Process

How We Work

All experienced authors know that editing is a necessary component of the writing process.

The process begins when you contact us using our Client Intake Form with more information and, hopefully, a sample of your writing. This will help us to assess the kind of editing you need and the project deadlines. Note that the sooner you can schedule us in the better, but we do accept rush projects.

Our chief editor, Cara Jordan, onboards all new clients and determines the type of manuscript (book/article/dissertation/etc.), what level of editing the manuscript needs, the project’s scope. Sometimes, but not always, a phone/Zoom call will help her to get a better idea of what you need; however, usually this can be done electronically.

Once the scope has been determined, the project will be matched with an editor on the team, based on their subject-area and editing expertise, as well as their availability. For copyediting projects, the editor will perform a short sample edit to give you an idea of how they work and to determine a price estimate (Note: we cannot give you an accurate rate quote without seeing the manuscript first).

For manuscript editing (developmental editing, line editing, copyediting, and proofreading), we charge by the word, so you’ll know up front how much the budget will be. Our rates depend on the difficulty of the project and deadline.

Once a rate and deadline has been established, new clients will be asked to sign an agreement with us. Our agreement contains the following:

  • Scope of work to be completed
  • Rate and overall price
  • Schedule of delivery
  • Author expectations, including copyright and communication
  • Invoicing

Rush projects, determined at our discretion, incur an increased fee and payment up front. Large projects with budget estimates over $500 require a 50% deposit before we begin work.

Please check out this video, which explains how we handle documents for all manuscript editing projects.

Once you have signed and sent us the agreement and the documents have been sent to us, the project will be relayed to the editor who will perform the manuscript revisions on our project management platform, Basecamp. Our editor will then begin working on your manuscript according to the scope outlined in the agreement.

Proofreading projects that have been checked by our proofreaders will go directly back to the client upon completion of the scope. The client can send the editor a list of questions, within reason, within 14 days of final delivery of the proofread.

Copyediting—the most common form of editing we do—and line editing generally include two passes. In cases where the document(s) need two or more passes, we will return the editor’s “first pass” of edits using MS Word’s Track Changes feature, along with the editor’s working style sheet (for copyediting projects), to you so that you can respond to any queries they had along the way.

At this time, we may opt to protect the document, or “lock” Word’s Track Changes function, so that we can see all changes that you make to the document. (Note that document protection is not necessary for manuscripts that don’t need multiple passes.)

Then, once you have completed your responses to the first pass, you will send us back the document(s) with your revisions highlighted in Track Changes. In most cases, we will be able to finalize the document after this pass—on select occasions it may be necessary to work on more than one pass (after the second pass, we charge an hourly rate for subsequent passes).

Please check out this Column post to learn more about how we use Track Changes in the editing process.

Manuscript assessments, developmental edits, and other forms of manuscript evaluation (application materials, artist’s statements, etc.) will be sent directly to the editor who will be performing the scope. For long or complex projects, we strongly encourage you to schedule an introductory meeting with your editor to discuss your needs and expectations before they begin work. This call is recorded for your and your editor’s reference.

Upon completion of the assessment or evaluation, your document will be returned to you with the editor’s markup and the editor’s report/evaluation.

Some of our services include two passes, in which case you will be able to respond to the editor’s suggestions and send us back a revised document for the editor to comment on.

For developmental edits and evaluations, we recommend that you book a time to meet with the editor to go over their assessment and to ask any remaining questions you may have. These calls are included in some of our services (e.g., the Artist’s Statement Evaluation, Manuscript Assessment), but may be booked separately for others.

The process begins when you send us your supporting documents and/or draft manuscript, along with a detailed description of the work you need. These will be relayed to the writer who will perform the ghostwriting project on our project management platform, Basecamp; they will review the material and provide an estimate for the word count and/or time needed to perform the scope. You may also meet with the writer on a brief (15-20 min) virtual call to discuss your needs and expectations.

Next, you will sign an agreement that outlines the project scope. At this time, we will take a 50% deposit based on the maximum word count estimate in order to begin work.

Once the project begins, the writer may ask for a second call, with an unlimited duration, during which they will ask you any remaining questions needed to perform the scope.

When the scope is complete, you will receive the writer’s first draft of the material. You can respond using MS Word’s comments features, send us a written response about what you’d like changed, or speak to the writer directly.

Ghostwriting projects generally involve two passes. The final word count, and hence the total price, will be taken from the final document delivered following the second pass. You may also choose to have the document edited (see Manuscript Editing above) for an additional price.

Payment is generally due before the final document is released, unless we agree to alternate terms (some of which are described above). You will receive an invoice from our accounting software when payment is due.

We accept many forms of payment, including credit card, bank transfer, and PayPal. We do not accept wire transfers; payment by check (subject to a $25 fee) can only be made by institutions, not by private individuals, and must be sent by registered mail (e.g., FedEx, UPS). Wire transfer is available for an extra fee. 

We are happy to work with universities as independent contractors or vendors. Please let us know if you plan to pay using university funds in advance so that we can register in their system; your business office will need to confirm that payment is being processed before we can release any edits back to you.

Our rates are commensurate with industry standards based on our academic and professional training. We believe in fair and equal compensation.

Scroll to Top