On numerous occasions, I’ve received frantic requests for editorial assistance from writers whose entire projects were fundamentally misconceived. No editor can ‘repair’ a book-length manuscript whose problem is that it’s a 3000-word magazine article that’s been blown up to book length by means of endless repetition. It’s also just about impossible to ‘fix’ a non-fiction manuscript whose scope is so hopelessly broad that nothing about the subject can be treated in more than a superficial way, or a novel whose author has little real understanding of or sympathy for his or her characters.
Cases like those just mentioned represent a terrible waste of time and energy for the authors in question, and are also extremely discouraging.
Particularly if you are a new writer, or a writer new to a particular genre, it makes sense to have a seasoned professional look over your project proposal, table of contents, and a sample chapter or two, to make sure that your project is technically and logistically feasible before you spend the hundreds of hours required to produce a complete manuscript.
As a project evaluator, I’m nurturing but also realistic. Where possible, if the format you propose for your project won’t work, I’ll try to come up with some other format that will. And I won’t keep you waiting for a response. In most cases, you will get that response within a week-often within 48 hours. Please contact me to discuss your requirements.
Fees
Hourly rates, with a minimum fee of $100.
Jon Peirce Editorial Services 