Editing:
I work as a freelance editor and proofreader under my legal name, Abigail Zedwick. My main strengths in editing revolve around content, structure, and style edits, but I am able to do presentation editing as well as necessary.
Please note that I do not work with LGBTQ+ fiction or LGBTQ+ focused non-fiction. Mentions of or secondary characters who are in the community are fine, but I do not edit works that have LGBTQ+ relationships and lifestyles as the main focus. I’m just not a good fit for this kind of work and won’t offer editing for something I never read as it makes me a poor fit to offer a comprehensive edit. No exceptions will be made to the above policy, but I wish you the best in finding a better-suited fit if your book falls into that category! Besides this one exception, I do edit nearly any other genre and do not have a problem editing sexual or violent content. I am most experienced in editing speculative fiction and romance.
For those who have never worked with an editor before, I am able to edit your story for the following:
- Characterization
- Plot
- Overall story flow (In other words, ensuring that the story is engaging and isn’t moving too fast or too slow.)
- Grammar
- Style/Readability
- Story structure (In other words, making sure your work goes from beginning to end in a logical manner.)
- Word Choice
- Fact-Checking
- Description
- Point-of-View Issues
- Voice Issues
My rate for editing depends on the type of editing needed. Developmental editing, copy editing, or proofreading are .02/word. Line editing is .04/word. I will perform an editing consultation for the manuscript if requested. There are three tiers for a consultation. Tier one (20 USD) is a brief high-level overview of a 1000-word sample with a thirty minute consultation on the types of edits I recommend, in which you can ask any questions you may have regarding editing recommendations. Tier two (40 USD) is a high-level overview of a 1000-word sample (with notations delivered to you) with a forty-five minute consultation, in which you can ask any questions you may have regarding editing recommendations. Tier three (60 USD) is a detailed sample edit of a 1000-word sample delivered to you prior to the consultation with up to sixty minutes to discuss recommended edits and any questions you may have. The consultation may take less time if you don’t have a lot of questions as we go through, but each tier’s consultation time is the maximum offered in that tier. You can also purchase just a full sample edit of between 800-1000 words for .03 a word.
If you want to work with me for a sample edit or full edit, you will still need to send a sample for review so that I can assess what to quote you based on the types of edits it needs, so I highly encourage just going with the consultation or sample edit. If you choose not to do the consultation, please briefly state what your end goal for the book is (ie: do you just want it on the shelf to say you published or do you want it to be polished to be ready for professional publishing/indie publishing?). I will let you know what types of edits I recommend after reviewing the sample and will give you a quote for the project per word. I do discount on bundling multiple types of edits if they’re needed. If you need all three, I will perform developmental at .01/word, line edits at .03/word, and copy edits at .01/word. Combining developmental and line edits or copy and line edits will be .01/word and .03/word. I do the edits in stages since there is no point in doing line or copy editing if there are developmental issues and no point doing a copy edit for grammar if whole paragraphs need reworking for clarity in a line edit. As such, your project will be split into smaller chunks based on the types of edits it needs. You will not be billed for the entire project at once but will be required to pay each milestone in advance before I will work on it. You can get in touch with me to discuss working together at arielpaiement@gmail.com or on Upwork.
To offer both of us the maximum protection possible financially, I ask for the first milestone estimate up front. I usually work solely on Google Drive, however, I am flexible and can work with Word if you prefer it, especially for longer projects. I require payments to be remitted to me via Paypal before I will start work on each increment for work off Upwork. This might seem a little different, and compared to the way many other freelance editors do things, it is since I don’t require the full payment up front or in large increments. This doesn’t mean their way is bad, but I’ve found this way works best for myself and my clients. I do payments this way because, even though it may make things a little harder for me because I have to keep track of more, it is my hope that it will make it more affordable and flexible for those authors who can’t afford the total cost of the project up front but still would like to work with a professional editor. I understand many authors can’t afford a large payment of 4-5k for big books up front, and I seek to alleviate that stress for the individuals who choose to work with me. Incremental payments of $100-200 for a milestone and time between those payments based on your preferred timeline for a project, for example, are generally more manageable for most than immediate payment of $4000 for an entire project.
I do my best to be available for any questions you have during the entire process and will, as I said, use Google Docs to do the editing so that you are able to ask your questions in direct response to whatever commentary I may have made.
IPBS Authors:
I work as an editor with Indie/pendent Book Services as well. If you are an author working with me through Indie/pendent Book Services, I am able to work with you on different payment plan terms should it be absolutely necessary. Pricing is also different for IPBS authors than what is above and is listed on the IPBS website. However, you will need to speak with both myself and either Kristen Collins or Rachel Olson to work out the details for that work and contract. You can either email me directly at arielpaiement@gmail.com and copy IPBS on the email or you can get in touch with us separately on Facebook Messenger. My username is Ariel Paiement. I rarely work in lump sums for a project anyway, so I don’t mind working with you if my usual payment plan terms aren’t quite suited to your situation.
Proofreading:
I also proofread. If your work has already been professionally edited or even has gone through rigorous self-editing, you may not need a full edit. Instead, you might just need someone to clean up the manuscript. A proofread from me includes the following:
- Grammar check
- Basic fact-checking if something seems off
- High-level overview of glaring issues such as plot-holes or flow issues
- Sentence structure check
- Clarity check for the writing overall
My rate for this is .02/word to do all of the above. Once again, please contact me with the word count and a small sample so that I can calculate out what the overall project cost will be and do a breakdown of each segment of the project.
Interior Book Design:
If you’re looking for someone to do your interior design for your paperback or ebook, I also do that. This means that I’ll go through your manuscript and get it ready for self-publishing. Whatever it needs to make it look as professional and appealing as possible, I will do. I use Microsoft Word to do the initial work and then convert it to either a pdf or ebook formats as needed. Most of my experience is in working with KDP, but I have some experience with Kobo and am a quick learner. If you need this done, I will need you to contact me with information on the book as follows:
- Layout size (Do you want it to be 6×9 or 5.5×8.5, for example.)
- What you need done for the book (Ie: Is it all formatting or do you already have the headers and table of contents set up and are just in need of, say, typsetting and margin setups?)
- How long the book is (Include number of parts or chapters as well as page count.)
- What genre it is (This makes a difference on the styles and fonts I choose to use in order to lay the book out)
- Which formats you need (Kindle ebook, paperback, ebook, all of them?)
- Any other special requests for me
I charge $25 an hour for my work, and I’ll calculate the project total based on how long the book is. In this case, since it’s a total finished product, not really something that can be broken down into pieces, I require half of the cost up front and the other half when I complete the work.
I recommend that, if you are needing this service, you test the file I send you. Double check the proof copies–especially for print–that Amazon offers, and if other sites offer proof copies or previews, use them. Make sure everything looks good so you can let me know if you need anything adjusted. You have up to a week and a half to review the work to make sure it’s satisfactory and to request changes if you need them.
Author Interviews
This is a free service I offer to indie authors looking for help on blog tours or just wanting to join me on the blog. I post these as I have them, and if I have a queue, I’ll let you know about that up front. If this is something you’re interested in, shoot me an email. We’ll discuss whether or not you’d be a good fit for the blog and what I can do. Usually, almost any author is good for an interview. Book spotlights and reviews are a little more selective due to the scope of the blog, but authors of all genres are welcome. I do try to maintain an atmosphere that is clean, respectful, and above all Christ-honoring in everything I do on the blog, whether specifically Christian or not, so I do ask that in answering any interview questions, all authors keep the responses appropriate for even younger teen and pre-teen audiences. Basically, keep it clean, respectful, and appropriate for all ages, and we’ll be good!
Once again, you can get in touch about any of these services by emailing me at arielpaiement@gmail.com, contacting me through Reedsy or Upwork, or even by contacting me via Facebook on my business page, Paiement Editorial Services. If you are interested in seeing how my prices compare to the industry average, check out the EFA page, which breaks down types of editing and the hourly rates for each type. The group is a long-standing association of freelance editors and has good information about what to expect for industry rates for curious writers.