I Want to Read Your Work!
Following in the footsteps of the one and only
, , and , I am officially putting myself out there as a “reader for hire” in several capacities, from “last step before publishing” to “just finished my first draft”. I am very much a beginner in this field, which is reflected in my rates, but I’m excited to work with you! You can find me on Upwork or send me an email if you’re interested in working together.Nuts and Bolts
I am currently accepting jobs for both fiction and non-fiction, from essays and short stories to novels or memoirs. Turnaround time will vary depending on length, but my goal is as follows:
Under 5,000 words: first round of edits within three days of commission
Under 20,000 words: first round of edits within one week of commission
Over 20,000 words: will be discussed with the author prior to commission
My standard practice is to work in Google Docs or Microsoft Word, using the “Suggestions” and “Comments” features to make edits, ask questions, and offer feedback.1
A note regarding genre and content:
I am open to reading a wide range of genres, but for the sake of keeping my anxiety to a minimum, I am not currently accepting jobs in the horror or romance genres, or jobs with any explicit sexual content. Please send me an email if you are uncertain whether your project would fall into this category. Thank you for your understanding.
Editing Services
Proofreading // Copy Editing (Substack Rate: $20/hour)
Looking for a fresh pair of eyes to catch those famous post-publication typos? Wondering how your piece lays out on web or paper? Anxious that that sentence won’t flow as well when it’s not narrated by the superhero voice in your head? I’d love to take a look through your work and make any necessary edits for grammar or formatting to ensure your piece is publication-ready.
Line Editing (Substack Rate: $20/hour)
will tell you that I am a ruthless a line-editor. I have a strong passion for making sure that sentences say what the author is trying to say, both in non-fiction and in fiction alike. Whether you’re wanting to strengthen your narrative voice, worrying about whether or not your dialogue is believable, or simply desiring to make sure that the reader can follow your train of thought from Point A to Point B, I can help you get there!Beta Reading & Developmental Editing (Cost varies, please inquire!)
Seeking someone objective who can help you take a high-level view of your story? Unsure of how you want the themes or character arcs to play out? Paying a beta reader ensures that the feedback you receive is high quality and delivered in a timely manner. It also ensures that your reader will not fall off the wagon and back out or ghost you, leaving you in a lurch.
I’d love to give your story a read for you and offer some general feedback on the experience., or help you work through the plot- or character-related questions you’re wanting to answer. In general, I use the questionnaire found here as a guide when beta reading. If there are specific questions that you have as the author, I’d love to keep those in mind as well. I am a self-proclaimed “restacking menace”—in other words, I’m an enthusiastic reader and will do my best to offer constructive, encouraging feedback.
If you’re also considering some mechanical editing, I’ll include a sample editing for a portion of the story to give you a sense of the type of feedback I offer. Should you choose to move forward with editing, the Beta Read cost will be applied toward the editing cost.
Because these projects usually involve a little more back-and-forth, and because they often have a lower budget on the author’s end, I prefer to discuss cost over email so we can ensure we find the perfect fit for both of us. That being said, you can check my Upwork profile for a general sense of my “standard” rates.
I’m looking forward to hearing from you!
I am more than willing to discuss working on a paper copy if preferred by the author. Paper copies can be mailed or scanned at the author’s request.