Submitting Your Work
Anyone whose writing could be better than it is needs editing. I accept writers at all skill levels, from beginners on their first draft to published writers who sense that their new book isn't quite all that it could be.
Sample diagnostic reading reports
The First Step
All the editing I do is custom work, tailored to your needs and budget, but the place to begin is always with a diagnostic reading of your manuscript. I need to know your strengths and weaknesses, and you need to know if I'm the right editor for you. So I'll read your manuscript carefully and send you a report on what works, what needs work, and what your next step should be. The cost for a diagnostic reading report is $2 per page. (To calculate your cost, divide your total word count by 250, the average number of words per properly formatted page.) If your manuscript is less than 150 pages, it will be billed at the $90 per hour rate — e-mail me at dave@davekingedits.com with details about your manuscript and I'll give you an estimate.
Line-editing
After the diagnostic read- ing, you may want and need anything from a bit of rewriting to a complete line-editing of your manuscript. It depends on you, your book, and, of course, your editing budget. If you want me to, I'll stay with you, not only through the revising process, but through your search for an agent and publisher. My rate for additional work is $90 per hour. I always use a letter of agreement for large projects and will not exceed my estimate without your permission.
Coaching Line-edit
I use a coaching method for most of the line-editing I do. Clients prefer it since they learn so much. I edit the first fifty pages and send them to you. You then input my changes (keeping only the ones you like, of course) and edit pages 51-100 yourself, trying to do what I did. You send me a clean copy, I edit 51-100, send them back, then you edit 101-150. And so we proceed, with you working fifty pages ahead of me throughout the book. This back-and-forth approach lets you experiment with your style and receive feedback, helping you to develop your writing and revising skills.
Sending Your Manuscript
If you'd like to submit a manuscript, please e-mail it as an attachment or ship it to 209 March Road (Ashfield), Shelburne Falls, MA, 01370. You can either mail a check or pay the reading fee through Paypal. I work on projects as I receive them, so my workload determines how soon you will receive your diagnostic reading report. If you're in a hurry, just e-mail me and I'll let you know when I have a free space in my schedule. I'd also appreciate knowing how you heard about Dave King Editorial Services.