All rates are quoted in U.S. dollars. Please anticipate an additional fee for rush jobs as well as any applicable postage or courier charges. These rates apply to electronic editing of Microsoft Word documents and hard copy.

Express Proofreading

If your work is already polished and only needs a quick read for minor errors, we can offer you low rates and a fast turnaround time.

• $2.00/page when marking hard copy by hand, manuscript sent via snail mail  
• $3.00/page for corrections using track changes, manuscript sent via email
• Clean hard copy printed out for .20 cents per page, plus snail mail postage

Basic Proofreading

Includes proofing for spelling mistakes, typos, punctuation, capitalization errors, and awkward grammar.

• $3.00/page when marking hard copy by hand, manuscript sent via snail mail 
• $4.50/page for corrections using track changes, manuscript sent via email
• Clean hard copy printed out for .20 cents per page, plus snail mail postage

Extended Proofreading / Line-by-Line Copyediting

Includes everything that comes with our basic service, plus proofing for general structure, pacing, clarity, sense, word choice, redundancies, and inconsistencies in narrative voice.

• $4.00/page when marking hard copy by hand, manuscript sent via snail mail
• $6.00/page for corrections using track changes, manuscript sent via email
• Clean hard copy printed out for .20 cents per page, plus snail mail postage

Deep Editing / Rewriting

This is our most popular package for fiction writers.  It involves an initial reading of your manuscript for story structure (including a character arc analysis), which is provided to the author in a detailed report, using examples from the manuscript.  The author then revises the manuscript accordingly, and returns the manuscript to us for a second reading, which encompasses our extended proofreading and line-by-line copyediting service.  In most cases a third reading is necessary to make sure we captured all the changes correctly.

In short, if your story needs an extensive rewrite or a more aggressive edit, we can help you overhaul it. We will incorporate most of our suggestions via track changes directly into the text and highlight the lines in question. In areas that need further clarity, we will insert a comment or question for you.  But we will not re-write it for you.  During this re-writing period, however, for the first thirty days, we are available for consultation via email or telephone at no additional cost.

The fee for this service is $10.00 per page. 

For this you will receive the discerning eye of three experienced editors, each with a different area of specialty and focus.  1) Overall story structure and characterization 2) Nuts and bolts editing for general structure, clarity, sense, word choice, pacing, redundancies, and inconsistencies in narrative voice, and 3) Basic proofreading, which includes proofing for spelling mistakes, typos, punctuation, capitalization errors, and awkward grammar.  You will also receive free email or telephone consultations during the first thirty days of your re-write.  This includes help with brainstorming creative solutions to the inevitable dilemmas that arise during a major re-write.

The above package can be broken down into its separate components and the fee adjusted accordingly.

For example:

Manuscript Evaluation

We can read your manuscript without editing it for elements such as characterization, story structure, and pacing, and provide you with a written assessment of where your story needs help.  The fee for this is $2.00 per page. 

Manuscript Evaluation and Extended Proofreading/Line-by-Line Copyediting Package

For this you will receive an initial reading for story structure and characterization, and then a second reading from a different editor for pacing, continuity, clarity, and basic proofreading services.  The fee for this is $8.00 per page.  This fee does not include consultations via email or telephone during the re-writing phase.  Those, if necessary, will be billed separately at an hourly rate. 

Writing Goal Coaching

We can help you set your writing goals and provide accountability for reaching them.  Included in this service are an in-depth interview for initial goal setting, motivational messages specific to your needs, weekly check-ins, and help with brainstorming ideas when you get stuck.  Coaching is available for a monthly fee, since goals are achieved over time.  Rates start at $100 per month, or $500 for six months.  Goals and progress are re-evaluated every three months.  Telephone consultation is also available for an additional fee of $60 per hour.  However, if you’re not 100% satisfied with our coaching services after the first 90 days, we offer a full refund.

Manuscript Formatting, PDF Formatting, Typesetting, and Transcription Fees

Industry-Standard Manuscript Formatting

We can take your finished electronic manuscript and convert it to a “standard manuscript” format for submission to publishers and agents. This includes font, character style, line spacing, paragraph style, header, page numbers, margins, and layout. We cannot guarantee that your book or short story will be sold, but a well-formatted manuscript is more appealing to an agent or editor than one that looks unprofessional.  The fee for this is 40 cents per page.

Converting your Manuscript into a Printer-Ready Book Layout

If you plan to self-publish, we can create a printer-ready book layout from your Word document. This includes a complete interior text layout of your book, including the title page, copyright page, dedication and acknowledgements page, table of contents, and an About the Author page at the end. We also include page numbers and running heads at the top of each page. There is an extra charge for bibliographies and/or layouts in excess of 250 pages.  At this point, we do not do books with photos, charts, or tables.  However, we can include a cover if you provide the camera-ready artwork.

How does this work? We clean your Word or text file to remove all extra spaces, tabs, and breaks. Then we place it into the layout document and proof-read it, removing any gaps, bad breaks, or other typos. We then send the file to you as a PDF for approval. Our price includes one round of corrections (up to twenty corrections). Once approved, we will send you a corrected PDF and will create a high-resolution file for your printer.

The fee for this starts at $150. 

Creating an Advanced Reader Copy of Your Soon-To-Be-Published Novel

We can do this, too.  The fee starts at $150.

Turning Your Manuscript into an E-Book

For downloading from your website.  We can do this, too.

The fee starts at $150. 

Additional charges for any of the above will be accrued only if complications arise.

Final PDFs can also be burned onto a CD at your request.

Typesetting

If you have a hand-written document that you need typeset, we can help. We will take your hand-written manuscript and type it into Microsoft® Word. You will receive a printed hardcopy, or we can e-mail it to you. We will automatically format your work in standard manuscript style. The fee for this is $4 per page or $40 an hour, and includes typesetting, formatting, photocopying, and postage to mail you your manuscript.

Transcription Services

We also offer transcription services.  Rates vary based on the quality of your audio recording, the type of transcription required, and the number of speakers involved.  For more information, contact Laura Kelly.

Speaking Engagements

Jodi Henley also offers the following workshops in person and on-line.  If you would like to attend one of these workshops, or would like to invite Jodi to present one of these workshops to your writing group or organization, please contact Laura Kelly for registration information, scheduling for your group, and price information.

Showing the Transformational Character Arc: A Practical Hands-on Guide to What, Why and How

Running in the Dark:Organic Structure for Character-Driven Stories

The Maltese Falcon: A Deconstruction Workshop

Prologue Structure for both Character-Driven and Plot-Driven Stories

The Big Sleep: A Deconstruction Workshop

How to Pay Us

We accept Visa and MasterCard payments for all services and speaking engagements through PayPal.  Money orders are also welcome. We can accept checks, but the check must clear before work on any project begins. We can also arrange to work on your manuscript in stages, with payments being staggered throughout the process. We do, however, offer a 5% discount for paying your full fee in advance.

Please note, you do not need to set up a PayPal account to pay us via PayPal. When prompted, click on the box beside the words “If you do not currently have a PayPal account click here.” This allows you to make a one-time credit card payment without setting up a PayPal account. It is a secure transaction processed by PayPal.com.

We also keep accurate records of all costs related to your work and, if requested, will provide an itemized list with your billing.

Confidentiality

All correspondence and materials are considered confidential. We will not share your personal information or the details of your project with anyone. Should you request one, we also have available a Letter of Agreement that outlines the terms of our agreement and includes the following elements: your manuscript’s anticipated date of arrival, the scope of the work requested, the anticipated length of your manuscript, the fees we agreed upon, turn-around-time deadlines, and our cancellation fees and policies.  It also states that we will hold no rights to your intellectual property.

Cancellation Fees and Policy

Should you decide to terminate a project before its completion, LKES will retain as much of the fee as necessary to be paid in full for the time we have spent on it up to that point, together with a cancellation fee of $300, and will return all materials, including your partially edited manuscript, to you immediately.

For more information, contact Laura Kelly.