You've read your book so many times you can't see it anymore. That's normal. Our editors fix what's holding it back — structure, pacing, clarity, typos — while keeping every word sounding like you.
See before-and-after edits
If readers are confused, bored, or say the middle drags, that's structure — a developmental edit. If the story works but the sentences feel clunky, that's a line edit. If you just need grammar and consistency, that's a copyedit. Our tool below points you in the right direction.
A good editor makes you sound more like yourself, not like them. Every change arrives as a tracked suggestion with a reason. You keep what you like and reject what you don't.
Software catches some typos. It can't tell you that your subplot goes nowhere, that chapter nine repeats chapter four, or that a character's motivation changes without explanation. Those are the things readers mention in reviews.
Editing and the cover usually take most of a self-publishing budget — for good reason. Readers forgive a lot, but not a book that feels unfinished. One-star reviews for typos are hard to recover from.
Most books need two of these, not all four. We'll recommend the right combination after reading your sample.
A deep read of structure, plot, pacing, character arcs or argument, with a detailed editorial letter and margin notes.
Sentence-level craft: rhythm, word choice, repetition, tone and clarity, so the prose reads smoothly.
Grammar, spelling, punctuation and consistency — names, timelines, capitalization and style — following Chicago style (or UK conventions for UK and Australian authors).
The last pass after formatting: typos, layout errors, widows and orphans, page numbers and headers.
A sample edit, side by side. Compare the before and after pages, or switch to the editor’s markup to see every change and the reason for it.
The road out of Carrow was straight and white with salt‸ and Mara had walked it every single day for eleven years, so she knew immediately that something was wrong when she seen the car. It was parked, parked badly, across the ditch, its headlights still on even though it was the middle of the afternoon.
She walked slowly towards it. The drivers door was open. Inside‸ there was a phone that was ringing and ringing, and nobody was answering it, which was strange.
The road out of Carrow was straight and white with salt, and Mara had walked it every day for eleven years, so she knew something was wrong the moment she saw the car. It was parked badly across the ditch, its headlights still burning in the middle of the afternoon.
She walked toward it. The driver’s door hung open. Inside, a phone was ringing and ringing, and no one answered.
Answer four quick questions for a recommendation and a realistic turnaround for your word count.
A free 1,000-word sample edit confirms the right level before you commit. Turnaround depends on the editor's schedule and how clean the draft is.
Request a free sample editYou stay in control at every step.
Share your manuscript (or the first chapters). We read it and suggest the right level of edit — sometimes it's less than you expect.
Your matched editor edits the first 1,000 words so you can judge the quality and fit before paying anything.
Tracked changes in Word, plus an editorial letter or style sheet depending on the edit type.
Accept or reject each change. Ask your editor anything. Your follow-up pass is included.
We price per project, based on word count and the level of edit — never by the hour, so there are no surprises.
Authors are right to be careful — the industry has plenty of companies that over-promise. Here's exactly how we work.
Your KDP, IngramSpark and ACX accounts are created in your name, so royalties are paid straight to you.
You pay in stages tied to work you have seen and approved, never the whole fee up front for large projects.
Copyright, files and ISBNs (when you buy your own) belong to you. You receive editable source files.
Anyone who guarantees bestseller status or sales is guessing. We give you honest forecasts and the reasoning behind them.
A plain-English agreement lists deliverables, revision rounds and dates, so nothing is left to memory.
We are an independent author-services team. We never claim to be Amazon, KDP or any retailer.
“My editor caught things I'd missed in six read-throughs. The tracked changes were clear, the editorial letter was insightful, and my voice felt stronger — not erased.”
“I sent a rough second draft for a developmental edit expecting lots of red ink. What I got was an encouraging roadmap that showed me exactly how to fix the structural issues I knew were there.”
“The proofreader caught 47 errors in a manuscript I thought was clean. My book launched looking as polished as anything from a big publisher.”
Copyediting happens before formatting and fixes grammar, punctuation, consistency and clarity throughout. Proofreading happens after formatting and catches the remaining typos plus layout problems. Skipping the copyedit and relying on a proofread usually leaves too many errors.
A proofread of an 80,000-word novel typically takes about one to two weeks; a copyedit two to three weeks; a developmental edit three to five weeks. You get a firm date with your quote.
Both. We follow American conventions for US and Canadian authors unless you prefer otherwise, and British spelling and punctuation for UK and Australian authors. Canadian spelling can be matched on request.
No. Suggestions are tracked, explained and optional. Editors are briefed to keep your style, dialect and rhythm — especially in memoir and dialogue.
Microsoft Word (.docx) is best. Google Docs and Pages files are fine — we convert them. Edits come back in Word with tracked changes.
Only if the structure isn't working yet. Copyediting a book that later needs major rewrites wastes money. If you're unsure, a manuscript evaluation is a cheaper first step.
Send your opening chapter and get a free 1,000-word sample edit — no obligation.
Tell us about your manuscript. An editing consultant will recommend the right edit and send a fixed quote with your sample.
Prefer to talk it through?
Pick the question closest to your situation. You'll get a straight answer here — and you can take it further with your own AI assistant if you'd like a second opinion.
Still unsure? Ask a real consultant — it's free and there's no obligation.
It should be finished, revised at least once by you, and read by someone else. If you already know chapters are missing, finish those first — or use coaching to get there.
Most self-published books need two: a developmental or line edit (if structure or style needs work) and a copyedit — then a proofread after formatting. Clean manuscripts may only need the last two.
Cover design can run alongside editing. Formatting must wait until editing is finished, because every change moves the pages around.
No sample edit, no clear scope, pricing that seems too good to be true, or pressure to pay everything up front. A good editor is happy to prove fit with a short sample.
Agents expect a polished submission, but not necessarily a professionally edited one. A developmental critique can help if you've had repeated rejections.
