Manuscript Services
I offer manuscript editing services to authors with fiction manuscripts. These services include but are not limited to: proofreading, copy editing, line editing, and beta reading. Fill out the contact form to get started.
Your Book Needs An Editor
Because I'm a writer, too, I know your manuscript is your baby. With careful editing, I can make sure your words and ideas come across clearly to your readers. I want to give them the best reading experience so your story connects with them on a deeper level. Every small error can detract from the story. In addition to grammar errors, I also look for plot holes and story-level issues and offer solutions for resolving them.
Choosing an editor means building a relationship. It requires a massive amount of trust.
You need someone who will read your story and provide honest feedback to help you build the best version of your story.
That's why I edit a few sample pages for clients when I quote their manuscripts. That way, you can evaluate my work before we proceed and see if my editing style is right for you. To get started and request a quote, fill out the contact form below to provide me with some information about your manuscript.
Copy Editing
Rates based on $40/hour
What does copy editing cover?
• Consistency in spelling, hyphenation, names, numbers, and facts
• Story-level inaccuracies and plot holes
• Spelling, grammar and punctuation
• Word repetition and word choice
• Clarity
• Adherence to style manual (for fiction manuscripts, Chicago Manual of Style)
• Formatting of dialogue and dialogue tags
• Overused adverbs and adjectives
• Typos
Line Editing
Rates based on $40/hour
What does line editing cover?
• Inconsistent point of view and narrative intrusion
• Unclear, awkward, or passive sentences
• Choppy or wordy phrasing and pacing
• Overused words, repetitive information
• Inconsistent dialogue tags
• Ambiguous language
• Telling rather than showing
Proofreading
Rates based on $40/hour
What does proofreading cover?
• Spelling
• Grammar and Punctuation
• Word repetition and word choice
• Clarity
• Formatting of dialogue and dialogue tags
• Overused adverbs and adjectives
• Typos
With proofreading, I will fix sentence-level errors. If you are planning to submit your story to a publishing house, this option ensures that you present your manuscript in its best light. A publishing house will typically provide a copy editor after your manuscript is accepted.
Beta Reading
$300-600 depending on the length of the book
What does beta reading cover?
• Evaluating and improving the story's premise and central conflict from a reader's perspective
• Feedback and suggestions for improving story structure, plot, and conflict
• Support and feedback on characters, character arc and backstory
• General suggestions for strengthening your story
• Support via email and phone/Skype
Beta reading does not include editing for grammar.
Please fill out the contact form to provide more details about your project. I will provide sample edits of your first few pages to give you an idea of my work and also help determine a quote. Pricing is dependent on the extent of editing required.
Contact Me
Why should you trust me with your manuscript?
My name is Heather Hobbs (Michaels). I’m a copywriter and editor located in Chicago. I earned my Bachelors degree in English with a focus on fiction writing. Additionally, I have 10 years of experience critiquing fiction manuscripts from my college fiction courses, workshop groups, and online as a professional editor.
My own writing has won awards and has been published in The Chicago Reader, The Luminarts Review, and The Southeast Review. Glimmer Train gave me an honorable mention for the short story in The Chicago Reader. In 2013, I became a Luminarts Fellow in Creative Writing after winning the adult Creative Writing division contest, and have been published twice in their collections.
Let me help you take your novel or short story to the next level with professional editing. That way, you can impress your publisher and readers with the best version of your story possible. Don’t let grammar get in the way of you selling more copies of your book.
Client Testimonials
As a writer, it’s easy to think your story is this glorious golden masterpiece which only needs a little polishing before it’s fit to be seen by the masses. But the hard truth is that no matter how good you are, you always need a skilled second set of eyes to find the glaring mistakes that you’re missing.
Heather completed the edit of “Werewolf Max and the Midnight Zombies” for me right on time. Her insights on sentence flow and story structure were exactly what I needed. Where she saw an issue with pacing or character development, she offered her own suggestions to resolve the issues. The suggestions themselves helped me to see through her eyes what the problems were, so that I could resolve them in my own way.
Overall, I’m very happy that I hired Heather to edit my book. Even though middle grade thrillers aren't her usual genre, she engaged with the characters and story to round it out and make it the best it could be."
Luckily, that is when I came across Heather. She graciously took my novel, read the entire thing so quickly. She properly fixed all my mistakes, leaving hundreds of comments with ideas of what to do, and an explanation of what I was doing wrong in that moment. She even left sample lines of text on what would be better ways to show my story rather than tell it. She basically taught me how to write a book with all the comments she left. She turned my novel from a novice manuscript to something I truly feel is worth publishing. I can’t wait to get started on my next book and have Heather help me along the way."