Manuscript Evaluation - Copyediting - Line Editing - Proofreading - Developmental Editing - Substantive Editing
Substantive Editing (5 cents per word)
Substantive editors work with you once you have a full text (see above if you haven’t yet completed your book/project). As your Substantive Editor, I consider a text’s concept, intended use, content, organization, design, and style. The purpose is to make the document as powerful and as useful to its readers as possible, not just to make it “correct” and consistent.
Regardless of your project, your writing should engage your target audience’s imagination while powerfully communicating your story, argument, or message.
I achieve this by first evaluating the text then editing the text with a combination of a light copyedit and higher-order structural edits and commentary that address specific issues in your text, be it plot/character development in a memoir or novel; the logic and coherence of a grant proposal or research paper; the order of poems in a collection; the design and navigability of a website; and more.
These edits include (but are not limited to)
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Reordering and/or rewriting of sentences, paragraphs, and sections of text;
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Ensuring that the writing style, pacing, and voice match with the text’s target audience;
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Suggesting revisions and making edits to the overall structure and flow of the text.
These edits, as always, are up to the author. At the end of the day, you’re the writer, and I am the editor. You can reject any changes I have suggested for your text and can of course consult with me when you have questions or concerns regarding any of my edits or commentary.
The fee for a Substantive Edit includes up to 2 hours of post-editing consultation.
Andrew McFadyen-Ketchum represents all a writer could hope for in an editor. He combines a discerning eye with a genuine desire to help you find your voice as a writer. Andrew skillfully sized up the essence of my manuscript, removing any excess that could obscure why the narrative needed to be told in the way it needed to be told.
Andrew’s been a delight to work with in large part because his observations and suggestions were well thought out. He did a wonderful job of explaining the prospective reader’s point of view, something all writers run the risk of losing sight of in their zeal to tell the story.
Andrew’s ability to substantiate his edits with solid criteria never interfered with his open-mindedness. When I came to him with legitimate reasons for keeping the status quo in a passage, Andrew was more than willing to hear me out and support me when my argument had merit. It’s truly been a blessing to collaborate with someone who loves the written word as much as writers do.
Julio Varela, Author & Professor
How To Hire Me
If you think I might be the editor for you, please contact me here. To learn a little bit more about how I work, my personality traits, and my skill sets, please check out my Berke Pre-Employment Assessment here, my teacher ratings here, and my CV here.