Expert editing to help you articulate your work with clarity, confidence, and precision.
Editorial Support for Artists
Writing about creative work can be difficult, especially when the work itself is visual, conceptual, experiential, or interdisciplinary. Flatpage provides editorial support for artists who need to communicate their ideas clearly without flattening the complexity of their practice.
We primarily work with visual artists on artist statements, exhibition materials, portfolios, books, catalogues, grant applications, and other professional writing. We also work with artists across other media and interdisciplinary practices when a project requires clear, thoughtful writing about creative work.
Whether you’re struggling to put an idea into words, refining an existing text, or preparing materials for publication or submission, we can help you develop language that sounds like you and makes sense to the people who need to read it.
Artists working with galleries, museums, publishers, or arts organizations
Artists preparing exhibitions or publications
Artists applying for grants, residencies, and other opportunities
Why Artists Choose Flatpage
Shape Your Ideas into Language
Turn complex, visual, or conceptual ideas into writing that clearly communicates your intentions
Strengthen Proposals
Present your work and ideas clearly in grant, residency, exhibition, and project applications
Polish Written Work
Refine artist statements, essays, catalogue text, and other writing for publication or presentation
Clarify Creative Intent
Help readers understand the ideas behind your work without overexplaining or simplifying it
Build a Cohesive Portfolio
Create consistency across statements, bios, project descriptions, and other portfolio materials
Focus on Visibility
Strengthen the language you use to present your practice to galleries, institutions, publishers, and audiences
Editors Who Get Artists
Work with editors who understand creative practices and know how to preserve your individual voice and perspective
Editorial Services for Artists
We provide editorial support for the writing that accompanies, explains, documents, and advances your creative practice.
Artist Statements
Clear, authentic language that communicates your practice, ideas, and creative approach.
Grant & Residency Applications
Strong proposals and supporting materials for grants, residencies, fellowships, and other opportunities.
Exhibition Materials
Wall text, exhibition statements, descriptions, and other interpretive materials for presenting your work.
Artist Bios & CVs
Professional materials for portfolios, websites, galleries, exhibitions, and applications.
Portfolios & Project Descriptions
Cohesive writing that gives context to individual works, series, and larger creative projects.
Books & Catalogues
Editorial support for artist books, exhibition catalogues, monographs, and other art publications.
Essays & Other Long-Form Writing
Support for artists developing critical, reflective, research-based, or other extended writing.
Websites & Professional Materials
Clear, consistent language for artist websites, press materials, presentations, and other professional communications.
Artist’s Statements
Grant & Residency Applications
Exhibition Proposals
Essays & Blog Posts
Books & Catalogues
Website Content
Press Releases
Wikipedia Pages
How We Work
Artists need different kinds of editorial support depending on what they’re creating and where they are in the process. We can help you develop ideas, strengthen a draft, polish finished writing, or prepare materials for publication or submission.
If you’re not sure which service is right for your project, [contact us]. We’re happy to learn about your work and recommend the best place to start.
Coaching offers personalized editorial support for artists who want to improve their writing skills or get direct feedback on their materials. Whether you’re preparing for an MFA application, revising your artist’s statement, or assembling a grant portfolio, our editors can help you assess and improve your written materials. This service may also include portfolio review, where we assess your content holistically—from project descriptions to bios—and offer guidance on how to strengthen the overall presentation of your work.
Developmental editing will help you shape the content of your document so that your artwork takes center stage. Our editors have experience writing for and about artists, publishing their own creative work, and securing grants and residencies. We can help you craft compelling artist’s statements, shape the narrative arc of an artist’s book, or clarify your intent in an exhibition proposal or grant application.
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 refine your tone, improve word choice, trim repetition, and ensure clarity in fluid US or UK English—whether you’re working on a catalogue essay, website copy, or a blog post about your creative process.
Copyediting focuses on the mechanics of your manuscript, with attention to grammar, punctuation, and formatting (i.e., conforming it to a house style or editorial guide like the Chicago Manual of Style). Whether you’re assembling a self-published monograph or submitting content to a gallery or institution, this service will ensure that your document is clean, consistent, and professional.
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 help make sure your artist book, proposal, or exhibition text is publication-ready.
Indexing is the process of creating a back-of-book index for artist books, exhibition catalogues, or other longform publications. A thoughtfully constructed index improves the accessibility and usability of your content for curators, scholars, and readers. Our editors work with you to understand the structure and focus of your project and to create a clear, organized index that reflects the themes and key concepts in your work.
Multilingual editing and translation review ensures that texts in languages other than English read clearly, naturally, and with precision. Our editors provide bilingual-level fluency in select languages, refining content for clarity, tone, and accuracy. We also coordinate expert translation services for projects in any language pair, matching content with subject-matter specialists.
Editorial project management provides structured oversight for complex, multi-stage content projects, coordinating timelines, contributors, and workflows from draft to delivery. This service ensures consistency, quality control, and smooth collaboration across your team, helping your publication and communication stay on track.
We provide professional publishing support for authors and institutions bringing books to market. Our team can manage book design, image permissions, production, and global distribution, coordinating each stage to ensure your publication meets professional standards and reaches its intended audience.
Writing about creative work should clarify your ideas without flattening what makes the work distinctive. Our editors help you find language that is clear, thoughtful, and appropriate for your audience while preserving your voice and creative perspective.
We tailor our approach to the project, whether you need help developing ideas from the beginning, shaping an early draft, or refining finished writing. For larger projects, we can also assemble a team of editors and specialists around your needs.
If you’re not sure what kind of support you need, contact us and we’ll help you determine the best place to start.
Each 60-minute session includes up to one additional hour of reading/research (e.g., reading a journal article, book chapter, or book 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
Front/back matter or citations/bibliographies not included.
Manuscript Assessment—Report + Call
$0.05 per word
Full Developmental Edit—Draft markup + Report + Call
$0.07 per word
Book Proposal Evaluation—Draft markup + Report + Call
$550
Up to 5,000 words; $30 per extra 250-word page
Line Editing
Front/back matter or citations/bibliographies not included. Regular rate includes two passes.
$0.06 per word
Single Pass Line Edit Only one editorial pass included.
$0.05 per word
Copyediting
Our editorial manager can help you determine the level of copyediting your text needs. Regular rates include two passes.
Light/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
Single Pass Copyedit Only one editorial pass included. Rate depends on level of copyedit.
$0.04–$0.05 per word
Citations Apply a house or style manual to foot- or endnotes and/or bibliography (CMOS, APA, MLA, others)
Per citation (not per note)
$1.50
Convert biblio <—> notes (per note citation)
Translation & Multilingual Editing
Translation To or from any language. We match you with a subject-area specialist translator. Price depends on the language pair and length of the text.
Price upon request
Multilingual or Bilingual Copyedit Correct language, grammar, and punctuation; reformat text; apply style guide to text; edit citations
Basic proofread performed on publisher’s page proofs.
$0.04 per word
Indexing
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
Publication Strategy Consulting
Billed in 15-minute increments. One hour minimum.
$125 per hour
Editorial Project Management
Billed in 15-minute increments. Also available on a monthly retainer or project-based fee.
$75 per hour
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)
$2 per page
Wikipedia Writing & editing
Wikipedia pages are an art in themselves. Our writers will craft an academically legitimate, properly sourced, and unbiased post about your work and career. The writers at Flatpage have successfully created content for Wikipedia and are familiar with the site’s style guide and formatting requirements.
Wikipedia ghostwriting
$1 per word
Wikipedia editing
$75 per hour
Image Permissions Research
$60 per hour
Proposal Evaluation for Exhibitions / Fellowship / Grant / Residency
Draft markup + Report
Are you applying for an exhibition, grant, fellowship, residency, or commission and you need a solid proposal that clearly, yet accurately reflects your intended project, goals, and timeline? Do you need a proposal that will help secure an offer for you? Let us help you get there with an artist’s proposal evaluation.
Our editors have decades of experience reading, reviewing, and editing artist’s proposals. We can help you produce a solid text that you can use for all of your applications.
This service includes one editorial “pass” comprising the following:
An evaluation of your proposal that addresses structure, tone, clarity, and language/mechanics by an expert
Comments on your draft and a basic written assessment (one pass only)
Up to 1,000 words
$100
1,001–1,500 words
$150
1,501–2,000 words
$200
2,001–2,500 words
$250
2,501–3,000 words
$300
Average turnaround for up to 2,000 words is typically 3–5 days. This service includes one pass.
Do you struggle with writing about your art? Or are you a multilingual speaker in need of a quality statement in English to apply for opportunities? Let our writers do the work for you with artist’s statement ghostwriting.
We are specialists in writing artist’s statements for both general purposes and specific audiences and opportunities. Whether you need a new 300-word statement for your website or a 150-word statement about a particular aspect of your practice for an application, your new statement will describe what your work is, explain how it’s made, and outline your message using an appropriate tone, effective organization, and correct grammar.
As part of this service, you will meet with our writer for a Zoom call, during which you will present your work and respond to any questions they might have about your practice. Then, they will get to work crafting an engaging statement that you can present with confidence.
We offer three options:
Full statement
A standard 300-word statement about your work, practice, process, and motivation. These are usually used for marketing purposes, including for artist’s websites, exhibitions, and collectors.
$270
Short statement
A shorter, more condensed 150-word statement that can be used to apply for opportunities, including grants, fellowships, commissions, and residencies
$135
Combo package
Includes both a full and a short statement. As part of this package, we can write additional short statements with a different focus for $55 each. Additional statements must be purchased within 7 days of the Combo package.
$375
All ghostwriting projects include one written draft and one pass of revisions based on your feedback. Unless otherwise agreed, the turnaround time for this service is approx. 48 hours. Before filling out the form below, consider readingthis Column post about questions to ask yourself before writing your statement.
Wikipedia pages are an art in themselves. Our writers will craft an academically legitimate, properly sourced, and unbiased post about your work and career. The writers at Flatpage have successfully created content for Wikipedia and are familiar with the site’s style guide and formatting requirements.
Wikipedia ghostwriting
$1 per word
Wikipedia editing
$75 per hour
Process
Using the artist’s CV, biography, press list, and/or statement of purpose, the writer will formulate an article of predetermined length (generally 350–750 words for early or mid-career and 1,000–1,500 words for established professionals). We will provide additional research as needed to ensure that viable secondary sources are available to back up the content in the text.
This service includes:
An initial proposal based on our writer’s assessment of your CV, biographical narrative, and other source materials you supply. The proposal will include an approximate length and preliminary organization
A brief call with the writer if more details are needed
A draft of a biographical article that will be submitted for publication on Wikipedia following your approval
Disclaimer: Wikipedia is a nonprofit organization supported by volunteers. Its platform is open for anyone with an internet connection to view and edit. It is therefore likely that the published article will experience some changes over time. These changes will likely be minor stylistic edits or suggestions. Therefore, we cannot guarantee that the article will retain its current form. It is up to the discretion of the writer and the Wikipedia community at large to follow and adhere to style, format, and content guidelines. This will ensure that the article is factually sound and written in a neutral tone. Our experience writing and editing academic texts makes us experts at providing a strictly empirical perspective, advising on the quality of the content, and determining whether it has merit for publication. Our well-written, well-sourced, and unbiased entries are less likely to be scrutinized by the Wikipedia community. Newly drafted articles can take up to 90 days to be found by search engines.
The team at Flatpage provided copyediting services on the exhibition catalogue and guide for the 2024 Venice Biennale, Stranieri Ovunque – Foreigners Everywhere.
Exhibition Catalogue and Press Materials Copyediting
A dynamic regional contemporary art center needed ongoing support for their exhibitions and marketing efforts. Flatpage stepped in to provide copyediting services so that they can always put their best foot forward.
Bloomberg Philanthropies collaborated with Flatpage’s team to help manage the complex editorial process for their arts and culture app, Bloomberg Connects, which hosts guides to over one thousand cultural organizations in 24 countries and in 40 languages. Flatpage provides copyediting, proofreading, and multilingual editing services for hundreds of cultural institutions worldwide, including art museums, historic sites, gardens, and festivals.
A leading anthropology museum required copyediting and final proofreading support for a forthcoming photography book with a substantial written component. The Flatpage team’s experience with copyediting for museums, art museum publications, and complex photography book editing ensured a smooth editorial process from manuscript to finished page proofs.
