Editing Services

* All of our nonfiction editors are currently booked for the next few months. Please email us at [email protected] for inquiries regarding scheduling

Portland Book Review wants you to live your dreams and be the published author you were meant to be! We now offer Editing Services to assist you in fulfilling that dream.

If you’re writing a book, chances are you’re going to need an editor. Even experienced authors need editors for that second opinion, and a pair of fresh eyes. Editors typically come in two forms: those that work for a specific press, and freelance editors. Unless you get lucky enough to be picked up by a big press right out of the gate you are going to need to hire freelancers.

Freelance editors can be found all over the place online. The problem becomes how can you trust that a particular freelancer knows what they are doing, and if they are worth the money you are paying? While it is completely possible to find someone willing to edit your manuscript for pennies on the dollar, with editing, the case is usually you get what you pay for. It is better to hire someone with training in editing or a work history in the publishing field. One such resource is The Editorial Freelance Association. The Editorial Freelance Association includes a listing of common rates charged by their members here (http://www.the-efa.org/res/rates.php). As you can see, it can easily cost several thousand dollars for a few rounds of developmental edits alone.

Why Use Our Services?

We are offering these services specifically for writers interested in self-publishing, or writers that are looking to get their manuscripts cleaned up before they try submitting to a press. Instead of charging by the hour like many freelance editors, we are offering editorial services at a flat rate per editing round. Please see the package information below for more details. All of our editors have been trained in the field, many have several years under their belt and have worked on numerous projects.

Types of Editing Offered

Developmental Edit – In a developmental edit your assigned editor will be looking for large scale problems in the manuscript. They will be pointing out issues with character development, setting, world building, plot, and dialogue. They will comment directly on your manuscript using the track changes function in Word or Adobe Acrobat to point out specific areas that could use another look. You will also receive a developmental letter that will go into more detail concerning any large scale problems your editor may have found. At the end of the four week period you will receive your marked up manuscript and the developmental letter, which constitutes the end of this developmental edit package.

Copyedit – In a copyedit your assigned editor is looking for spelling, punctuation, grammar, as well as style and consistency. Your editor will mark up your digital manuscript using the track changes function in Word or Adobe Acrobat. At the end of the four week period you will receive your marked up manuscript with the editor’s suggested changes, which constitutes the end of this copyedit package.

Costs:
Novella: Manuscripts from 0 – 20,000 words:
Developmental Edit: $350
Copyedit: $300
Book: Manuscripts from 20,000 – 60,000 words:
Developmental Edit: $600
Copyedit: $500

If your manuscript is more than 60,000 words please send us an email detailing the project. We will work with you to determine a price and match you with an editor who has enough time available to fit your manuscript.

How it works:

To get started, click on the PayPal link below to make your payment. Then email your manuscript in a PDF or Word format to [email protected], with the words Editing Services in the subject heading. You will be contacted by your Editor and the process will begin. We won’t change your voice or story. All final corrections and decisions are made by the author. You are not required to provide acknowledgement for the editing in your published work but if you’d like to, you would include the Editor’s name and not “Portland Book Review.”

The Editor will never professionally review any of his or her own work.

Refund Policy: Should you decide you’d like to cancel the edit, you must cancel before your manuscript is received by the editor. At that point a 10% handling fee will be assessed to your refund. No refund is available after the editing process has begun.

If you’d like help polishing your manuscript and want to make your good story into a great story, contact Portland Book Review’s Editing Services today!