Flatpage offers manuscript editing services for nonfiction authors across various genres and disciplines. Whether you’re a general nonfiction or academic author who needs assistance with the grammar or style of your writing; a journalist seeking to publish a long-form manuscript; or a corporate marketing executive, NGO staff member, or museum curator who wants to make a strong impression in your external communications, we can help you. Our authors typically write essays and articles, blog posts and educational content, as well as book manuscripts for independent, trade, or university presses.
We provide high-quality editing with a fast turnaround and, because we work as a team, we have nearly unlimited availability. Our editors have master’s and PhDs in various subject areas, as well as specialized training and years of experience as manuscript editors. Many have published their own books and articles, including online and with renowned publishers.
Academics
Editing for graduate students, researchers, and professors at universities and scholarly institutions.
We help you write accessible texts and connect with audiences.
Coaching
Coaching provides authors with a tailored, 1:1 experience with a trained professional who can assist in strategizing your manuscript as a whole, crafting your research into a digestible and engaging narrative, and providing accountability and moral support throughout the writing process. It’s ideal for authors who need help beyond the manuscript itself.
Developmental editing will help you shape the content of your document so that your contribution takes center stage. Our developmental editors have served as managing editors of academic journals and published widely. We can help you shape the argument, evidence, organization, and flow of your manuscript.
Line editing is used to address the style of your writing so that it has maximal impact. Our line editors are experts at the craft of writing and have published widely themselves. We can help you maintain a consistent tone, improve word choice, identify text to be cut or expanded upon, and write clear sentences in native English.
Copyediting involves a rinse of your manuscript, with attention to grammar, punctuation, and mechanics (i.e., conforming it to house style or manual like the Chicago Manual of Style). Whether you’re a novice or experienced writer, this service will ensure that you deliver a clean document to your respective publisher, journal editor, or advisory committee.
Proofreading is the final stage in the publication process and is reserved for minor typos and consistency between manuscript sections on page proofs. By the time you are ready for a proofread, your manuscript should have already gone through a content (developmental) edit and a copyedit. This service will ensure that your manuscript is publication-ready.
Our trained indexers can help you create a guide to your book’s contents so that readers can find important information as quickly and easily as possible. Alongside their final read of the book’s page proofs and compilation of names, terms, and themes, the indexer will also generate a list of errata for your publisher.
Each 60-minute session includes up to one additional hour of reading/research (e.g., reading a book chapter or manuscript). It does not include editing of the manuscript itself (see other services below).
One session
$225
Six sessions
$1,215
Twelve sessions
$2,430
Developmental Editing
Note that the rates for developmental editing do not include front/back matter or citations/bibliographies.
Manuscript Assessment – Report + Call
Up to 50k words
$0.05 per word
50k words and up
$0.04 per word
Full Developmental Edit – Draft markup + Report + Call
Note that the rates for line editing do not include front/back matter or citations/bibliographies.
Line Edit
Up to 50k words
$0.06 per word
50k words and up
$0.05 per word
Graduate Student Line Edit For dissertations and theses (only one editorial pass included). Proof of enrollment required.
$0.04 per word
Copyediting
Our project manager can help you determine the level of copyediting your text needs.
Light Copyedit Correct grammar and punctuation, apply style guide to text and citations
$0.04 per word
Medium Copyedit Correct grammar and punctuation, improve word choice or sentence flow, apply style guide to text and correct citations
$0.05 per word
Heavy Copyedit Correct language, grammar, and punctuation; reformat text; apply style guide to text; overhaul citations
$0.06 per word
Grad Student Copyedit For dissertations and theses (only one editorial pass included). Proof of enrollment required.
$0.03 per word
Proofreading
Basic Proofread
$0.03 per word
Indexing
Indexing is priced per indexable page (PDF page proofs only; count includes body text, foot- or endnotes, illustrations, and appendices but does not include front/back matter or bibliography).
$6 per indexable page
Other Services
Citations Apply a house or style manual to foot/endnotes and/or bibliography (CMoS, APA, MLA, others)
Per citation (not per note)
$1.50
Convert biblio <–> notes (per note citation)
$2.50
Manuscript Formatting Correcting layout issues, including front matter, pagination, figures and tables, headings, and page margins according to a style guide (e.g., CMoS, APA, or university guidelines)
The team at Flatpage provided copyediting services on the exhibition catalogue and guide for the 2024 Venice Biennale, Stranieri Ovunque – Foreigners Everywhere.
An academic author needed help weaving together the distinct threads of research in his academic book manuscript, which had already undergone peer review at a university press. After a long writing process, he sought an outside editor who could assist him with tightening the text and making it intelligible for scholars in different disciplines.
A previously published nonfiction author wanted to transform and update her book about dental hygiene for a new edition. She needed developmental and line editing assistance in order to better integrate new research and reorganize her chapters before submitting the revised manuscript to her publisher.
An early-career academic was developing a book manuscript from her dissertation research and needed assistance from a book coach as she developed a new direction for her first book’s thesis.
New York University’s School of Law engaged Flatpage to provide ongoing content and copy editing for the articles posted on their Open Global Rights platform, which posts articles written by multilingual authors on a range of topics related to human rights.
