Choose Editing for a Publishable Final Draft

Present your compelling story at its best

Hire an objective editor and polish your writing

Do you often re-read the same chapter uncertain of language use, style or structure?
Do you wish you had the objectivity to see what's working for and against your story?
Hire an editor to polish your writing and fix inconsistencies. Enhance your writing to meet publishers' and readers' standards.

What are the stages in editing?

Each writer is at a different stage of their writing process and needs different editorial support.

Each of Now Novel's editing packages follow on from each other and we recommend progressing from manuscript assessment to proofreading.

HERE’S WHAT THE PROCESS LOOKS LIKE:

	01: MANUSCRIPT CRITIQUE
BEST FOR	General feedback - an editor's overview of what works and what to improve
YOU GET	A comprehensive, 10-page document
NEXT STEP	Developmental editing

	02: DEVELOPMENTAL EDITING
BEST FOR	Detailed insights to improve your content and style
YOU GET	A consultative process to produce a better story
NEXT STEP	Copy editing

	03: COPY EDITING
BEST FOR	Improving language and style once you have your story's content
YOU GET	A more readable, presentable draft
NEXT STEP	Proofreading

	04: PROOFREADING
BEST FOR	Checking for small details of formatting and punctuation
YOU GET	An error-free, publishable story
NEXT STEP	Publishing

#	01: MANUSCRIPT CRITIQUE	02: DEVELOPMENTAL EDITING	03: COPY EDITING	04: PROOFREADING
BEST FOR	General feedback - an editor's overview of what works and what to improve	Detailed insights to improve your content and style	Improving language and style once you have your story's content	Checking for small details of formatting and punctuation
YOU GET	A comprehensive, 10-page document	A consultative process to produce a better story	A more readable, presentable draft	An error-free, publishable story
NEXT STEP	Developmental editing	Copy editing	Proofreading	Publishing

WHAT IS A MANUSCRIPT CRITIQUE?

Your editor will read your story and provide you with a detailed report that will include:

Comments on the content of the manuscript, including but not necessarily limited to plot progression, characterisation, dialogue, and setting
An evaluation of the structure of the narrative and suggestions for improvement
The identification of major narrative issues, including plot inconsistencies or weaknesses
An appraisal of the manuscript’s marketabilitly, based on the intended audience and genre you identify
Detailed answers for up to three direct questions you pose
Advice on how to proceed with submission to traditional publishers or self-publishing

If you choose a manuscript critique and later decide that you would like to upgrade to a full developmental edit, the price of your critique will be deducted from the cost of the developmental edit.

Meet the editors:

Bridget McNulty

Editor
Features writer
Content strategist
Author of Strange Nervous Laughter (Struik/Macmillan)

Alyssa Hollingsworth

MA in writing for Young People with Honours from Bath Spa
Author of The Eleventh Trade (Picadilly/Roaring Brook)
Next book in series due out 2020

Romy Sommer

Author of five novels published by HarperCollins London, as well as 7 self-published titles
Founder and Chairperson of ROSA (Romance writers Organisation of South Africa)
First South African to be nominated for the prestigious RWA Rita® Award

Fiona Ingram

Author and writing coach
Author of award-winning middle grade The Chronicles of the Stone adventure series
Writes Regency romances as Arabella Sheraton

WHAT IS DEVELOPMENTAL EDITING?

The first and most important step in a detail-oriented editing process!

Also known as ‘substantive’, ‘content’ or ‘line’ editing
Your editor delves deeply into the mechanics of your story to identify problems and suggest potential solutions in detail
Your developmental editor will help you finesse plot development and fix continuity problems, characterisation, weak or unnatural dialogue, and other stylistic and structural issues
Comprehensive consultation with your editor who will help you with the content and style of your manuscript
It’s an in-depth and lengthy process, designed to help you to produce your best possible work
Culminates in advice on how to proceed with submission to traditional publishers or self-publish

WHAT IS COPY EDITING?

Copy editing entails improving the mechanics of language and style in your writing, rather than story content

Smaller in scope than developmental editing
Addresses problems with grammar, spelling and punctuation
Highlights any unclear or awkward dialogue and descriptions (in addition to grammar and punctuation)
Brings to attention any other stylistic inconsistencies

WHAT IS PROOFREADING?

Final stage of editing and only occurs after the manuscript has been laid out by a typesetter and is ready to be published

It's the least intensive form of editing and thus usually the most affordable per word
Last step in the book editing process
Your proofreader will look for small errors that may have slipped through the previous editing stages
Before proofreading, all manuscripts need to be professionally edited by a developmental or copy editor to ensure larger errors or inconsistencies have already been addressed

Book Editing Services