Quick, Detailed, Attentive

Editorial Philosophy:

  • Collaborative and passionate. I love what I do, and I love what you do. My primary goal is to help you create a piece you are proud of, and I will invest every effort to help you achieve your goals. I will never try force you to tell a story that isn’t your own, and our lines of communication will always be open.

  • Detailed and educated. I will never edit your work based on pseudo-knowledge or “vibes.” Every piece of feedback I give will be deep-rooted in reason, explanation, and a firm understanding of the craft of fiction.

  • Artful. I understand that, sometimes, rules are meant to be broken. While I default to the standards of grammar, punctuation, and formatting set by The Chicago Manual of Style and other style guides, I also understand that art and the English language have no boundaries and should support purposeful creative expression.

  • Safe and painless. Sharing your writing with others can be nerve-racking and vulnerable, but I will help you cultivate pride and confidence in your work. I will give you professional, constructive, honest, and helpful feedback without cruelty.

  • Flexible. Stories and their authors come in all different shapes and sizes with varying editorial needs. I will always work with you to find the most effective and efficient processes whether that be in scheduling, communication, billing, or editorial matters.

Logistics:

Accepting new clients in January 2025. Contact now to get scheduled.

For copyediting/proofreading only: $0.006/word USD, $20 minimum. I edit using the Chicago Manual of Style. This editing includes grammar, punctuation, spelling, typos, etc. One pass-through.

For line and copyedits: $.007/word USD. $50 minimum. This type of editing focuses on clarity, consistency, and the artistic effectiveness of your prose style and syntax in addition to copyedits/proofreading. One pass-through.

For developmental, line, and copyediting: $.01/word USD, $100 minimum. These edits focus on big picture items like plot structure, characterization, pacing, and more. Includes 2 pass-throughs and a 1 hour Zoom call for questions, confusions, and brainstorming after receiving the first round of edits.

For turnaround, expect one business day per 15k words.

I charge a $50 non-refundable down payment for securing a spot in my schedule that does go toward the overall editing fee, and a $20 non-refundable rescheduling fee that does not go toward the overall fee.

For larger projects (40k words or more), I offer free sample edits of no more than 5k words to see if we are a good fit.

I will edit any and all genres, but please include necessary trigger/content warnings. I prefer fiction over non-fiction. My favorite genres to edit are (broadly) fantasy, sci-fi, romance, and speculative fiction, but I still enjoy editing all genres.

Contact me at whalesedits4@gmail.com with your desired editing service type, your project’s title, and word count in the subject line. In the email, introduce yourself as well as the project and let me know about any deadlines you have. I will reach back within 48 hours.

I use both invoices and contracts for every client. Billing is done through PayPal. If you are outside of the US, let me know. For all developmental projects, half of the fee is due on the 1st day of the 1st round of edits, and the remaining half is due on the 1st day of the 2nd round of edits. For proofreading and line editing, 75% of the fee is due up front, 25% is due at the end.

Languages: English (native), ASL (intermediate), Latin (intermediate), Spanish (intermediate), Korean (beginner), Mandarin (beginner, speaking only).