My editing packages are very popular among Kristen Corrects clients! The vast majority of my clients opt for one of my editing packages:
- The Basic: line editing and copyediting—two passes over the manuscript
- The Standard: manuscript critique, line editing, and copyediting—three passes over the manuscript
- The Ultimate: developmental editing, line editing, and copyediting—a total of four passes over the manuscript
Each of my editing packages is a multi-step process, starting with first contacting me and getting on my schedule. To help new and potential clients understand the process of working with me, here’s a step-by-step outline of how each of my editing packages work.
The Basic: line editing and copyediting
STEP 1: Contact me to determine what editing services are best for your book, then get on my schedule. I’ll provide you with a schedule of dates for when I’ll be line editing and copyediting your manuscript.
STEP 2: Final tweaks. As your schedule date approaches, continue working on your manuscript for as long as you’d like. When it’s two weeks to start date, I’ll send you a reminder email.
STEP 3: Line editing pass. In this editing pass, I’m focused on improving sentence structure, looking at the logic and clarity of scenes, maintaining consistency, rhythm of sentences, and breaking up too-long paragraphs. It makes sure, for example, that each character has consistent actions, or that the spelling of a name or place doesn’t change. If something is muddy or hard to understand, I will ensure it is clear and reads easily. Line editing also formats your manuscript to be ready for publication as a Kindle ebook.
STEP 4: Copyediting pass. copyediting is the last step in the editing process before publishing. It focuses mainly on word choice, punctuation, spelling, and grammar, and is basically a final read-through to make sure your book doesn’t have any surface errors. Once copyediting is complete, your book will be ready for self-publishing immediately, or to be sent out to agents/publishers.
STEP 5: Ready for publication! After copyediting is complete, I send the manuscript back to you—it’s done with editing and is ready to be sent out to agents/publishers, or to be published as an ebook. When I deliver the manuscript, I’ll also deliver the Editor’s Report and the blurb.
The Standard: manuscript critique, line editing, and copyediting
STEP 1: Contact me to determine what editing services are best for your book, then get on my schedule. I’ll provide you with a schedule of dates for the manuscript critique, the revision period, and the editing passes (line editing, followed by copyediting).
STEP 2: Final tweaks. As your schedule date approaches, continue working on your manuscript for as long as you’d like. When it’s two weeks to start date, I’ll send you a reminder email.
STEP 3: Manuscript critique phase begins. I’ll start critiquing your manuscript! In this process, I read through your entire manuscript, adding comments and suggestions for improvement where necessary. I’ll then write a 10-page report that details the issues I saw.
STEP 4: Revisions. Back to you! After I send you the manuscript critique and report, your job now is to implement whatever suggestions you see fit, based on my recommendations in the manuscript critique report and my comments directly on the manuscript. Please send the manuscript back to me before the line editing start date, or let me know as soon as possible if you’ll need more time.
STEP 5: Line editing pass. In this editing pass, I’m focused on improving sentence structure, looking at the logic and clarity of scenes, maintaining consistency, rhythm of sentences, and breaking up too-long paragraphs. It makes sure, for example, that each character has consistent actions, or that the spelling of a name or place doesn’t change. If something is muddy or hard to understand, I will ensure it is clear and reads easily. Line editing also formats your manuscript to be ready for publication as a Kindle ebook.
STEP 6: Copyediting pass. Copyediting is the last step in the editing process before publishing. It focuses mainly on word choice, punctuation, spelling, and grammar, and is basically a final read-through to make sure your book doesn’t have any surface errors. Once copyediting is complete, your book will be ready for self-publishing immediately, or to be sent out to agents/publishers.
STEP 7: Ready for publication! After copyediting is complete, I send the manuscript back to you—it’s done with editing and is ready to be sent out to agents/publishers, or to be published as an ebook. When I deliver the manuscript, I’ll also deliver the Editor’s Report and the blurb.
The Ultimate: Developmental editing, line editing, and copyediting
STEP 1: Contact me to determine what editing services are best for your book, then get on my schedule. I’ll provide you with a schedule of dates for the developmental editing, the review period, and the editing passes (line editing, followed by copyediting).
STEP 2: Final tweaks. As your schedule date approaches, continue working on your manuscript for as long as you’d like. When it’s two weeks to start date, I’ll send you a reminder email.
STEP 3: Developmental editing pass. This is a two-part editing service. In the first pass, I read your entire manuscript, focused on big-picture issues like character development, overall story arc, tone and quality of writing, plot holes, and so on. In the second pass, I go back and make all changes as necessary to bring your story up to market standards. During the developmental editing process, it is likely I will add some material (enough, but not so much as to compromise your writing) to fill in the holes as necessary.
STEP 4: Review period. Back to you! After I send you the developmentally edited manuscript, please take your time in reading over the big-picture changes. Feel free to add changes or reject any of my edits as you see fit. Please send the manuscript back to me before the line editing start date, or let me know as soon as possible if you’ll need more time.
STEP 5: Line editing pass. In this editing pass, I’m focused on improving sentence structure, looking at the logic and clarity of scenes, maintaining consistency, rhythm of sentences, and breaking up too-long paragraphs. It makes sure, for example, that each character has consistent actions, or that the spelling of a name or place doesn’t change. If something is muddy or hard to understand, I will ensure it is clear and reads easily. Line editing also formats your manuscript to be ready for publication as a Kindle ebook.
STEP 6: Copyediting pass. copyediting is the last step in the editing process before publishing. It focuses mainly on word choice, punctuation, spelling, and grammar, and is basically a final read-through to make sure your book doesn’t have any surface errors. Once copyediting is complete, your book will be ready for self-publishing immediately, or to be sent out to agents/publishers.
STEP 7: Ready for publication! After copyediting is complete, I send the manuscript back to you—it’s done with editing and is ready to be sent out to agents/publishers, or to be published as an ebook. When I deliver the manuscript, I’ll also deliver the Editor’s Report and the blurb.
Please read my guide for information on sample edits, editing packages, rush project options, and the scheduling process.
Questions? Ready to get on the schedule? Contact me!
Book editor Kristen Hamilton is the owner and sole employee of Kristen Corrects, Inc., where she provides manuscript editing services for traditionally and self-publishing authors. Several authors whose books she has edited have won awards and have topped Amazon’s best sellers lists.
Reading is Kristen’s passion, so when the workday is over, she can usually be found curled up with a good book alongside her four cats. She loves watching cat videos and scary movies, eating pizza, teaching herself French, and traveling, and she is likely planning her next vacation. She lives outside of Boise, ID.