FAQs

How will it work?

You’ll reach out to me with a project you’ve been working on. I’ll take a look at it and respond with a customized quote. From there, we’ll discuss your goals, timeline, and preferred working style. When the work is done, I’ll submit an edited version of the document to you via email.

I generally use Square to send invoices. Square is easy to use and secure. It is owned by the same company that owns Twitter. However, some people prefer to pay using PayPal, Venmo, or something else, and I’m happy to accommodate those requests.

What will I receive with my order?

You will receive two versions of your edited manuscript from me: one that shows all of the changes I’ve made (using MS Word’s Track Changes feature) and one “clean” copy that has the changes accepted. The clean copy makes the changes easier to see.

For longer projects, I also provide a style sheet that keeps track of the changes I’ve made.

Can I ask a follow-up question about my order?

Absolutely! I lavish personal attention on my clients. It’s extremely rare that you would have to wait longer than twenty-four hours for a response.

What is your editing method?

I read through every document multiple times.  

For lighter copyediting jobs, I may only read through a document three times. For heavier developmental editing tasks, I may read through a document as many as five separate times.

I focus on different things at each stage of the editing process. That allows me to be more accurate and precise because I am only focusing on one thing at a time.

For example, a heavy developmental edit might look like this (modified slightly from Shani Raja):

  1. First reading: Content edit

    1. Is the piece logically constructed?

    2. Is everything there that needs to be there?

    3. Is there anything there that does not need to be there?

  2. Second reading: Structure edit

    1. Are the points organized in a way that is logical and easy to understand?

    2. Will the piece’s organization be clear, engaging, and/or convincing for a reader?

  3. Third reading: Style edit

    1. Are the individual sentences clear?

    2. Are the sentences expressed elegantly and simply?

    3. Is the writing style (voice, level of formality, etc.) consistent across the document?

  4. Fourth reading: Presentation edit

    1. Are there any grammar or spelling lapses?

    2. Is the text uniformly formatted?

A lighter copyedit might only focus on the style and presentation stages of the editing process.

Ultimately, every manuscript is different, and authors have different goals. My approach will be calibrated to your needs.

Regardless, along the way, I employ various tricks of the trade to help myself stay alert (e.g., having the document read to me using MS Word’s Read Aloud feature, modifying the font size/formatting, or referring to a physical copy of the document).

Do you edit fiction?

Yes, but I don’t emphasize that as much as I do nonfiction editing because I am more experienced as a nonfiction editor. I plan to expand my work in fiction (as both an editor and writer) over the coming year or two.

Do you provide refunds or discounts?

I’ve never had someone ask for a refund. I hope I never do.  

I don’t provide refunds, but I do provide a 100% satisfaction guarantee. If you are unhappy with any feature of your order, just reach out about what could use further work, and I’ll do whatever it takes to bring the project in line with your goals.

I’m afraid I don’t provide discounts, but I am serious about making my services affordable for all writers. Be in touch and we can talk about the details of your situation. 

How did you come up with the name of your company?

My company is named after the Transcendentalist publication The Dial (which was originally named The Sundial). I see the name as a nod to my New England roots and an homage to some of my heroes (Emerson, Thoreau, Margaret Fuller, and the like).

Emerson wrote this of the publication’s title:

And so with diligent hands and good intent we set down our Dial on the earth. We wish it may resemble that instrument in its celebrated happiness, that of measuring no hours but those of sunshine. Let it be one cheerful rational voice amidst the din of mourners and polemics. Or to abide by our chosen image, let it be such a Dial, not as the dead face of a clock, hardly even such as the Gnomon in a garden, but rather such a Dial as is the Garden itself, in whose leaves and flowers the suddenly awakened sleeper is instantly apprised not what part of dead time, but what state of life and growth is now arrived and arriving.