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The Ultimate

The Ultimate is my most in-depth, no holds barred editing service—designed to transform your manuscript into the absolute best book it can be for publication. This editing package features four passes through the manuscript: two on the developmental editing (first reading the manuscript from beginning to end while making notes for areas of improvement, then going through a second round to make those big-picture improvements), one pass for line editing, and one final pass for copyediting. This is the ultimate package for the consummate professional author, those who are serious about their writing career.

What’s Included

This service includes developmental editingline editing, and copyediting: three separate and distinct editing services, four passes through your manuscript.

DEVELOPMENTAL EDITING

  • Momentum and pacing
  • Plot consistency
  • Overall structure/structural choices
  • Story organization
  • Tying up loose ends
  • Tone and voice
  • Tense issues
  • Point of view and narrative perspective
  • “Showing” versus “telling”
  • Deleting superfluous material
  • Adding material where necessary (setting description, character development, dialogue)

LINE EDITING

  • Sentence structure
  • Clarity and sense of scenes
  • Awkward phrasing
  • Content of storyline
  • Consistency of characters and actions
  • Rhythm (ensures a mix of long and short sentences for improved flow)
  • Gerunds, nominalizations, and passive voice
  • Parallelism and correlative conjunctions
  • Breaks up too-long paragraphs
  • Includes Kindle ebook formatting

COPYEDITING

  • Spelling
  • Capitalization errors
  • Typos
  • Punctuation
  • Syntax
  • Grammatical errors
  • Word choice
  • Repetitiveness
  • Missing or repeated words
  • Eliminating unnecessary words

I take the editor-author relationship seriously, and I’m in your corner to help your book succeed. I’m here to make sure you are as prepared as possible to succeed in this saturated industry, and that means pumping you full of knowledge and resources (in addition to superb editing!) to ensure your book stands the best chance for success, especially against less prepared authors. 

The Ultimate package includes:

  • E-mail support: If you have questions about your book, the publishing industry or simply would like advice or feedback, feel free to send away!
  • Phone support: If you prefer phone calls, let’s talk! Send me an email anytime and we will schedule a quick phone call to chat.
  • Editor’s Report: This 1-page letter I write after editing your book highlights the most common issues I found during editing, and is geared toward showing you how to avoid your most common writing mistakes to become a better writer.
  • Book promotion: I regularly post blogs and Facebook videos teaching about writing and commonly refer to my clients’ work as examples (possibly including yours, in the future!). Every week I share pictures, links, and reviews of books I have edited, and am always happy to help promote books I’ve edited in some capacity. When it comes to marketing your work, every little bit helps, and I’m so proud to share, show off, and talk about books I’ve edited.
  • blurb: The blurb, also known as the “back cover description” of a book, tells the reader what your book is about. A well-written blurb contains the correct amount of information and intrigue to get the reader to purchase your book. Feel free to use this on your book’s back cover, Amazon ebook description, or in marketing materials (such as your author website or social media pages).

Timeframe

The Ultimate editing package is three services, four passes over your manuscript. I do these consecutively (first developmental editing, then line editing, then copyediting), usually with a day or two break between the editing services. When I send back the manuscript, it will be completely done and ready for immediate publication. 

The process generally takes me 3 to 4 weeks to complete, depending on my availability and your manuscript’s length. I’m usually booked several months in advance; please e-mail me to check current availability.

Click here to read a step-by-step process of how The Ultimate editing process works.

If this doesn’t sound like the option you want, check out my other editing packages. Ready to book, or just have a question? Contact me—I look forward to reading your manuscript!

Kristen Hamilton, fiction book editor

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.

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