Fiction authors
I offer a number of services for authors of fiction. If you're not sure which service is best for you, please do feel free to contact me at any time for an informal discussion.
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Manuscript assessment - this service aims to help you decide on your next steps. If you've just finished your novel and are not sure what to do next, I will read your manuscript once, in full, and write a short report. The report details what currently works in your novel, which areas need more work, and what I think your next steps should be. If you go on to book a development edit, the cost of the assessment will be deducted from that fee.
A manuscript assessment is £200 for novels of up to 100,000 words.
Manuscript critique – this is similar to a manuscript assessment, but gives you much more detailed feedback. I will read your manuscript once, in full, and provide you with an editorial report to show you where your novel needs attention. The editorial report will focus on issues around plot, characterisation, voice, point of view, theme, structure and writing style. I will also highlight consistent issues surrounding spelling and grammar, to allow you to make certain edits yourself.
A manuscript critique is £450 for novels of up to 100,000 words.
Opening chapters and synopsis - I will read your opening chapters (up to 5,000 words) plus your synopsis (up to 1,000 words) and give feedback on how your novel is shaping up at the start. As I read, I will be considering things like whether your novel starts in the right place, if there's enough happening to keep the reader reading, if dialogue feels realistic, and if we get a good sense of character. The synopsis will help me to see where you're going with the novel, and if it all seems to be heading in the right direction. I will write a short report and offer advice on what is/isn't working, and what resources you might like to look at to improve your writing further.
Opening chapters and synopsis read-through is £70 for the first 5,000 words and a synopsis of up to 1,000 words.
Development edit – as with the Manuscript critique, I will read your manuscript in full, and analyse your plot, characterisation, voice, point of view, theme, structure and writing style. I will provide detailed notes within your manuscript, using Track Changes and comments, as well as detailed editorial report (usually around 10-20 pages). Development editing starts at £15 per 1000 words.
Light development edit with line editing - this service combines minor feedback of a development nature with line editing (see below). If you have invested a lot of time and effort in making your story and strong as it can be, you may not need a full development edit as described above. However, you may have small issues that need resolving, and I can do this at the same time as a line edit.
A light development edit with line editing starts at £12 per 1000 words.
Line edit - a line edit looks carefully at your word choices at sentence level, and helps you to smooth out any clunky phrases or sentences. If there are no remaining development issues with your novel, you can move on to the line and copy editing stages. During a line edit, I will look carefully at the flow of your words from sentence through to paragraph level, making sure that every word on the page deserves its place. I will also check for spelling, grammar and punctuation, but please note that a line edit is not the same as a copy edit.
Line editing starts at £10 per 1000 words.
Proofreading – this is the final stage of the editorial process. I will read your manuscript in its near-final state to check for grammar, spelling and punctuation, as well as any issues with the layout.
Proofreading starts at £7 per 1000 words.
A manuscript assessment is £200 for novels of up to 100,000 words.
Manuscript critique – this is similar to a manuscript assessment, but gives you much more detailed feedback. I will read your manuscript once, in full, and provide you with an editorial report to show you where your novel needs attention. The editorial report will focus on issues around plot, characterisation, voice, point of view, theme, structure and writing style. I will also highlight consistent issues surrounding spelling and grammar, to allow you to make certain edits yourself.
A manuscript critique is £450 for novels of up to 100,000 words.
Opening chapters and synopsis - I will read your opening chapters (up to 5,000 words) plus your synopsis (up to 1,000 words) and give feedback on how your novel is shaping up at the start. As I read, I will be considering things like whether your novel starts in the right place, if there's enough happening to keep the reader reading, if dialogue feels realistic, and if we get a good sense of character. The synopsis will help me to see where you're going with the novel, and if it all seems to be heading in the right direction. I will write a short report and offer advice on what is/isn't working, and what resources you might like to look at to improve your writing further.
Opening chapters and synopsis read-through is £70 for the first 5,000 words and a synopsis of up to 1,000 words.
Development edit – as with the Manuscript critique, I will read your manuscript in full, and analyse your plot, characterisation, voice, point of view, theme, structure and writing style. I will provide detailed notes within your manuscript, using Track Changes and comments, as well as detailed editorial report (usually around 10-20 pages). Development editing starts at £15 per 1000 words.
Light development edit with line editing - this service combines minor feedback of a development nature with line editing (see below). If you have invested a lot of time and effort in making your story and strong as it can be, you may not need a full development edit as described above. However, you may have small issues that need resolving, and I can do this at the same time as a line edit.
A light development edit with line editing starts at £12 per 1000 words.
Line edit - a line edit looks carefully at your word choices at sentence level, and helps you to smooth out any clunky phrases or sentences. If there are no remaining development issues with your novel, you can move on to the line and copy editing stages. During a line edit, I will look carefully at the flow of your words from sentence through to paragraph level, making sure that every word on the page deserves its place. I will also check for spelling, grammar and punctuation, but please note that a line edit is not the same as a copy edit.
Line editing starts at £10 per 1000 words.
Proofreading – this is the final stage of the editorial process. I will read your manuscript in its near-final state to check for grammar, spelling and punctuation, as well as any issues with the layout.
Proofreading starts at £7 per 1000 words.
Never proofread your own book - it's a nightmare. Go to Kathryn. She'll spot all the plot line quirks you'd overlooked, put commas (as well as other punctuation marks) in places you never knew needed them and turn what you thought was good prose into something far better. Plus she delivers to deadlines and is a joy to work with.
Hester Thomas, author
Working with Kathryn at Refresh Editorial absolutely lived up to the name. I had an old unpublished manuscript which no longer felt like my current writing style and needed a serious overhaul. Having Kathryn on board gave me both structural/development insights as well as a very thorough line edit to clear out clunky phrasing. Kathryn communicated clearly throughout with me and I'd recommend her work to any writer wanting to ensure their work has impact and is polished.
Melissa Addey, author
Kathryn produced a wonderful report after assessing my manuscript. She was encouraging and professional, pointing out grammatical errors, overall plot consistencies, and suggestions on further character development. As well as giving positive feedback, she didn't hesitate to give me things that I could work on in a very well put together report. I will definitely use Kathryn again and would thoroughly recommend her to authors looking for fresh eyes on their work.
Jen Smith, author