Book Editing Services by Wandering Words Media
“Does My Manuscript Need Editing?”
Congratulations, you finished writing your book! Wait-what? No one else has reviewed your manuscript?! Before you hit print on your next book, can we interest you in our editing services at Wandering Words Media?
We understand – “But, my book is my baby! You can’t change my manuscript!”
Rest assured, we only intend to add polish to your manuscript so it can shine. Think of our team as artisans curating your words into the best possible message.
We will walk with you through every step of the process and do everything we can to make your book the best it can be for your audience to savor.
Who Needs Our Book Editing Services?
-
If you have a ready-to-launch manuscript that needs another once-over, this is for you.
-
If you have a half-baked manuscript that needs a couple more rounds of editing, this is also for you.
-
If your ‘book manuscript’ reads like a liquored-up college student scrambled it together, sweet heavens, you definitely need us.
What Types of Book Editing Services Do We Offer?
We understand every manuscript is at a different stage of development. In some cases, our first contact with a script is when it’s close to being a finished product.
Spoiler alert: we love those manuscripts! What more often occurs is a manuscript needs a fair amount of TLC to make it shine before it hits stores.
The editing time frame can be anywhere from 30 to 90 days depending on the length of your book, the amount of work the manuscript requires, as well as how many clients are currently in our queue.
We organize our projects in the order of payment received, and then we do our best to be as efficient as possible.
What Are the Different Phases of Book Editing We Offer?
The different phases of editing include:
-
The Developmental/Content phase helps with the overall design and style, considering the organization and intended use. In fiction, this includes help with pacing, plot, characterization, etc. In nonfiction, this ensures that your lessons/information is effective and crystal clear. Chapters are sometimes moved around and whole segments might need to be added or deleted. Edits will also focus on transitions, accuracy, flow, voice, clarification, etc.
-
The Copyediting phase takes place once the manuscript is developed and the content is solid. This phase is where we review material for accuracy, repetition, inconsistencies, word choice, syntax, tense, and a number of other content elements. The Copyediting Phase tightens the manuscript and works to eradicate mistakes.
-
We also offer a Bundle Package that tackles both Developmental/Content AND Copyediting in one round. This is the most time- and cost-effective option. But, because we are doing it all in one round, please keep in mind the results will lower in quality. Think of it like having multiple tabs open in a browser; when my team is looking for so many things at once, it slows us down.
-
The final phase is Proofreading, which is included in our Full Service Bundle (explained below) and is available if you have gone through at least one round of Copyediting with us. A dedicated proofreader is assigned to review the manuscript one last time for typographical errors and mistakes in grammar, spelling, and punctuation. This is an essential last step in making the document as error-free as humanly possible.
We also offer Outlining and Beta Reading services, which aren't really "editing," but may be just what you need--especially if you are early in your writing process or just aren't sure if your book is "working" as intended. See those pages for more info.
What if My Manuscript Needs EVERYTHING?!
Ah, yes, the ‘book manuscript’ that looks more Crayola than completed… this is where our full-service book editing approach is designed for you. Your manuscript will be reviewed by at least three people (unless specified otherwise). Our Full-Service Editing team has been vetted and works together like clockwork. If you are working with other editors outside of our team, please be aware your results may not be consistent.
Full Service editing covers at least one round each of developmental/content editing, copyediting, and proofreading--but it also may include additional rounds of one or more of those editing types along the way. Each project is different!
Important note: these are editing services, not formatting services. Please understand all formatting must take place after the editing process! Because we work in Google Docs, the formatting between Google and other document formats does not always translate the same way. Therefore, any images, graphs, margins, fonts, or citations in the document may change in the editing process.