We revise jargon and make your writing accessible
so it resonates with your intended audience.

Whatever your text, for whatever purpose, we offer support and help according to your needs. Scholars connect with us when writing to publish, especially for audiences beyond their specific fields of study. Some academics seek our help for developmental editing at the book proposal stage. Some ask us to look at draft chapters or an entire book shortly before publication. Graduate students and professors also come to us with articles they have written for academic journals; sometimes we are asked to revise a draft before submission, sometimes the author has received peer reviews and asks us to help adjust the text following reviewers’ recommendations. We have also helped with syllabi, lectures, and presentations.

A word about funding: Academics who engage our services often have budget lines for publications, which include professional editing fees. We provide invoices that align with requirements by university bursars. 

Developmental editing

Developmental editing is a critical stage of the editing process to elevate your work and could require a series of rewrites. The type of developmental editing we provide depends on the author’s needs, the stage at which we are invited to join the project, and the purpose of the text. Regardless of type, we deliver an editorial letter for each project, including elements such as: discussion of strengths and weaknesses in the text, possible directions the author could take the text, the existing literature and how the project contributes to or contrasts with other works, recommendations for alternative approaches to the subject or arrangement of the main argument, and tips for tailoring for specific publishing houses or audiences.
(This service does not include copy editing or proofreading, which come later in the editing process.)

Purpose

For an outline or proposal, focus on broader ideas and build-up of main argument; for a complete draft text, focus on larger elements of the work and contribute to developing the scope, flow, and argument.

What we’ll do

• Closely review the full text
• Address structure, organization, coherency, and flow
• Consider audience, market, existing literature, purpose, and publisher requirements and subjects
• Compose editorial letter
• Review subsequent drafts

Rates

Editorial letter for book-length work for US-based clients: 1200–1500 USD; for clients outside the US, please contact us for international rates.

Subsequent developmental editing of the same project is billed on an hourly basis. US-based clients: 150 USD per hour; for clients outside the US, please contact us for international rates.

Copy editing (line editing)

Purpose

Review and revise a mid- to final draft text for clarity, language, flow, tone, or other issues. Although copy editing may also include grammar-related corrections, the purpose is to improve coherency and flow, not just correct grammatical errors (see Proofreading below).

What we’ll do

• Strengthen main points by adjusting for clarity
• Revise awkward sentences, reduce repetition, address argument coherency and flow (paragraph placement)
• Check language for accuracy, tense, consistent tone, subject/object alignment, voice (passive/active)
• Reduce length (when requested)
• Review graphics / links / other functionality

Rates

US-based clients: 120-140 USD per hour, an average of 750–1250 words per hour; for clients outside the US, please contact us for international rates.

Proofreading

Purpose

Confirm and clean up pre-final text.

What we’ll do

• Check punctuation, spelling, and grammar; eliminate typos; check word accuracy
• Align style with appropriate guide (e.g., Chicago, APA, New Oxford, MLA)
• Revise sentences for clarity (minimal revision)

Please note that proofreading does not include text re-positioning for argument flow, length alteration, or voice adjustment (passive/active). The author determines if references / footnotes / endnotes should be included in our review, or text body only.

Rates

US-based clients: typically 115 USD per hour, an average of 1000–1500 words per hour; for clients outside the US, please contact us for international rates.