My editing process

First,

you need a complete manuscript. I can’t work on it while you’re still writing it, so finish it up and then let’s get to work. It can have things you know don’t work–that’s where I come in–but it has to be complete.

Sections

I’ll break your book into its chapters and work on each one in order, collaborating with you via email until we like the general shape and message of each.

Full Manuscript

Once the chapters are reassembled, I’ll work through them all as a whole. This will reveal any redundancies, gaps, and organizational or structural needs. Again, we will communicate via email until we like what we’re looking at.

Clean Copy

When we are fully satisfied with the manuscript, I will ensure it is clean and ready for formatting so you can go to print.

A technical note:

I work in Word, not Google Docs, and I have good reasons for this: When it comes to long manuscripts, Word is the gold standard (and publishers prefer it). It has functions and macros that improve the accuracy of my edit. With Google Docs, feedback rounds are blurry, WI-FI can be choppy (and not save edits) and authors can make changes live. This results in errors and frustration!