​At Vital Wordplay, I draw on experiences as a certified editor who has provided an eagle eye on all stages of content development for self-published authors and six publishers. That includes providing developmental and line edits of nonfiction and memoir for MIT and Stanford University presses, and copy editing or proofreading for Greenleaf Book Groups, MIT, and Counterpoint presses. 

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Line Editing -- Fiction and creative nonfiction authors sometimes have a book edited for flow and such after it has been developmentally edited, and before it is copy edited. Line editing overlaps with structural/developmental editing in considering big picture elements that impact voice such as point of view, but the content is reviewed sentence by sentence. My overall focus is on voice and style, including how quotes are handled. Among the factors considered are approaches that sap energy, such as overuse of adverbs, and wordiness or repetition. For example, overly complex sentence structures can prevent readers from engaging, taking away from the mood of a piece and hiding the author’s voice. In addition, the flow of sentences is evaluated, including whether they effectively convey a sense of urgency or another mood.

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With the Line Edit, you’ll receive:

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• An editorial letter of 2 pages or more that recaps sentence strengths and common challenges found

• Direct line edits within your manuscript, using Track Changes

• An hour of email follow-up, after the single round content review

• Input on considering copy editors and proofreaders (with the latter service available, when scheduling permits)

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Investment: fee ranges from 3 to 5 cents per word.​

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Agent Pitch Package -- Over two or three months, we map out your outreach letter and pitch plan as you prep to share your nonfiction book proposal (and manuscript, if memoir) with these gatekeepers of traditional publishing. With the Pitch Package for clients of previous services, you'll receive: 

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• Three rounds of feedback on your Query Letter

• A starting priority list of 10 agents for you to initiate outreach with

• A one-hour coaching call to discuss the starting agent list and how you want to prioritize the pitch order, and approaches to handling responses

• A wrap-up document about your preferred pitch strategy 

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Investment: $1,600. 

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Ghostwriting -- If you lack the time and/or writing experience to develop the book you want to get out in the world, I provide ghostwriting services for select books and for book proposals. A well-crafted book proposal often increases the success of memoir placement with agents, and a proposal is required to get potential agent/publishing house review of all other non-fiction. With Ghostwriting, you’ll receive:

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• A series of interviews that are crucial for capturing your voice and perspective.

• A review of your writings and background material that you provide about the subject, for potential inclusion.

• Input on factors such as publishing pathways to consider, other publishing professionals you could hire for book cover design, and how to pitch your work.

• The choice of having my name not be mentioned as the ghostwriter.

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Investment: $75/hour, with an initial 20-hour commitment ($1,500).