Fantasy can be complex, with all its parts essential for maintaining the believability and readability of your world.
My editing services are performed through a fantasy-focused lens, and I offer additional services targeted to elements that are crucial to the reader experience of fantasy fiction.
Developmental Editing
Developmental Editing is about making sure that the fundamentals of your story are sitting on a solid foundation. Much like a house, we want to be sure that the walls stand up when you decorate them with words, and that the roof won’t collapse when your characters walk over it. It’s about capturing the bigger picture, understanding the broader elements, and strengthening the skeleton that your story will sit on.
Unique approach: with me as your developmental editor, I use my experience as both an editor and a change manager to ensure that:
any plot holes are resolved logically and with root cause analysis
characters act, think, decide and react realistically, based on human psychology
the message of your story - your vision - is told in the most engaging way, taking your target audience into account and your author voice at the heart.
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Do you feel like something is missing in your manuscript? Are your characters feeling flat with unrealistic reactions? Is your plot full of loose threads that you can’t tie together?
Have you completed a first draft?
If your answer is yes to any of these questions, then you need a developmental editor.
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Developmental editing is the natural stage after completing your first draft. However, if you’re six, seven or even twenty drafts in, you can always perform a developmental edit.
The main thing to remember is that it comes before line editing, copy-editing and proofreading. After all, there’s no point polishing those sentences if the story doesn’t make sense!
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There are several elements that I will feedback to you on, including:
the overall structure, coherence and content
character arcs and motivations
plots and subplots
core strengths and weaknesses
narrative flow.
(This is not an exhaustive list.)
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For an extra cost, I can help with the following:
Magic Systems Analysis
Editorial Impact Assessment
To learn more about what these services can for you, scroll further down this page. If you would like to include them as part of your developmental edit, you can choose one of my developmental editing packages.
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Please see the developmental editing packages listed below for pricing
Developmental Editing Packages
Bronze
The Bronze Package is your core developmental service, with the added benefit of my unique editorial approach, as mentioned above.
Price
Up to 50,000 words = £550
Up to 90,000 words = £950
More than 90,000 words = £950 base rate +£4 for every 1000 words thereafter
Silver
The Silver Package is your core developmental service, with the added benefit of my unique editorial approach, as mentioned above. It also includes one of the following:
an in-depth magic systems analysis
an editorial impact assessment report.
Price
Core developmental editing:
Up to 50,000 words = £550
Up to 90,000 words = £950
More than 90,000 words = £950 base rate +£4 for every 1000 words thereafter
Plus either:
Magic systems analysis: £200
Or:
Editorial impact assessment: £340
Gold
The Gold Package is your core developmental service, with the added benefit of my unique editorial approach, as mentioned above. It also includes both of the following:
an in-depth magic systems analysis
an editorial impact assessment report, as well as a roadmap of prioritised actions
Price
Core developmental editing:
Up to 50,000 words = £550
Up to 90,000 words = £950
More than 90,000 words = £950 base rate +£4 for every 1000 words thereafter
Plus:
Magic systems analysis: £200
Editorial impact assessment and roadmap: £400
Hooray! You’ve beaten the editorial slog and you’re now getting ready to send your work out into the world, but first you need a proofread.
This is the final editing stage (the Final Boss, as some like to call it), and it’s where I polish your work by removing typos, formatting errors and any other beasties trying to hide from the red pen.
Proofreading
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Have you been through the previous editing stages (developmental, line and copy-editing)? Are all the wrinkles ironed out in your plot, your sentences left shiny with engagement and readability, and you’re hoping to press the ‘Publish’ button?
If so, you’re ready for a proofread.
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Best done after all the other rounds of edits, you want to be sure that any inconsistences in plot, character, grammar, format and that your sentences have been taken care of before reaching the proofreading page.
Unlike the other stages, proofreading isn’t one I’d advise doing at any point in the writing process. Best to save this one to the end!
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As this is the final stage, I will review your manuscript, going through it line by line with a fine-tooth comb.
I will be looking for:
grammatical errors
typos/misspellings
formatting final tweaks
punctuation mishaps
consistency of capitalisation and hyphenation
chapter and page numbering.
(This is not an exhaustive list.)
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£0.008p per word
Magic System Analysis
Magic systems must be logical, with limitations and rules. Using my masters research, I can help you to understand your system’s strengths and weaknesses, identify inconsistencies and illogical elements, and advise you on how to strengthen the magic within your manuscript.
There are two levels I offer:
High-level assessment: after you complete a focused questionnaire, I will analyse your system based on the five main categories (or foundational pillars) identified in my research. I will then offer areas to focus on, areas to celebrate, and possible plot/world/character implications if changes are made.
In-depth assessment: this is only offered as part of my developmental editing packages. In this assessment, I will analyse your entire manuscript and the magic system: how it integrates with your world, how it develops your characters, the lore behind it, as well as the strengths and areas to focus on.
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A magic system is an integral part of your manuscript, bridging the gap between plot and worldbuilding. It affects every aspect of your world, your story, and your characters.
It’s not enough to say that something happens ‘because it’s magic’. There needs to be rules and limitations, explanations that make sense within the logic of your world.
If your magic system fails in some way, it can open up porous holes in your plot and affect the way readers interact with your story.
By analysing your magic system, preferably as part of the developmental stage of editing, I can identify any weak spots early on, and may also uncover stronger plot points for this manuscript or future sequels.
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High-level assessment: I will send you a questionnaire so that I can understand your magic system, and your vision of it, better. Then I will provide a report of its core elements, based on my research, and advise where you may want to focus your attentions. I will advise you on the strengths and weaknesses of the system, and if any suggested changes may affect other elements of your story such as plot or characters.
In-depth assessment: performed alongside your developmental edit, I will review your manuscript, focusing on your magic system: its structure, manifestations, users, consequences, and more. I will also take into account character development and arcs, and where applicable, implications for sequels.
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High-level assessment: you will be sent a questionnaire, with the option to send any other documentation you think I may need. In return, you will receive a high-level report analysing your magic system and given feedback to help strengthen your work.
In-depth assessment: alongside the developmental editing report, you will receive a magic systems analysis report, based on my academic research, along with an action plan (if applicable), a reading list (if requested) and any other templates of my design that can help you shape your magic system further.
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It’s more beneficial to have your magic assessment done during the developmental stage, as the changes that can result from it may be wide-reaching.
This service can be added to your developmental edit for an additional cost, or as a separate high-level assessment.
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High-level assessment: £85
In-depth assessment: please see the developmental editing packages for more information.
Editorial Impact Assessment
Have you ever had an editorial change affect more than you expected? With ripple effect after ripple effect, until it all gets away from you, and you realise later on that you’ve missed some of the impacts? Or worse: a reader points a plot hole or inconsistency out to you after the book has been published?
This unique service of my design aims to help you to identify, manage, prioritise and action the impacts of editorial changes, both big and small. It can also help with maintaining consistency across a series, with my series continuation templates.
If you want to give your manuscript its best shot, maximise its readability, and take some of the pain out of editing, this service is the one for you.
I offer two approaches:
If you have a manuscript that has been developmentally edited: after reading the manuscript and its editorial comments, I can provide an impact assessment report to help you revise the novel more efficiently. You an also request a roadmap of prioritised actions, which will incur an additional cost.
As part of your developmental editing with me: please see the developmental editing packages for more information.
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Editing can be hard and it can take time. What this impact assessment aims to do is to identify the wide-ranging ripple effects of editorial changes, whether from an editor, agent or author, and plan practical steps to reduce editing time and mitigate the need for further changes.
This can save you time and money, improve the quality of the manuscript, and reduce the chances of errors being caught either at late stages or by readers after publication. It protects consistency and promotes reader engagement.
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Edited manuscript: I will review the editorial changes and identify the ripple effects, providing a roadmap of practical steps and prioritisation of actions. Please note that part of this service is reading the manuscript for context and so hours will be needed for that.
As part of your developmental edit: I will identity, plan for, and proactively mitigate the impacts from editorial changes as I go through the developmental edit.
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Edited manuscript: you will receive an impact assessment report, which advises you on what your changes will impact, how to mitigate them, and what to consider as you revise your manuscript. There is an opportunity to request a roadmap in addition to the report, which is charged at the same hourly rate.
As part of your developmental editing: if you select the Silver package, you will receive an impact assessment report, which advises you on what your changes will impact, how to mitigate them, and what to consider as you revise your manuscript. If you select the Gold package, you will receive a roadmap in addition to the report.
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This service can be added to your developmental edit for an additional cost, or as a separate service if you already have an edited manuscript with editor comments.
If separate, I will require a marked-up copy of your manuscript with the editorial comments, any editor reports, or other documentation. This can be defined further as part of an initial briefing.
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Reviewing an edited manuscript: £85 per hour
As part of your developmental edit: please see the developmental editing packages for more information.
Series Continuation Support
When you’re working across a series, consistency is important. If there are errors, or if character arcs/reactions/motivations don’t follow what came before, it can be jarring for your reader and break their immersive experience.
Series continuation support is about identifying what needs to be carried forward (character aspects, plot points, etc.) and recording it in the most effective way. This could be graphs, character mapping, bespoke character profile templates, motivation maps, or a series plot and timeline overlayed by individual novel plots and timelines.
Sounds confusing? That could be because writing a series is one of the most complicated yet admirable tasks a writer can do. I want to help you preserve what needs preserving, ensure realistic reactions and decision-making in your characters, and more!
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Most authors have a broad plan for their series, and some have very detailed plans. However, during the developmental stage of Book 1, many changes can have wide-ranging impacts that go beyond that particular novel.
Series continuation is about protecting future works by identifying the key elements, plot arcs, worldbuilding aspects, magic system items, and characters, and then future-proofing any sequels (or prequels) by retaining what is needed in a legible, logical and useful format.
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For series continuation work, I will review the manuscript for the initial novel and identify elements that need retaining. I will use bespoke templates to map your characters on how invested they are in the plot, visualise plot and subplot arcs, evaluate character motivations, record key elements/actions/changes in this novel that will be needed for ensuing works, and more.
The scale of this continuation work is subjective and will be agreed between us in the initial conversation, and throughout the process.
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You will receive a series continuation database, which will list key items under character, plot, subplot, and worldbuilding categories (such categories are subject to change, depending on your manuscript’s needs).
You will also receive a visualisation of your plot, subplots and main character arcs.
There are other documents you can receive, which will be identified after I have reviewed your manuscript.
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It’s best to have this support during the developmental editing stage; however, you can also have it done:
If you’ve had one book published and want to review it ahead of the sequel
If you’ve had one book published, the second has been edited, and you want both reviewed for a consistency check.
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As you might be looking for tailored support, according to your manuscript and its status, the hourly rate is £85.
We can work together in our free initial call to discuss what you’re looking for, how I can help, and an estimate of the overall cost.