppy sentence flow and pacing
- Word repetition and wordiness
- Consistency of spelling, hyphenation, numbers, names, and facts (is your main character a blonde in one chapter and a redhead in another?)
- Showing vs. telling
- Excessive and incorrect dialogue tags
- Adherence to current style manuals (Chicago Manual of Style, Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, Garner’s Modern American Usage, and more)
- Point-of-view inconsistencies
- Tense shifting
- Extraneous language, jargon, and ambiguities
- Overused words and crutch words
- Repetition and redundancies
- Overused adverbs and adjectives
- Punctuation
- Minor fact-checking via Google
Light and medium line edits include copyediting. Because heavy line edits often involve substantial line-by-line changes, copyediting is not included with this heavy-lifting service and may be booked separately.
Line editing does not focus on big picture elements, for example, plot, characterization, conflict, worldbuilding, and point-of-view problems such as head hopping. Pervasive issues of this type are best addressed prior to line editing during a developmental edit, manuscript critique, or beta read.
When you’re finished incorporating all edits, you’ll still need proofreading. Please see the Proofreading page for more about this service.
The per-word rate listed is a starting rate. I will individualize your quote based on a manuscript assessment and brief sample edit, so I can determine how long it will take to complete your project. All editing quotes reflect my hourly rate of $50. There is a $75 minimum for all projects.
