Editorial Services
Everyone needs an editor.
Whether you’re an experienced author or just starting out, I can help you take your manuscript to the next professional level.
I offer editorial services at all stages of manuscript completion: developmental editing and book doctoring, line editing, and copyediting. I can also help with query letters and book proposals.
On this page, you'll find a gallery of my past editing projects and a price range for my services.
If you’d like to discuss your publishing options, you can email me at antoniaamurphy@gmail.com
Selected List of Projects
This gallery includes my editing projects only. To learn more about my book doctoring and ghostwriting projects for thought leaders and experts in their fields, please contact me directly.
DEVELOPMENTAL EDITING
Developmental editing looks at the architecture of the book as a whole: its structure, argument, narrative arc, pacing, and organization. I consider what the book is trying to accomplish, where it succeeds, and where the reader may become confused, unconvinced, or disengaged.
Depending on the manuscript, this may involve identifying gaps in the argument or story, strengthening character motivation, reorganizing chapters, cutting repetition, or recommending where material should be expanded, combined, or removed.
A developmental edit generally includes detailed comments throughout the manuscript, a comprehensive editorial letter, and a consultation to discuss the revision.
LINE EDITING
Line editing works at the paragraph and sentence level. The aim is to improve clarity, rhythm, flow, and precision while preserving the author’s voice. I tighten awkward or repetitive prose, strengthen transitions, clarify meaning, and flag passages where tone, emphasis, or point of view becomes inconsistent. A line edit is more detailed than a developmental edit but more concerned with the quality of the writing than with technical correctness.
The edited manuscript is returned with tracked changes and comments, allowing the author to see and consider every suggested change.
Authors frequently opt for a combined developmental and line edit; this can take care of large and medium-sized edits in one sweeping pass.
COPYEDITING
Copyediting is the final edit before proofreading. It addresses grammar, punctuation, syntax, spelling, usage, and consistency. I correct errors, resolve ambiguities, standardize elements such as capitalization, numbers, and terminology, and check the manuscript against the appropriate style guide. I also create or maintain a style sheet so that names, dates, specialized terms, and editorial decisions remain consistent throughout the book.
Copyediting assumes that the book’s structure and prose are substantially settled. If larger problems emerge, I will flag them rather than make changes in the manuscript.
I can copyedit in either Chicago (CMOS) or AP style.
BOOK DOCTORING
If an author doesn’t have the time to make the substantial changes recommended in a developmental edit, book doctoring can be a good solution. With this option, I identify what the manuscript needs and make the changes for you, substantially editing, fixing, and rewriting portions of the manuscript as required.
The work may involve restructuring the book, combining or separating chapters, developing missing material, rewriting transitions or passages, and helping you untangle a complicated story or argument. It is a collaborative and highly individual process, somewhere between developmental editing and hands-on rewriting.
PRICING
Fees depend on the manuscript’s length, complexity, and condition. As a general guide:
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Developmental editing: US$0.04–$0.08 per word
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Line editing: US$0.04–$0.05 per word
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Copyediting: US$0.03–$0.04 per word
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Book doctoring: US$0.08–$0.15+ per word
After reviewing the manuscript or a representative sample, I provide a fixed project fee so that the total cost is clear before work begins.
INQUIRIES
Every manuscript is different. To discuss a project, contact me with the genre, approximate word count, current stage of the manuscript, and a brief description of the help you are looking for. I can then recommend the appropriate level of editing and provide a quote.