Canopy Editing Services

Anywhere you go in the land of publishing, you’ll be told that three things must be exceptional to release a professional product: the cover must be eye-catching, the story must be well written, and the manuscript must be edited.

The editing part is my job, and I’ve been doing it for  years.

Over the years, I have worked with tons of individual authors, several small presses as a content editor, an ezine as a copy editor, and a literary agent as an editorial assistant. I currently work with several imprints belonging to Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas/Iron Stream Media.

I work primarily with fiction, although I do take nonfiction periodically. I will not work on erotica or horror, and I’m not all that great with Spec Fic/SciFi/Fantasy because I’m not that familiar with them (although I’m getting there with Fantasy. Love it!). Most other genres are good. The Chicago Manual of Style, preferred by most publishers, is my style guide, and I do my best to follow it without effecting the rhythm and intent of the context.

Here is a list and explanation of my services.

Critique: For a critique, I read your manuscript without editing it and give you my overall impression of the viability of the plot, the development of the characters, the story arc, etc. on a separate page. I don’t correct anything in the manuscript.

Content Edit: Similar to a critique, but more extensive. I do make suggestions and corrections in the manuscript using track edits. Everything that goes into crafting a story is covered in a content edit: structure, character development and arc, story viability and arc, setting and descriptions, progression of the plot, tension/conflict, dialogue, genre fit, logistical snafus, etc.

Copy Edit: Everything that goes into the mechanics of writing a story is covered in a line-by-line edit, where I smooth out awkward sentences and check paragraph progression. I keep an eye on “pet words,” repetition, clarity, etc. Punctuation, word choice, and sentence and paragraph structures are the focus of the copy edit.

Proofreading: This is error hunting—typos, misused or missing punctuation, etc.

Pricing policy: I’ve decided to charge one flat per-hour rate of $4.00 per page (compare with the industry rates) for each of the services, with the exception of mentoring. This has proven to be more fair for both the client and myself. However, payment is due up front. It goes into a separate account until the job is done.

Mentoring: This is highly personalized and can make us best of pen pals for several months. I don’t do it often and can only handle one or two active clients at a time. If you’re interested, email me at the address below, and we’ll evaluate what you need and want, and determine the price then.

If you’re interested in retaining me to edit your manuscript, please contact me at linda.yezak@lwyezak.com.

Looking forward to working with you!