Editorial Services



~Email: mary@kitnkabookle.com

On this Page:

I met Mary in the Fall of 2019. She offered to do a read-through and evaluate my MS. Her feedback was instrumental for developing my story, and I hired her to do a full edit after her initial feedback. I now have a well polished MS, and I love where she took me and my story. She was quick with her turnaround time. I will absolutely hire her again for my next books.
-Sandy Dal Santo

~Read more testimonials here
member of the Editorial Freelancers Association

Bringing Out the Glory

You…
  • Have written something awesome.
  • Want to make awesome amazing.
  • Aren’t exactly sure how.

I…
  • Talk to your story.
  • Find out what it wants.
  • Tell you what it said.

We…
  • Work with your awesome.
  • Make it amazing.
  • Bring out your story’s glory.
I’m the story whisperer. I talk to you and your story, and we make something that rocks. Let’s get whispering…

Passion for stories. That’s what drives me, and it’s why I do what I do. You want to make your story the absolute best it can be. I want to help. Nothing gets me more excited than falling in love with characters (or hating them, whichever floats the story’s boat), exploring worlds, and hanging on while conflicts rip everything apart.

As far as things I put on my resume, they include an MFA in Popular Fiction (Seton Hill University) and a BA in Psychology (Merrimack College), as well as 7+ years of reviewing, blogging, and otherwise working with books. If you want the full list, you can check me out on Linkedin, but my professional credentials are only the foundation of what I bring as an editor. Need help untangling story threads? I’m here. Want to make sure every line shines? I’ve got your back. Feeling overwhelmed or uncertain about your writing? I’ve been there, and I’m here to tell you no story mountain can’t be climbed. You, me, and your story—we’re a team, and teams stick together.

What I Work With

I work with genre fiction (including stories with genre/literary crossover). For beta reading, I’m more or less open to almost anything (more on my beta process below). As for deep editing, my specialties lie in science fiction/fantasy (especially doorstopper epics, fairy tales, superheroes, dystopias, and anything middle-grade) and quirky mysteries/romances for both adult and YA. Also, if you’ve got lots of pop culture references, uniquely amazing magic/technology, or an excentric but lovable cast of secondary characters (or primary characters—love multiple POVs), I’m your girl. I love whimsical and fun as much as I love lyrical and dark, and all the stuff in-between.
Things I may not be the best fit for as a developmental editor:

  • Hard (science-based) sci-fi
  • Historical fiction
  • Horror (especially psychological and excessive violence/gore)
  • Psychological, Political, and International Thriller/Suspense
  • Rhyming children’s books

For resources related to this list, you can go here.

What I Offer

I have an array of services designed to help at whatever part of the process you’re in. My first loves are developmental and line editing—digging into stories is my happy place. Read on for details about my services and a comprehensive breakdown of my rates.

Unsure what you need/want? Email me at mary@kitnkabookle.com to chat. I’m also always pleased to provide a free sample edit ( approx. 1500 words, one per customer) to help determine what a manuscript needs, as well as if I’m the right person for the job.

Beta Reading

Have a polished draft and looking for “reader” feedback? With a beta read, I go through as if I’ve just picked this book up off the shelf. You’ll get a general report of my reading experience—likes, dislikes, if I was ever bored, etc. If you have a specific concern (such as if character X is likeable), I will read with that in mind, say yes or no, and give some brief feedback. This is more like an in-depth book review than an edit, so feel free to browse reviews on Kit ‘N Kabookle to get a feel for my positive but constructive tone.

Please Note: Beta reading is not editing. It is a different type of service for which I use an entirely different skill set. For more information on my process and what my beta reading service does/does not include, read my Beta Reading Q&A.

Rates

Project Word Count Turnaround Time Price
20,000 or less regular (1-2 weeks) $20
20,000 or less expedited (1 week) $30
20,001-40,000 regular (1.5-3 weeks) $30
20,001-40,000 expedited (1-2 weeks $40
40,000 and up regular (3 weeks) $40 + $1/1000 words above 40,000
40,000 and up expedited (2 weeks) $50 plus $1/1000 words above 40,000
*If your manuscript is much above 100,000 words, it may take longer.

Editing

Developmental Edit

These are the big guns, so to speak. A developmental edit focuses on big-picture items (world, characters, pacing, plot, etc.). It provides an in-depth description of issues and suggestions for fixes. You’ll get a detailed report of problem areas at both the overall and chapter levels. If there are issues with the writing itself, I will do some in-line editing to highlight recurring issues, such as passive voice or overused sentence structures, and show how to fix them.

Line Edit

Line edits focus on story flow at the sentence level. Are you using the right words to pack your story with the biggest punch possible? Are sentences the right length and style for the story’s tone? Here, I’ll focus on things like word choice, word order, preserving your style, etc. As it pertains to flow, I will also highlight incorrect grammar or usage of punctuation so you can see the fix.

Copyedit

And now for the little people. A copyedit focuses on correcting grammar, punctuation, and usage. If you’re writing in past tense but a sentence slipped out in present, I’ll point it out. These are the little details that make a big difference.

Please note: If you’re goal is to self-publish, I highly recommend getting a final proofread after the manuscript has been formatted. It’s always good to get that final pair of eyes before a book goes to print. I don’t offer proofreading services, but I know some awesome people who do and would be happy to pass along contact info when it’s time.

Rates

Type of Editing *Turnaround Time Base Rate (price/word)
Copyedit 3-5 weeks $0.01/word
Line edit 4-6 weeks $0.0175/word
Developmental edit 5-7 weeks $0.0225/word

*Turnaround time based on manuscript length of 80,000 words. Time will vary with manuscript length.

Short Fiction

Short fiction is anything below 5000 words. I charge flat rates depending on word count for developmental, line, or a copyedit.
LengthPrice
500 words and under$20
501-1000 words$35
1001-2500$75
2501-5000 words$150

Evaluating

Manuscript Evaluation

Not sure what type of editing you want or need a comprehensive idea of what isn’t working in your story/writing? Consider a manuscript evaluation. I like to call this development editing light. For a manuscript evaluation, I’ll present big-picture issues (plot, character, pacing), as well as a chapter-by-chapter breakdown of where and what kind of work needs to be done. If the writing itself needs attention, I’ll do a bit of in-line restructuring to show corrections for common issues (passive voice, overused constructions, etc.).

Mini Manuscript Evaluation

Contrary to the name, this is not for mini manuscripts (only time I’ll make that joke, promise). This is a less detailed manuscript evaluation and tailored for writers who want a general idea of what’s not quite working. With this, you’ll get the big-picture of the full manuscript evaluation but not the chapter-by-chapter notes.

Concentrated Read-Through

While more of a read than an evaluation, this is more in-depth than a beta, which is why it’s down here with the evaluations. With this, I read through the manuscript with an eye for one or two specific concerns you’ve communicated. Need to know if a certain character’s personality is consistent? Does that one aspect of your magic system insist on changing itself when you aren’t looking? Need someone to highlight where the manuscript is dialogue or description heavy? These are the kinds of things a concentrated read-through looks for.

Rates

Service *Turnaround Time Base Rate
**Manuscript Evaluation 2-4 weeks $2.50/page
**Mini Evaluation 1.5-3 weeks $1.50/page
Concentrated read 1-3 weeks $3/1000 words

*Turnaround time based on manuscript length of 80,000 words. Time will vary with manuscript length.

**Prices per page are based on standard manuscript format (Times New Roman font, 12 pt., 1-inch margins), which I calculate as 250 words/page

Other things I can help with

Item Price
Outline evaluation $15/page ($25 minimum)
Query letter editing $50
*Query letter writing$250
Synopsis editing $20/page ($30 minimum)
*Synopsis writing$300
Bio editing $30
Blurb editing $50
*Blurb writing$200
**Submissions Packet Critique$150

*These services require me to read the manuscript. I do not provide feedback on the manuscript itself with these services.

**This service is designed to help get querying materials into shape. I will offer feedback and perform a light copyedit on the query letter, synopsis (up to 3 pages), and first 3 chapters of the manuscript.

Ready to get started?

Email me at mary@kitnkabookle.com with the following info if you have it. I look forward to working with you!

  • manuscript genre
  • manuscript length
  • brief description of the project (what’s it about?)
  • type of editing/service desired (if known)
  • Anything else I should know/questions you have