I am still available for new work – email me at cfbellairs@gmail.com!
C. F. Bellairs is a Creative Writing and Literature double major offering proofreading, copy editing, manuscript evaluation, and developmental editing services. The work will be thoughtful, passionate, and extensive. Contracts may be routed through Upwork for purposes of escrow. Thank you for your interest!
Typical genres of choice are fantasy, science fiction, literary fiction, and creative non-fiction, but please reach out if you’re interested!
Proofreading
This involves a final check for spelling, grammar, punctuation, and formatting. Perfect as a final pass/second set of eyes to catch any lingering mistakes. My current rate for proofreading is 1.5 cents per word. This is subject to change.
Copy Editing
This includes a thorough proofread (spelling, punctuation, grammar, and formatting), in addition to consistency checks (chapters out of order? skip a chapter? character eye color or name changes?), consistency of formatting and regional spelling (do you use both gray/grey? color/colour?), sentence variation (avoiding over-consistent sentence structures, like lots of long sentences or lots of short ones, without a thematic or narrative purpose), concision (brevity), and coherence (if something doesn’t make sense). My current rate for copy editing is 2.2 cents per word. This is subject to change.
Manuscript Evaluation
A manuscript evaluation is a less analytical developmental edit; it focuses on broad-stroke suggestions for refinement, highlights strengths/weaknesses, points out problem areas and makes suggestions for improvement, and provides an honest evaluation of the quality of the manuscript in its current form. This is perfect as a budget-friendly alternative to developmental editing, or as a precursor to more involved editing that you want to save for later in the process. My current rate for a manuscript evaluation is 1.5 cents per word. This is subject to change.
Developmental Editing
This includes a full copy edit, in addition to a focus on character arcs (are they believable? Analyzing whether they’re static or dynamic, flat or rounded, and whether that was what the author wanted for them), pacing (do things happen too quickly? too slow? Is a middle, connective part missing somewhere?), character choices and believability (do things feel forced by the invisible hand of the author? Are characters staying true to what they would do in certain situations?), stakes and engagement (is there a slow part of the story? Will the reader take it seriously/be engaged?), themes (what is the story saying? Why is it being told in the way it is?), and any other aspects as requested by the author for the developmental edit to focus upon. This is the most involved edit possible, and is best undergone when you’re ready for your manuscript to be praised at the same time it’s torn apart and built into something stronger. My current rate for developmental editing is 3 cents per word. This is subject to change.
Interested?
Or, email him at cfbellairs@gmail.com!
Author C. F. Bellairs 