Recent edits and current availability
I’ve recently been too busy with editing to get the next blog posts written. So I thought I’d write something shorter instead on the genres I’ve recently edited.
Right now I’m working on a developmental analysis of a memoir.
While I usually work on fiction, I have worked on memoir (often called creative non-fiction) before. These manuscripts can vary in terms of topic and style, but one of the most memorable I ever worked on transported me back to the 1960s counter culture and underground of Seattle and San Francisco/Berkeley.
For the weeks I worked on the memoir, I felt like I walked the streets with the author and her young friends. Because the writer also included musical references, I will never hear Dionne Warwick’s Say A Little Prayer without thinking of those long ago summer days.
Memoirs can be some of the most memorable manuscripts precisely because they are based in reality and personal experience.
Some memoirs deal with darker topics, where the writer is working out their past and bringing attention to serious issues.
As for fiction, so far this year I’ve worked on:
- Three science fiction novels
- Historical novels – in three different centuries
- A WWII espionage novel
- A stand-alone romantic novel from a writer I’ve worked with before (on a trilogy)
- A literary novel set a few decades ago
- A thriller
Most of these projects have been either full developmental edits or manuscript critiques. One was an opening chapters developmental edit, and another was an analysis of an extensive novel outline.
Novels I’ve worked on in the months prior to these included:
- A cosy mystery
- Another historical novel
- And a thriller
Sometimes I’ve worked on two rounds of developmental editing for the same manuscript. Some clients like three rounds. These are always indie authors who want to ensure their manuscript issues have been ironed out. Sometimes with the developmental editing clients, the final round is a report only. Basically a final check.
Because I often work on multiple rounds – if that’s what the client wants – I try and keep my prices within an affordable range. Payments can be spread over two rounds.
My next booking (as of 15th September 2023) is for November. I also have a client who has indicated they will likely contact me at some point about a second book they’re working on.
This means that currently I am free from October to the end of the first week in November.
This timescale allows for
- a full developmental edit, or
- up to two manuscript critiques
Opening chapters developmental edits cover the first 15,000 words (or 10K, etc) and don’t take as long. Those projects can be slotted in sooner.
So if you want detailed developmental feedback on a manuscript (memoir or fiction), feel free to contact me at karen@indiecateditorial.com. We can discuss your project and your intentions (self-publishing or submitting to an agent). If we seem like a good fit I can offer you a range of editing and pricing options.
Please note that I specialise in developmental editing and do not offer copyediting or proofreading services. I do give some line editing advice, but only as part of a developmental edit.
Feel free to check out my services page below.
Otherwise, you can check out some of my recent blog posts:
Narrative devices in Ted Chiang’s Story of Your Life
How editorial feedback changed Interview with the Vampire
How editorial feedback improved The Great Gatsby
Developmental self-editing checklist
