Professional Book Editing Services

Professional book editing

Maximize Your Book’s Potential

Book Helpline helps independent authors maximize their book’s potential. Choose our Developmental Edit service if you’re looking for expert feedback to help you further improve your story. Choose our Copy Edit service if you’d like your text polished to publishing-industry standards. Our All-in-one package conveniently combines both these services and also includes basic text formatting, a custom-designed cover, and help with publishing your book to Amazon.

D.M. Barr

@bookhelpline Thanks to Book Helpline editor Ginny, I was able to catch a huge plot issue in my upcoming release. She rushed edits for my 78,000+ word manuscript and finished on Christmas Eve. How's that for dedication?

— D.M. Barr (@AuthorDMBarr) December 27, 2017

Arnold Eslava-Grunwaldt

Great editing job, plus friendly, responsive people. I was very impressed with Ginny and Judith, and look forward to working with them in the future. Thanks again for your assistance!

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Developmental Edit

(Story feedback & advice)

$20/ 1000 words

Recommended for

Writers who would like professional feedback and support to help them strengthen their story and expedite the revision process.

Description

A developmental edit will provide you with a wealth of feedback to guide and inspire you in preparing a more polished final draft. We’ll review all major elements of your novel including plot lines, characters, dialogue, factual and logical accuracy, pacing, and reader engagement. Once you’re satisfied with your revisions and we’ve reviewed your changes, you’re ready to move on to a copy edit to perfect your text.

See Developmental Edit examples

Includes

– an Editor’s Report, providing an overall assessment of the work together with suggestions on possible improvements,

– content-related comments in the manuscript margin to help fine-tune the story details,

– a 20-minute telephone call with your editor to discuss the main revision points,

– email assistance while revising your manuscript,

– editor feedback on your changes.

Free Sample Edit

To see for yourself how we can help improve your book, we’d be delighted to carry out a free sample edit on a 1000-word excerpt from your manuscript. Just send us your excerpt (using the form below or via email), and we’ll return the edited text to you within 24 hours.

Copy Edit

(Spelling & grammar)

$20/ 1000 words

Recommended for

Writers planning to self-publish, as well as those wanting to make the best impression with publishers and agents.

Description

A copy edit will ensure your text is polished to publishing-industry standards, affording you the same level of professional presentation as a traditionally published book. The editor will carefully read your manuscript to identify and correct any errors in grammar, spelling, and punctuation. The editor will also make minor changes to the text to improve the overall flow and choice of wording. Specialist editing software will also be used to perform a number of additional consistency checks (e.g. capitalization, hyphenation, abbreviations, missing end quotes, etc.). These checks are particularly helpful for non-fiction and academic texts.

See Copy Edit example

Includes

– a version of your edited manuscript which shows all the changes that were made and any comments by the editor,

– a second, “clean,” version in which all the changes have been applied,

– a free copy edit of your blurb and author biography.

Rand Harlow

As a first-time author, I don't know what I would have done without Book Helpline. They were patient, pleasant, professional, and reasonably priced. That's a hard combination to find these days. Be diligent. Do your research. But I doubt you'll find a better deal.

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Bridget Miller

Thank you @bookhelpline for all your knowledge, advice and dedication. It was a wonderful experience working you! #tobecontinued #thankful pic.twitter.com/byXxgr04mf

— Bridget Miller (@Bigbitke) September 29, 2017

All-in-one Editing Package

(The above services combined . . . and more!)

$40/ 1000 words

Recommended for

Writers looking for a convenient, all-in-one solution to help them complete and publish a professional-quality book. Note that for manuscripts shorter than 40,000 words a higher rate may apply. Please contact us for a quote.

Description

A comprehensive, multi-round editing package providing everything you need to deliver a high-quality, publication-ready manuscript, including formatting and a free, custom-designed cover.

Includes

– developmental edit (see above),

– copy edit (see above),

– assistance with the preparation of front matter (title pages, copyright page, acknowledgements, etc.),

– basic text formatting,

– free, custom-designed cover,

– complimentary publishing to Amazon (if desired).

Questions You May Have

I’ve just completed my first draft, should I submit it for editing?

If you have time to work on your book, then it’s probably a good idea to go over your manuscript and edit it yourself first. Check that your plot makes sense (try and summarize it in one or two paragraphs), check the timeline, and check for anything that you forgot to mention (or accidentally removed). Take some time to proofread your text and check for spelling and grammar errors. When you don’t know how to further improve it yourself, send it to us!

Will your services help me self-publish my book?

Yes, with the All-in-one package we’ll take you through the complete process, and at the end of it, your book will be published via Amazon (paperback and e-book).

I’m planning to submit my work to a publisher or agent. What can you do for me?

We’ll help you prepare a polished draft that’s fluent and engaging. We can also help you with the cover letter and synopsis, so you’ll have all you need to submit your work to a publisher.