Services

“I’ve just had an Example Edit from The Write Advice, who not only gave me some excellent advice on how I can improve my prose, but also helped guide me to the right service that they offered, something that’s really important for a beginner.”

Matthew Palmer

We offer the following services:

If you’re not sure what you need at this stage, please ask for a chat! We’re happy to discuss options and/or look at a sample of your work to help guide you to the right option for you. We won’t contract for a service that we don’t think is right for your specific circumstances. We want to help you write and publish a great book, not just sell you a product that won’t benefit you.

Copy Edit

(Editors: Anna)

Some editors separate out copy edits and line edits, but we combine them into one edit. Our copy edit is focused on improving the words on the page. We want to help make your prose the best it can be to tell your story. We’ll also be keeping an eye out for consistency, continuity and plot holes. While this is not a proofread, we will endeavour to pick up any errors in the course of the edit.

Before contracting for a copy edit, we will ask you to submit your first chapter. If we believe it’s ready for copy editing, we will provide a sample edit of 1500 words, free of charge.

This edit is for writers who are happy with the high level aspects of their book and are ready to fine-tune the prose in preparation for publication.

What you will receive:

  • A fully edited and annotated manuscript.

Price

£0.0065 per word

Please Note: Copy Edit prices are payable 50% on purchasing the package, and the remaining 50% on completion.

“Anna’s guidance is immensely useful in shaping a world and shaping a novel…Anna provided lots of meaningful, helpful and practical advice in shaping the final book… She ‘got’ my work.”

Iain Grant, bestselling author

Developmental Edit

(Editors: Anna)

A developmental edit concentrates on things like plot, character, worldbuilding, pacing and overall storytelling. This is the first edit done by major publishers, and is focused on the content of your story rather than the writing. It is designed to help you create the best story possible.

Before contracting for a developmental edit, we will ask you to submit your first chapter. If we believe it’s ready for developmental editing, we will provide a sample edit of 1500 words, free of charge.

This edit is for writers who have taken their manuscript as far as they can alone and are ready for objective, professional feedback to help with their next edit.

What you will receive:

  • An annotated manuscript and an editorial letter with comments and suggestions to improve your book.

Price

£0.0065 per word

Please Note: Developmental Edit prices are payable 50% on purchasing the package, and the remaining 50% on completion.

“Thank you, Anna. A professional development edit is a scary prospect for any number of reasons. You somehow magicked it into an enjoyable experience. Started on time, finished on time, cost what was asked for up front – those things are important. But it was way more than that. You showed me aspects of my manuscript I had guessed needed a leg up but wasn’t so willing to face up to. But the real treasure came with the reveal of all the stuff I couldn’t see.  You’ve inspired me to write the better story hidden in my early draft..”

Stephen D G Frame

Example Edit

(Editors: Justin, Stephen)

One of the most common reasons agents and editors reject a manuscript is because “the writing needs work”. But that feedback never comes with the specifics of how.

There are three key ways to develop your writing craft: read widely; practice; and get good, objective feedback. An example edit gives you the specific, professional feedback you need to hone your writing as well as teaching you how to self-edit effectively. Nobody’s first draft is perfect; self-editing is a vital skill for every professional writer.

We will comprehensively edit a sample chapter of your work, talking you through the choices we make and offering tips and suggestions to help you apply these skills to your own writing.

Submit one chapter from your book – it does not need to be the first chapter – up to 5K words.

What you will receive:

• An annotated edit of up to 5k words with personalised tips and suggestions to help improve your writing.

Price

£100 for an example edit

“Justin’s critique of my early work rebuilt my approach to writing. It was kindly delivered but truthful and he did not spare my ego. It was probably the most formative feedback I’ve ever had. An Example Edit from him is not for the faint-hearted, but it will be worth the pain.”

J.E. Hannaford, author of Black Hind’s Wake and Aulirean Gates

Manuscript Evaluation and Report

(Editor: Anna)

A manuscript evaluation is an over-arching review of your novel’s strengths, plot, pacing, character arcs and more. It is not a developmental edit.

Manuscript evaluation is ideal for authors with a completed manuscript who want to check that the core of their story – internal logic and cohesion, effective and realistic worldbuilding, believable motivations and character development – is in good shape before embarking on a route towards publication.

We read the novel in its entirety, making detailed notes about where the manuscript is strong and where it could use further work. We will offer suggestions to improve aspects like tone, action, pace etc. but will not provide direct editorial feedback such as how to rework a plot point or reveal.

We will then compile the notes into an in-depth report to help you understand where to focus your energies for revising the novel, including relevant examples from your manuscript where necessary.

Please note, a manuscript evaluation does not include copy-editing or manuscript annotation.

Editorial feedback will include, but is not limited to:

  • Setting
  • Character
  • Plot
  • Theme
  • Structure
  • Pacing

Price

£0.005 per word

Please Note: Manuscript Evaluation and Report prices are payable 50% on purchasing the package, and the remaining 50% on completion of evaluation, prior to delivery of the report.

“Anna’s full manuscript evaluation was comprehensive and insightful … identifying where I’d succeeded and where improvements could be made in order to make the manuscript shine. Anna’s communication was consistently excellent and the turn-around for the evaluation was surprisingly fast considering the manuscript length. I’m so glad I decided to go for the evaluation; I highly recommend it.“

Kate Bull, author of the Sharp Edge of Darkness

Mentoring

(Mentors: Anna, Justin, Stephen)

Are you working on a novel and have hit a speedbump? Are you struggling with the plot? Does the worldbuilding not hang together? Do you just need to brainstorm ideas with someone?

Regular mentoring sessions can provide you with structure, giving you the impetus to keep going when it gets hard, with the added security of knowing you can bounce ideas off a seasoned editor and author (same person!) to ensure you stay on track. We can provide feedback on writing samples, run workshops on particular aspects of writing craft, and be your biggest cheerleader.

Maybe you’ve finished a novel, but you’re not sure about the next steps. We can provide advice about finding an agent, or help you conduct research into the publishing market so you can decide on which publishing path you want to take.

What you will receive:

  • Email exchange before every call so that we can maximise the allotted time on the video call.
  • A structured session so we can focus on the issues you are facing and try to find a way forward by working together.
  • Mentoring sessions can focus on motivation, plot, character, worldbuilding, writer’s block, the business side of being an author, or another area where you need support and guidance.

Prices

One-off 90-minute call: £60

Quarterly 60-minute call (for up to one calendar year): £50

Monthly 60-minute call (for up to one calendar year): £40

“I’ve had a love hate relationship with writing from the very start. I would have quit a hundred times over if it wasn’t for Anna’s enthusiasm, endless patience and wicked sense of humour, always knowing just what to say to get me out of my own head.”

Jo Randall

Proofread

(Editor: Anna)

If you’re confident with the structure, characters, plot and pacing of your novel and/or you’ve already had it edited, the last step before publication is the proofread.

Here, I will read every word and look for spelling and punctuation errors, check indents and/or tabs, ensure consistency of line and page breaks, chapter and other headings, to help your manuscript reach its final form.

This does not include formatting for ebook publication. Proofreading is a text check for spelling, grammar, and punctuation only.

What you will receive:

  • A fully proofread manuscript with changes marked in redline and any questions or queries in comment boxes for the author’s attention.

Price

£0.0045 per word

Please Note: Proofreading is payable in two instalments – a 50% deposit upfront, with the balance due on completion of the proofread.

“Justin is a phenomenal writer and editor. His copyediting suggestions have an immediate impact on the quality of prose, but he’s also been able to take a step back; to view the story as a whole and make suggestions on how plot, character and scenes contribute to the overall effect.”

Ross Garner, author of Centauri’s Shadow

Query Package Assessment

(Editor: Stephen)

We will provide feedback on your query letter, together with the first 3 chapters, or 50 pages (up to 10,000 words).

What you will receive:

  • Notes on the query letter with questions, suggestions, general feedback and recommendations for clarity. You need to pitch your book to agents in a way that demonstrates you understand your story and the genre in which you are writing.
  • Annotated comments on the first 3 chapters, and a report with suggestions, thoughts and ideas on how it could be improved.

Price

£115 for a query package assessment

“For me, the challenge of writing a query was doing justice to a 100k-word manuscript in under 300 words – something my initial drafts failed to do. However, Stephen was able to identify the heart of my story and explain how to best sell that story in just a few hundred words. He identified what in my query was unclear, what was missing, and offered concrete suggestions.”

Cam Baghai

The Edit Bundle

(Editor: Anna)

This option is for the author who wants the security of knowing their book is getting the full treatment: a developmental edit and then, after the recommended changes have been made, a line and copy edit to polish the prose and look at continuity.

By bundling the edits, writers get a significant discount: a full-price developmental edit and then the copy edit at a 45% discount!

Please note: depending on how long it takes to resubmit the manuscript for the copy edit, there may be a delay as Anna slots you into the editorial schedule.

Before contracting for The Edit Bundle, we will ask you to submit your first chapter. If we believe it’s ready for editing, we will provide a sample edit of 1500 words, free of charge, for you to decide if you think we are a good editorial fit.

What you will receive:

  • Developmental Edit: A fully edited manuscript with annotations and editorial letter.
  • Copy Edit: A closely edited manuscript in redline with in-manuscript comments as necessary.

Price

£0.01 per word

Please Note: The Edit Bundle prices are payable in three instalments – a 40% deposit on purchasing the package, with 30% on completion of the developmental edit, and 30% on completion of the copy edit.

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