General Information

Name: 5 Stars
Item: Middle-grade novel
Rating: 5
Author: Laura Woodward

I applaud all your hard work spent writing a book. I know it can be nerve-wracking to have someone else critique your work, so while I will be honest, I strive to encourage you along the way, acting as a beacon guiding your editing journey.

And since stories have the ability to transform lives, you too are a beacon, sharing your story with the world. I want to ensure that nothing stands in the way of that story by helping you strengthen your characters and plot and ensuring appropriate pacing. I can help you avoid author pitfalls like head-hopping and info-dumping and reduce your errors so your readers stay connected to the story.

Let’s build a partnership to make your book the best it can be in the time allotted.

Genres I edit

I offer both copyediting and substantive (developmental) editing.

Young adult fantasy, supernatural, and dystopian
Adult and young adult crime, mystery, thriller (clean content)

Children's picture books or chapter books
Middle-grade novels

Resources for you

Visit my writer's resources center for articles and ebooklets focused on helping you.

My resource center offers resources in a variety of categories:

Working with an editor
Self-editing
Style sheets
Self-publishing tips
Fiction writing tips
Nonfiction writing tips
Grammar and punctuation help

Visit Writer's Resources»

Testimonials

5 Stars

The Secrets of Stonecavern is my first novel written for children ages 10 – 13. As an editor, Katie, helped me tremendously. Her insight, ingenuity, and communication through the editing process took my book to a level that exceeded my expectations. She was there every step of the way and her encouragement helped me finish on time and confident others will enjoy reading my story. I was extremely pleased with her detailed recommendations on how to make the story stronger, and I highly recommend Katie to any writer, seasoned or novice, as a editor. I will definitely hire Katie for Book 2.

Laura Woodward Middle-grade novel

5 Stars

Katie edited my first YA novel and my end product is much better than what I first sent her. She not only edited my work, but also sent me resources and examples to better my writing. I felt she was fully invested in my work and showed a genuine interest. I will be using her for the sequel of my book!

Christina Singh Young Adult Novel

5 Stars

Katie did a great job helping me turn my fiction dystopian novel from a rough draft into a compelling read. Not only did she point out where the manuscript could be improved, she provided me with invaluable resources that helped improve my skills. With her help, I made great strides in showing rather than telling, building tension, avoiding head-hoping, improving dialogue and internal thoughts, and removing all of the plot holes and inconsistencies. Her approach is thorough. The manuscript was throughly reviewed and edited and she also provided a lengthly editorial letter describing some of the big-picture items I needed to consider and change. Ultimately, I accepted all of her suggestions.

I can’t believe how much better my manuscript is after working with Katie. She is a great asset and worth every penny. I highly recommend her services.

Keith Davidson Adult dystopian novel

5 Stars

Ms. Chambers did an amazing job helping with my manuscript. Her feedback enabled me to make important changes I never would have noticed on my own. I feel now that my characters are more relatable and my plot hole has been filled in. I would use her services again and recommend them to anyone.

Lisa McLean Adult thriller novel

5 Stars

Katie was great to work with! She was fast, efficient and easy to communicate with. Her editing was very professional and her comments were very specific so that I never had to wonder why she made a change or what she felt was missing. I would definitely recommend her editing and will be contacting her for editing again with any and all editing work I need done in the future.

Katelyn Davis Picture Books

5 Stars

The difference between the manuscript I handed to Katie and the one she handed back after she was done was night and day. I’d be ashamed to give away the raw manuscript for free. Now I’ve got a book worth reading and something I’m proud to put my name on.

Katie is a professional and you can see it in her work. She’s incredible at not only finding errors in grammar and punctuation but her ability to find holes in the plot, character development, and the overall flow of a fictional work (all while maintaining the voice of the author) is where she really shines.

She is a find a problem – provide a solution type of person that makes the editing process painless and stress-free.

With Katie to pick up where I fall short, I can fully focus on what I do best: writing.

Cody Smith Adult mystery novel

4.85 Stars (Skills, Quality, Communication, Deadlines, Cooperation=5; Availability=4)

Though Katie has been a bit busy while also working on my novel, she communicated all delays clearly. Since I was not on a deadline, it was not problem for me. As a copy editor, she is very good. Grammatically, things are in their place, and she explains with plenty of useful comments in the side, allowing for difference of writing style. If you are seeking a thorough copy editor, you’ll find one here.

Julie Steimle Middle-grade novel

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Rates and Services

My rates include three passes.

Rates depend on the depth of editing needed. After I complete a free sample (1,300 words or less), I will determine your rate.

COPYEDITING ONLY

Rate: $0.013–$0.022 per word

Deals with word- and sentence-level issues. My copyediting service includes stylistic editing, what some call line editing.

Correcting mechanical issues: spelling, capitalization, and punctuation
Correcting all errors and infelicities in grammar, syntax, and usage
Rewriting any wordy or awkward sentences according to best writing practices
Conducting light fact-checking, names, places, dates (Complete fact-checking is the responsibility of the author.)
Creating a style sheet to ensure consistency in punctuation and style preferences as well as character facts
Pointing out and offering suggestions to fix info dumping and head-hopping
Ensuring dialogue is true to the character and has a good balance of action beats when needed
Pointing out and offering suggestions to fix too much telling and not enough showing

SUBSTANTIVE EDITING

Rate: $0.018–$0.035 per word
Deals with big-picture issues. Some refer to this as developmental editing.

Ensuring it meets genre conventions and works for the intended audience
Offering suggestions to fix plot holes and pacing issues
Strengthening characters: making sure they are fully developed, have clear motivations and goals, and stay consistent
Ensuring story has a strong, compelling core conflict
Pointing out and offering suggestions to fix info dumping, head-hopping, and point of view inconsistences (also included in copyediting)
Ensuring a good balance of showing and telling (also included in copyediting)
Offering suggestions on how to close the narrative distance and go into a deeper POV when needed
Ensuring scenes are well-organized and match a clear timeline
Writing a multi-page editorial letter detailing strengths and weaknesses and how to fix big-picture issues

COPYEDITING & SUBSTANTIVE EDITING PACKAGE

Rate: $0.02–$0.045 per word

This combines copyediting and substantive editing in one round at a discounted rate. I offer this to help meet authors' budget and deadline needs.

Note 1: While I strive for high quality, combining them is a lot to focus on at once. I do multiple passes and have learned how to appropriately prioritize to ensure a good quality. But you will get an even better quality if you pay for each service as a separate round.