Martha is an enormous asset to any writer in all stages and aspects of the writing process.”
— Ioanna Opidee
What are your specialties? I specialize in manuscript assessment, developmental editing, line editing, and coaching. For established clients, I also offer assistance preparing documents (“publishing packets”) to submit to agents or publishers. My goal is to honor your vision and voice while helping you move forward with your writing. My approach is supportive and thorough: I take the time needed to think deeply about each manuscript on its own terms and to give detailed, specific options for revising your work. I want my clients to have a renewed sense of possibilities about their writing projects. If you feel a surge of energy and excitement about returning to your work, then I feel that I’ve done my job.
What genres do you specialize in? I work with fiction — novels as well as shorter forms like novellas and short stories — and I also offer editing/coaching services for single scenes, chapters, or partial manuscripts. Primarily, I edit literary fiction and upmarket fiction:
- Literary fiction is a broad, varied genre that puts emphasis on character-driven stories, narrative voice, and well-crafted sentences and narrative structure. Writers of literary fiction have a visceral belief that close attention to the details of language — words, sentences, and imagery — is essential: This close attention both sparks the writer’s imagination and allows readers to deeply experience the story. Literary fiction often doesn’t fit neatly into a single genre like “mystery” or “romance.” If your fiction flirts with different genres or is difficult to categorize, you may be writing literary fiction.
- Upmarket fiction clearly falls within a specific genre (like a thriller, for example). But the writing resembles literary fiction in putting a special emphasis on character, well-crafted sentences, structure, and voice. So a thriller with these characteristics would be called an “upmarket thriller.” Depending on the project, I may be interested in working with you on your upmarket manuscript.
If you’re not sure which genre your book falls into, don’t worry. We can figure that out together.
Projects I’ve edited recently include literary fiction novels and short story collections, an upmarket dystopian fiction novel, a literary-fiction coming-of-age novel, and an upmarket crime thriller. I’ve edited fiction set in the contemporary world, the near future, and earlier time periods, like the 1930s and 1980s.
How do I know if you are the right editor/coach for me? Great question. First we take a little time to figure this out. During our initial Zoom consultation, which is free, I’ll ask about your project, your level of experience, and your writing and publishing goals. If you’re feeling stuck in your writing, we’ll discuss how much you’ve done to date and what your challenges are. There are no right or wrong answers to these questions, but your responses help us figure out the kind of editing/coaching that will serve you best. You can also ask me questions and, basically, see if you like me and can envision yourself working with me. If we’re a good fit, I’ll write up a proposal / agreement letter about terms, deadlines, and cost, and you and l will tweak the letter until we both feel comfortable signing it. With the agreement in place, you’ll know exactly what to expect as we move forward. (I will quote you a flat fee for my work, so there will be no surprises for you later.)
How much does editing /coaching cost? That all depends on (1) your writing project — how long it is, how complex, how complete, how revised — and (2) the kind of editing/coaching service you need. I’ll ask to see a sample of the writing first, to get an idea of how much time the project will require, and then give you a flat-fee quote. You’ll find that my fees are in line with those of other experienced developmental editors and coaches. (Much lower fees usually indicate an editor without a lot of experience.)
But you probably want some sense of price range:
- An initial Zoom consultation to see if you’d like to work with me is free.
- A single, one-hour Zoom coaching session costs between $75 and $150, depending on whether I am discussing a general question/topic or I need to first review a short passage of writing. (For book-length manuscripts, see manuscript-assessment coaching below.)
- A manuscript-assessment coaching session for an 80,000-word manuscript would cost $850. The same service for 50,000-word manuscript would cost $610. A coaching session for a single chapter or scene would be much lower.
- A written manuscript assessment of a 50,000-word novel would cost $1,575. An 80,000-word manuscript would cost $3,200.
- A full developmental editing or line editing of a novel or collection of stories generally runs between $2,000 and $3,500, depending on the length of the manuscript.
I strive to give good value for my fees. My editorial letters are long (generally 5,000 to 7,000 words for a full developmental edit), very detailed, and customized to the client’s work in progress. I give my clients’ work my best and very close attention to help them bring their writing to the next level. All of my clients also get a flat-fee quote up front, so they’re never surprised at the end of the job. See What My Clients Say to get a sense of how satisfied people have been with my services.
How much time will it take to get my work edited? Again, it depends — on the length of your work and its complexity — and the kind of editing/coaching service you request. The time needed can vary, but it generally takes 2-4 weeks, depending on the service and length of the manuscript/excerpt. A single check-in meeting is 60 minutes long, but I may need some time to fit it into my schedule. (For all services, we’ll both review and sign an agreement form so you’ll know the work schedule before I start working.)
Are you ready for a free consultation? Please contact me. I’m happy to talk with you about your writing.