I work with novels, novellas, short stories, scripts and creative nonfiction, from early drafts that still have a few things to figure out to manuscripts that are almost ready to leave their writer’s hands.I don’t limit myself to one particular genre, either. I’m much more interested in whether I’m the right editor for your story than whether it happens to sit on a particular shelf. Literary fiction, romance, fantasy, horror, mystery, speculative fiction and stories that stubbornly refuse to fit neatly into one category are all welcome on the desk.If you’re working on something a little unusual and aren’t sure whether it fits, send me an enquiry and tell me about it. There’s a good chance I’ll want to hear about the strange one.

Not at all. Fiction is where I spend a lot of my time, but it isn’t the only writing that can find its way onto my desk.I can also provide language-level editorial support for academic work, including essays and dissertations, focusing on things like clarity, flow, grammar, wording, consistency and presentation. What I won’t do is rewrite your argument, conduct research for you, generate original academic content or make changes that would cross the line from editing into doing the work on your behalf.Every university has its own rules about what kind of editorial assistance is permitted, so you’ll need to make sure the support you’re asking for falls within your institution’s guidelines. If you’re not sure whether what you need is something I can help with, send me an enquiry and tell me a little about the assignment and the kind of support you’re looking for.The ideas and the argument remain yours. I’m just here to help you say what you mean as clearly as possible.

Manuscript Editing gets close to the words themselves. I’ll work through your manuscript at sentence level, looking at clarity, flow, wording, consistency and style while being careful not to edit away the voice that makes the writing yours.Developmental Feedback takes a few steps back and looks at the story as a whole. Instead of editing line by line, I’ll look at things like character, plot, pacing, structure, narrative voice and the overall reading experience, then give you a detailed editorial report with practical suggestions for your next draft.If the bones of the story are still moving around, Developmental Feedback is probably the better place to start. If you’re happy with the story and want help sharpening what’s already on the page, Manuscript Editing may be what you’re looking for.

That’s completely fine — you don’t need to diagnose your own manuscript before you get in touch.Tell me a little about what you’re working on, where you are in the writing process and what you’re struggling with (even if the answer is simply “I know something isn’t working, but I can’t work out what”). I can help you figure out which service makes the most sense for your manuscript and where it is right now.And if I don’t think you need something, I’ll tell you that too.

Not necessarily. It depends on what you need.If you’re looking for a full Manuscript Edit, I’ll usually need the manuscript to be complete before I begin. But if you’re halfway through a draft and have become hopelessly tangled in your plot, aren’t sure whether a character is working, or have reached the staring suspiciously at Chapter Twelve stage of writing, you don’t have to finish another 60,000 words before asking for help.Developmental Feedback or an Editorial Consultation may make more sense at that stage. Tell me where you are, and we can work out the best next step.

Manuscript Editing starts from £8 per 1,000 words, while Developmental Feedback starts from £250. Because manuscripts have an inconvenient habit of being completely different from one another, the final price will depend on things like length, complexity and the level of editorial work your manuscript needs.Once I know a little more about your project, I’ll confirm the scope of the work and give you a clear quote before anything begins. There shouldn’t be any mysterious additions appearing halfway through the edit.Editorial Consultations are different: they’re a fixed £45 for a 60-minute session and can be booked directly through the site.

That depends on the manuscript and the kind of editorial work involved. A 30,000-word novella and a 120,000-word fantasy novel are, unsurprisingly, going to spend rather different amounts of time on my desk.When you enquire, I’ll let you know my availability and give you an expected turnaround based on your project before you commit to anything. If you’re working towards a particular deadline, tell me when you get in touch. I can’t promise I’ll always be able to accommodate it, but I’d much rather know about it from the beginning.

Sometimes you don’t need somebody to edit the manuscript. You just need to sit down with someone who understands stories and talk the problem through.An Editorial Consultation is a 60-minute one-to-one online session centred entirely around your writing. We might untangle a plot problem, work through character development, talk about structure or pacing, make sense of feedback you’ve received, figure out what your next draft actually needs, or tackle the particular bit of your story that has been refusing to cooperate.When you book, I’ll ask you a few questions about your project and what you’d most like to discuss so that we can make good use of our hour. The aim is for you to leave with a clearer sense of what’s working, what needs attention and, most importantly, what you do next.

Yes.Your manuscript is your work. Anything you send me for the purposes of an enquiry or editorial service is treated as confidential and won’t be shared, published or used elsewhere without your permission.I know handing someone an unfinished manuscript can feel a little like handing them your diary and asking them to circle the weak bits in red pen. What arrives at the Editorial Desk stays at the Editorial Desk.