WRITING SERVICES

Writing Services, Proofreading, Editing, Critique

Proofreading and editing are often confusing, usually expensive, and always necessary. But you wouldn't be on this page if you didn't already know that. So let's try and clear up the confusion a little bit and explain what we can do for your book at a price you can afford.

The truth is authors just aren't capable of analyzing their own work, which is why even seasoned authors like James Patterson and even professional editors who write a book, hire someone else to edit and proofread it. The analyst must be objective, because when authors read their own work their minds will add missing words and letters due to familiarity, creating not only typos, but sometimes gaps in the story itself.

The simple difference between an edit and a proofread is when you finish your book you first need an edit, where a literary professional identifies story-related problems like plot, subplots, characters, POV, inconsistencies, omissions, redundancies, balance of high and low tension, dialogue and more. You then take those suggestions and notes and fine tune your book so it is the best it can be. Now that it is written well, it needs to be polished, which is what a proofread does. It is a line by line examination of your book to find those nasty typos and grammatical errors that make your book look unprofessional and takes readers out of your story.

In an ideal world editing and proofreading would be inexpensive enough to be available to all authors. But these services take the sharp eye of a seasoned literary expert. As such, proofreading can cost as much as $5 per page and editing as much as $10-20 per page. At these prices it is no wonder most authors elect to perform these crucial steps themselves. Sadly, their book, and sales, suffer as a result.

Readers' Favorite has been fortunate enough to find a wonderful editor/proofreader with 3 decades of experience who is willing to provide these critical services at a fraction of normal rates. She started as a one of our volunteer reviewers, offering her time to help authors as she has done all her adult life. She is now offering her literary writing services as well.

Proofread - $1 per pg

VIEW SAMPLE

Proofreading corrects errors in spelling and punctuation, as well as light grammar that includes the eight basic parts of speech: verbs, nouns, adverbs, adjectives, prepositions, conjunctions, and determiner usage.

Proofreaders also look for repeated and omitted words, as well as improper word usage (does not include formatting).

BONUS: 1 month in our Featured Book rotator

Edit + Proofread - $3 per pg

VIEW SAMPLE

Line Editing identifies issues with structure and mechanics like overused words, run-on sentences, tonal shifts, phrasing, pacing, dialogue, flow and tense corrections. Most Issues are corrected, others are identified with suggested fixes.

You also get a full proofread so you will have both proofreading (grammar) and editing (structure) corrections to review.

BONUS: 3 months in our Featured Book rotator

Add a Critique - $150

FICTION SAMPLE NONFICTION SAMPLE

A critique is an excellent way to get an expert opinion on the quality of your book. Our editor will provide you with her opinions of the major components of your book and provide suggestions for improvement where necessary. Please take a look at our Fiction and Nonfiction samples above for more information.

BONUS: 1 month in our Featured Book rotator

WRITING SERVICES FAQS

Carol Thompson, Editor

Carol Thompson has been writing, editing, and proofreading for over 30 years. She has been an editor and proofreader for both medium and large publishing houses and has tutored writers through Professor Koster’s (Georgetown University) program. She also volunteers in a mentor scholar program to help authors achieve their writing potential.

Carol’s educational experience at SUNY Oswego and The Rochester Institute of Technology includes classes in creative writing (fiction and nonfiction), linguistics, playwriting, screenwriting, flash fiction, and short stories. She is an agency-represented author, children’s book illustrator, and certified editor. Her editing and proofreading experience includes all genres, and she follows the most recent publishing industry standards guidelines, including The Chicago Manual of Style, Strunk and White, and Merriam-Webster.

Also a news reporter, Carol has won over 50 writing awards and is the 2006 recipient of the Syracuse, NY Press Club's prestigious Selwin Kershaw Professional Standards award. Although now semi-retired, she is still helping authors by providing her services at discounted rates for Readers' Favorite. With Carol's generous help, Readers' Favorite can now offer the same quality proofread or edit you would receive from a large publisher at prices that will fit most any budget.

George Dovel, Publisher

I wholeheartedly recommend Carol! She brings a wealth of publishing industry experience to the job (which can alert writers to nuances they might not be aware of), and she just flat knows her stuff. A true pro in every sense and a pleasure to work with.

George Dovel works in educational publishing, is the author of historical novels, and is a member of the Historical Novel Society.
Dale Kutzera, Writer and Filmmaker

Carol did a great job giving my middle-grade novel a final once-over edit. She has a good editorial eye and made smart suggestions based on her knowledge of this genre and marketplace.

Writer and filmmaker Dale Kutzera worked as a screenwriter for over ten years on shows like "Without a Trace" and is the author of the bestselling Andy McBean series.

The average number of words for a printed page range from 250 to 300. We use the high-end of 300 words per page so there are fewer pages, which saves you money. Your word processor (Microsoft Word, OpenOffice, etc) will have an option to display your word count. If you can't find it, Google your word processor's name and "word count" for instructions. Divide your word count by 300 and you will have your total number of pages. PLEASE NOTE: If you have a very small page count, the minimum charge for our Proofread or Editing service is $100.

Simply complete the form below and attach your book as a Word Document. Carol will make changes using Microsoft Word's "Track Changes" feature. In 1-2 weeks you will get your book back with notes and suggested changes indicated in red. You can then accept or reject each change and address any comments Carol has included.

ORDER FORM

PLEASE NOTE: a single proofread/edit will find most, but not 100 percent of the errors in your manuscript. We do not accept manuscripts that contain a large number of graphic sexual acts of a violent or illegal nature.


 

Receive 1 month in our Featured Book Rotator for a Proofread, and 3 months for an Edit + Proofread.

Receive an additional month in our Featured Book Rotator for adding a Critique of your book.


 

Please upload your book as a Microsoft Word document (DOC, DOCX). You will need Microsoft Word to be able to properly navigate the changes made during the proofread/edit. Please be sure to send a clean copy, free of any previous markups.