Editing Service

Copy Editing Service

Copy Editing Service

Copy editing (sometimes referred to as "copyediting" or "manuscript editing") is the process of carefully reviewing written material and suggesting revisions for an author to consider.

The members of our editing service team would help to improve the quality and readability of your manuscript via sentence-level recommendations. This process is sometimes referred to as "line editing". The editor's feedback would include highlighting technical errors, consistency of syntax and continuation, while looking at the overall structure of the work.

The editing service team would also look for and identify errors in grammar, style and accuracy.

In the context of print publication, copy editing is undertaken after a developmental edit and before proofreading.

The copy editing service we offer is professional, aimed at publishers and authors who have completed a final draft of their manuscript and are planning to self-publish their books. It's a time consuming process and this is reflected in the price.

You can learn more about copy editing here.

Developmental Editing Service

Developmental Editing Service

Our developmental editing service focuses on the story as a whole: plot, character, scenes, structure, pacing and coherence. After a developmental edit, the author would review the editor's feedback and make changes as necessary.

Developmental editing is a form of writing support often used during the production of a manuscript. It helps the author rework their writing, giving their manuscript a greater chance of publication.

In the context of print publication, developmental editing is undertaken before copy edting and proofreading.

You can learn more about developmental editing here.

Proofreading Service

Proofreading Service

Our proofreading service concentrates on language errors including formatting, grammar, punctuation, spelling and typography. Proofreading is the final step in the editing process.

In the context of print publication, copy editing is undertaken after developmental editing and copy editing, to catch any errors that the author and the copy editor may have missed before the work is published.

You can learn more about proofreading here.

Question Marks

Which Editing Service Do I Need?

Many writers approach us for editing services without knowing which type of edit would best suit their needs. Sometimes they are not ready to use an editing service - they need a critique.

What type of editing service do you need?

Free Phone Consultation

To ascertain the best editing service for you, we recommend starting with a free phone consultation with Chris to discuss your project. This can be undertaken by phone, WhatsApp, Google Meet, Zoom - whatever works best for you.

This initial consultation is free and usually lasts about 15 minutes. There is no pressure or obligation to buy our services. Chris will ask you about your project and recommend a way forward based on the information you provide. You can then consider the advice and decide what you'd like to do.

If you'd like to arrange a time to speak with Chris, please get in touch with some information about your project and the service you are most interested in.

Andrea T

Thank you kindly for your report. I am very pleased to see it was sent over earlier than the deadline, and I'm impressed that Edward read the manuscript twice, especially as the novel is very challenging. I'm very happy with your work and it will certainly help me improve the manuscript.

B. J. Mears

You’ve made a grand job of editing the complete Tyler May series. Thank you for your consistent professionalism and honesty.

Matt Sims

As with everything I throw at you, Ed, you took the clumsy idea and perfected it so that it leaps off the page. Top work as always!

Editing Service Prices

All prices are in Great British Pounds (GBP). Payments can be accepted via PayPal or BACS; a direct transfer between bank accounts.

Copy Editing Service Prices

Our copy editing service is charged at £35 per 1,000 words.

The minimum fee is £105, for stories up to 3,000 words in length.

Developmental Editing Service Prices

Our developmental editing service is charged at £35 per 1,000 words.

The minimum fee is £350, for stories up to 10,000 words in length.

Proofreading Service Prices

Our proofreading service is charged at £15 per 1,000 words.

The minimum fee is £75, for stories up to 5,000 words in length.

Notes on Prices

Our editing service and proofreading service fees are calculated to allow us the necessary amount of time to thoroughly review your work to a professional standard. This process is time consuming. All the edits and additional comments are carefully considered so you gain the most out of the service.

How to Pay and Submit

If you are interested in any of our editing services, we ask that you start by contacting Chris to discuss your editing requirements in more detail. If you decide you'd like to go ahead with the editing service, Chris will organise payment with you, either via PayPal or BACS (bank transfer).

You do not have to have an account to use PayPal and can pay by credit card, debit card or even direct debit. We use PayPal because it is secure, safe and protects your personal information, ensuring a safe transaction. You can read more about PayPal in the FAQ.

Once you have paid, we ask you to email your story as a Microsoft Word document (as a .doc .docx or .rtf file) to chris@christopherfielden.com.

If you can't supply a document in the required file format, please let us know - we can usually find a way around it.

What Happens Next?

Chris will reply to any emails within 3 days. If there are any problems he will let you know. Don’t worry, Chris checks his spam folder too! If for any reason you do not hear from him within 3 days, please get in touch.

On occasion, Chris travels with work and takes holidays / vacations where he has no internet access. This is rare, but in these instances he sets up an 'out of office' reply on his email, letting you know if there will be a delay in his response.

If you need any more information, please check the FAQ below, or contact Chris.

What To Expect From Our Editing Service

We use Microsoft Word track changes so you can easily review every correction or edit we suggest. You will receive a document with recommended edits and additional comments in comment boxes and/or at the end of the document.

The price includes an optional follow up consultation, to discuss the edit in full with your editor. You can learn more about that in the FAQ section of the page.

It takes us up to two months to complete an edit. This is because we work through the manuscript carefully and that process takes time. However, we do try and deliver earlier whenever possible.

Meet The Team

Here are details of the members of our editing team.

Allen Ashley

Allen Ashley

Allen is an award winning editor and a prize winning poet who specialises in science fiction and fantasy. He is the author or editor of fourteen published books, President of the British Fantasy Society and judged the BFS short story competition for many years. He works as a creative writing tutor, with six groups currently running across north London.

You can learn more about Allen on the main Meet The Team page.

Edward Field

Edward Field

Edward Field is an award-winning screenwriter, writer, editor and the author of Permission to Rage: The Book on How to Complain Effectively, as well as three children’s plays currently on the South African curriculum.

He writes and edits fiction, non-fiction, scripts, speeches, corporate presentations & brochures and his work has appeared in anthologies, websites and publications including The Stage, Breathe, Reflex Fiction, Storgy, To Hull And Back and Idle Ink.

You can learn more about Edward on the main Meet The Team page.

Dr Lynda Nash

Dr Lynda Nash

Dr Lynda Nash is a tutor, mentor and freelance editor. She has a PhD in Creative Writing and is the author of several books. As a freelance editor, she helps clients realise their self-publishing dreams by taking them from written manuscript to publication.

You can learn more about Lynda on the main Meet The Team page.

Chris Fielden

Christopher Fielden

Chris is an award-winning short story writer and an award-winning editor. He is also the author of How to Write a Short Story, Get Published & Make Money, which has been an Amazon bestseller.

Chris runs this website. He launched his writing services in 2013. This comprehensive copy editing service was added to his portfolio of services in 2018.

Chris has self-published his own books and has also published hundreds of authors in anthologies via the To Hull And Back Short Story Competition and the writing challenges he runs on this website. He has experience with editing and formatting manuscripts in preparation for publication, along with extensive knowledge of platforms like Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing and Lulu.

You can learn more about Chris on the main Meet The Team page.

Editing Service FAQ

Below are some frequently asked questions regarding our editing services that we hope you'll find useful. If you have any questions that are not covered here, please don't hesitate to contact Chris.

Do you share my personal information with anyone else?

We will never share any of your personal information or the manuscripts you submit with anyone else. Anything you send to us is treated with the utmost confidence. Your privacy is respected at all times.

For further information, please review this website's privacy policy.

How long will it take you to edit my work?

We aim to edit your manuscript and return it to you within 2 months (60 days).

Whenever possible, we strive to make our turnaround time faster than this. However, we pride ourselves in the quality of our services, so we don't rush our work. We will try and give you a more accurate idea of timings when we discuss your project.

What is the difference between an edit and a critique?

This editing service comprises a thorough, line by line edit of your manuscript. We take an in-depth and comprehensive approach to tackle any grammatical problems.

Our critique service is a broad, comprehensive assessment of your manuscript. You receive specific advice on how to develop a stronger narrative, better pacing and more engaging characters.

The critique is a big picture analysis, so it should be conducted before a developmental edit or a copy edit. You can learn more about our critique service here.

Please can you give me some more details on what I can expect from this service?

Yes! You will receive detailed edits and suggested improvements for your consideration. These are all provided in a Microsoft Word document.

The edits will include fixing typos, spelling mistakes, incorrect wording, grammar, repetition and sentence structure.

We sometimes use Word's comment boxes to make annotations regarding certain sentences, paragraphs and sections within the manuscript. The sentences / paragraphs will be highlighted and the comments will appear in a box attached to the highlighted area. This makes it very easy for you to see what the comments pertain to and review them. Once you’ve finished considering a comment you can simply delete it.

All our comments will be delivered in a positive manner. We strive to encourage writers, not offend them with unnecessary negativity. We will always try to keep all criticism constructive, positive and encouraging - honest without being unkind.

Part of any editing process is personal opinion. You may not agree with everything we recommend. Good! We don’t expect you to. But you will have considered an outside opinion, which can only help improve your manuscript.

We strongly recommend using spellcheckers and diligent proofreading prior to submitting to us. This simply helps us do a better job.

What happens at the optional consultation?

The consultation gives you the chance to discuss the edit in full with your editor.

We can provide the consultation by phone, Google, WhatsApp, Zoom etc.

We have found that consultations help writers get the most out of this service. They have the opportunity to gain a full understanding of the edits and comments we've made by asking questions and talking everything through. Bouncing ideas off an editor can help a writer fully consider every aspect of the edit we've provided.

Do you edit non-fiction?

Yes. We will consider editing any type of book or manuscript, including brochures, essays, scripts and corporate material.

Why do you use PayPal to receive payments?

PayPal is a world leading payment service provider. They offer a secure service, ensuring that monetary transactions are quick, easy and safe. You can set up an account and pay via your bank in any currency, or you can simply pay by debit or credit card without setting up an account. Whichever payment method you prefer, you can be confident that your personal information is safe.

PayPal are trusted and widely used, most famously being eBay’s preferred payment service provider. For more details, check out the PayPal website.

We also accept payments via BACS, so you do not have to use PayPal.

Comments

 

Christopher Fielden Est 2011

This website was established in 2011. In 2024, it was redesigned. Between 2011 and 2024, thousands of people commented on the site. I’d like to thank every person for their engagement – it’s greatly appreciated.

When the site was rebuilt, transferring comments comprising hundreds of thousands of words was not feasible on most pages. The Editing Services page comments are an exception and they appear below. New comments are welcome. Please feel free to share your thoughts and ask questions.

Keith K
Dear Chris of Fielden and Field. Good luck with the new venture. Too rich for my pocket but then I have always enjoyed being a skin-flint. The price of everything and the value of nothing, as the greatest writer of the language and, in my opinion, one of the worst novelists once penned, almost.

Fielden and Field does sound a bit like a fifties Vaudeville comedy double act.

Chris Fielden
Thanks, Keith. It’s a difficult one. Copy editing is very time intensive, so pricing has to reflect that. I appreciate not everyone will be able to afford it/want to use a service like this, but we’re unable to offer it at lower prices unfortunately. Our aim is to work with writers and small to medium sized publishers, who may have the budget for this kind of service. Our first projects are underway, so we shall see how it develops.

Indeed – coincidence has presented us with a name suitable for Vaudeville. If all else fails, maybe we can venture into that… 🙂

Keith K
Dear Chris, it was not criticism. It costs what it costs and you are in business to make a profit. I was just bemoaning the poverty in which I choose to live. If I could afford you, I would be hammering at your door. Kind Regards, Keith the Skinflint.

Chris Fielden
Hi Keith. No problem, I didn’t take your comments as a criticism. I hope I didn't come across as being defensive – I was just trying to outline how we’d priced it. It will be interesting to see how the service develops as we get more projects under our belts.

And thanks for your kind words, although, if you do hammer at my door, it’s quite old and in need of repair, so please don’t hammer too hard 🙂

Dedra T
Hi Chris. There is no proofing for the number of pages I have. My number of pages is less than 50,000. Am I missing something? Please let me know.

Chris Fielden
Hi Dedra. The prices are all based on the word count, not the number of pages. If you have your manuscript in Microsoft Word, it will tell you the word count.

If in doubt, please send me your manuscript and I will price it for you. Many thanks, Chris

Dedra T
Hi Chris. I worded my last message wrongly. I meant to say, my book has less than 50,000 words. I didn't see pricing for that amount. It has 48,670 to be exact. I will look again. Thanks for getting back to me so quickly.

Chris Fielden
Hi Dedra. No problem.

The 50,000 word price is for stories up to 50,000 words in length. So your story would fall into that price band. Please let me know if you have any other questions.

Comment text to go here.
Hello Chris, I hope this email finds you well. I would like to know if you are able to proofread one short story of a little over 4000 words. Many thanks, Allwell

Chris Fielden
Hi Allwell. Thank you for your message.

We do undertake proofreading. You'd probably be better off using our critique service for that. The editing service is really aimed at final draft novel manuscripts being prepared for professional publication. You can learn more about the critique service and associated prices here.

Please let me know if you have any other questions 🙂

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