Editing Services
Copy Editing | Proofreading
Testimonials
"Ellyn has given me invaluable advice on my manuscript. She is able to provide detailed feedback both on a developmental and line-edit level, and manages to be supportive while still showing me which areas need a bit more work. My manuscript wouldn't be where it is today without Ellyn's critical eye!" - Amanda
Proofreading
$50 per 10,000 words
- I mark only grammatical, formatting, and typographical errors. I do not touch your plot, characters, or worldbuilding.
- I will also watch for inconsistencies in description and action. For instance, if Lily’s eyes are brown in chapter 1 and somehow change to green by chapter 10, I’ll point that out.
Copyediting
$100 per 10,000 words
- After I complete a complimentary edit of your first ten pages and we decide to work together, I will have a conversation with you about your book. I will ask you what tone you are trying to convey, how you describe your style, your target audience, and your general vision.
- As I read, I will make comments throughout the manuscript including my reactions to things, as well as things that jar me out of the story or ideas/thoughts I have.
- I will correct errors I find in grammar, typos, and punctuation.
- I will mark inconsistencies.
- When I complete my read-through, I will write an itemized letter with thoughts I have on your characters, worldbuilding, plot, etc. You are always welcome to communicate with me about this letter if you need clarification, or if you want my opinion on something I did not address, even months after the edit is complete.
Specifics
- I provide a complimentary edit of your first ten pages, so you can see if you will benefit from my editing style.
- I’m most experienced working with YA or adult fantasy, but I also love science fiction, YA contemporary, middle grade anything, “book club” fiction or historical. I do not edit erotica or mass market romance.
- I require half of every payment upfront and the remaining half after the edits are complete.
My Editing Story
I got my first editing gig when I was just a kiddo. Someone in my dad’s writing group wrote a children’s book called "Unfrozen Pond," and they needed a beta reader. I remember sitting at a little desk in my room, reading through the manuscript (it was in Courier font), and carefully answering questions at the end of each chapter. I don’t know what happened to “Unfrozen Pond,” but I now appreciate the opportunity to be a young beta reader.
I got my next gig as a teenager. Stephanie Morrill and Jill Williamson asked me to be a proofreader for “Go Teen Writers: How to Turn Your First Draft Into a Published Book.” I was so excited and honored to have that responsibility, and I still consult my copy for writing advice to this day.
I majored in Mass Communications and planned to be a journalist, a la Rory Gilmore. I was able to practice writing short, writing concise, and writing on deadline. However, by the time college was over I decided that I’d rather spend my time in fantasy worlds than cover real-time events.
Fiction is lucrative, so I started a copywriting business to make some money, where I wrote website copy for businesses as varied as an adaptive race car nonprofit, an exterminator, a saddlery, and more.
During that time, I read a lot and dove back into writing fantasy fiction. I listened to writing podcasts every time I drove somewhere or washed the dishes. I was so hungry to grow my “story instincts," so I could reach my highest potential as a reader and a writer, and I still feel this hunger to learn more about the craft I've claimed as my own.
I’ve spent the last year doing lots of critiques for my peers and now, I want to put my story instincts to work for YOU! Let's get started.