“Margot was a perfect editor on my Veiled Court series. Her work was both thorough and fast, and she corrected grammar and sentence flow as well as finding plot inconsistencies. Her communication was great, and she managed a tight deadline extremely well while leaving me with a polished book.” — C.N. Crawford, USA Today bestselling author of Avalon Tower and Veiled Court
Why should you hire me to edit your book?
Reason #1: You seek a “big picture” edit with action steps for your next revision.
As a novelist, I’ve worked intensively with some of the best editors in the business at publishers such as Little, Brown and Harlequin. I’ve learned from them how to structure and plot a novel that will keep readers riveted from page 1, while giving your characters believable, compelling arcs.
I can help you bring out the best in your story, whether through a full developmental edit or a manuscript assessment. Right now, while I’m building my client list, I am offering manuscript assessments for just $0.0075 per word. You will receive a 5-to-10-page editorial letter and notes throughout your document to help you apply the feedback to specific passages.
Reason #2: Your story is in good shape, but you want to polish your book to perfection before you publish or query it.
Copyediting and proofing are my specialties. At the award-winning newspaper where I was an editor for 17 years (and still freelance), I was known for my sharp eyes and my insistence on getting things right. I will spot your typos, your grammar and usage errors, your wonky formatting, and your continuity glitches.
But because I’m a novelist, I also understand that fiction involves poetic license. I will tell you when something doesn’t sound right to me, and why, but I won’t try to change your voice. That’s all yours.
Reason #3: You’d love feedback on your book blurb or query letter.
As a professional book and film critic, I have a lot of experience with putting complex stories in a nutshell, and I know what agents and readers are looking for. Let me help you. If you buy an editing package from me, I’ll throw in a query or blurb critique for no charge.
My Credentials
- Author of six novels published by Big Five houses, including adult and YA titles in the thriller, mystery, fantasy, and “book club” genres. My books have received starred trade reviews and been selections of Junior Library Guild, IndieNext, LibraryReads, Betches Book Club, and the Caffeine and Legends subscription box.
- Twenty years of experience editing award-winning regional newspaper Seven Days. Like many journalists, I’m deadline-driven and get jobs done fast.
- Award-winning book and film critic whose reviews have appeared in the New York Times.
- PhD from UC Berkeley in comparative literature. I can help with your dissertation or scholarly work. And if there’s French, German, or Latin in your novel, I’m proficient in those languages.
- I’m happy to give you a contract stipulating that I will not use AI for any part of the job. I give specific feedback and track my changes, so you’ll have a time-stamped record of my process.
My Rates
As noted earlier, while I’m building my client list, I am offering manuscript assessments for just $0.0075/word.
For other jobs, my rate depends on the services you seek (bundling different types of editing, for instance), the length of the manuscript, and the degree of editing it has already received. For copyediting and proofing, my services generally range from $.01 to $.015 per word.
Contact me at margotharrisonwrites [at] gmail [dot] com (or use the contact form) to ask about a free sample edit of your first 10 to 15 pages, and we can go from there. I’m looking forward to reading your work!
