The Dramatic Pen

Professional Editing Services

 

Warning! It's always (and I mean ALWAYS) a shock when people get back their first edit from us. We are extremely nit-picky and detail-oriented. Generally, every single sentence will have at least one mark. Every single page will contain copious marks and lines and comments in the margins. So, just be prepared.

Remember, this is not just an edit, it's a "critique." The root-word for "critique" is "criticism." But the goal in this kind of critique is always for the benefit of the writer, not his/her undoing. Writing is hard work. But, the good new s is, there's (almost) never a piece of writing that can't be improved or that has no potential. Additionally, please don't take the number of marks as an indication that we don't like your work. We are going to LOVE your work! We love writers! We love people who are willing to put themselves out there. Getting an edit back can be hard! But it's the most valuable thing you can do for your writing and for your future audience. So, are you ready?

 

COST:

Book Manuscripts: We charge $30 per hour.

 

Short Projects (articles, blog posts, poetry, children's books, short-stories, etc.): We charge $5 per double-spaced page.

 

Note: You can choose whichever pricing plan you like. Even if your project is a long one but you prefer to pay by the page instead of by the hour, that is up to you.

 

WHAT KINDS OF PROJECTS DO YOU TAKE?

We will consider any project (if it's in English) and can expand

beyond the list below, but we specialize in the following:

 

• Fiction

• How To Books

• Poetry

• Résumés 

• Creative Non-fiction

• Proposals/Grants

• Theology &  Philosophy

• Devotionals

• Professional Letters & Queries

• Select Non-Fiction

• Articles and Short Pieces 

 

WHAT KIND OF FEEDBACK CAN I EXPECT?

If we agree to take on your project, you will find our critiques are very

thorough. They address the following:

 

• Spelling

• Grammar

• Passive vs. Active Voice

• Tense

• POV (Point of View)

• Style & Flow

• Structure and Formatting

• Content (Are there gaps? Does it make sense?
  Does it fit the genre? Is more research needed? Etc.)

• Theological and/or Philosophical Accuracy (if applicable)

• Overall Impressions

• Suggestions for further improvement or study

• Genre-specific insights

• Basic Salability of the Piece (if applicable)
  (Not a guarantee of publication nor is it a
  professional market analysis.)

• AND MORE!

 

 

 

HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO GET STARTED?
We charge $90 for all new projects, paid in advance. That gets you (at least) 3 hours worth of work. We will give you additional payment details upon the acceptance of your project. Please do not send any payments until after you have communicated with the editor to be certain we are accepting new clients.

 

HOW DO YOUR SERVICES COMPARE TO OTHER EDITORS?

Every editor is unique in their approach to a project, and no editor is perfect. However, we can offer you an intensive and detailed edit that will be sure to not only improve your current project, but teach you a few things about the craft of writing. Our editor, Ms. Thomas, has her bachelor's of science in English education and her master's degree in philosophy. She has over 15 years of editing experience and has honed her craft of writing for over 30 years. She is a multi-published, award-winning author in her own right and knowledgeable in many areas. Price-wise, we are also extremely competitive. Additionally, the author sets the pace, makes intermediate changes, and can stop the process at any time.

 

WHY DO YOU CHARGE BY THE HOUR INSTEAD OF BY THE WORD?

It's true that many editors charge by the word. However, we found that per-word charges only make sense with very rough, first drafts. Every experienced writer knows that ALL manuscripts will require at least three drafts (i.e. first draft, second draft, final draft). Naturally, second drafts and manuscripts written by more experienced writers simply don't need as much work. Should editors charge the same to edit a polished draft as they charge for an error-riddled draft? We think not. By charging by the hour, we get paid more for the rougher manuscripts that take a lot of time and effort, but much less for the 2nd or 3rd-draft manuscripts we can breeze through. This is a huge benefit to the client, because they can be confident that paying for a second review of their work will not cost them what it did the first time through. The easier the edit, the less it costs the client, the further the client's dollar will stretch.

 

WHAT IF MY PIECE NEEDS A LOT OF WORK?

We do not want to waste our time or your money; however, that doesn't mean we can't help you. If your work needs a great deal of attention, that will become clear after the first three hours of intensive edits. This will alert you to the major, repeated issues that we discover in the text. We will return it to you and you can fix those things in the remainder of your manuscript before submitting it to us again. This will help you learn to self-edit and will save you money. Remember, even after you get a first review back and you make those changes, your work will most likely still require a second or even a third review. Writing is improved through multiple drafts.

 

CAN I PUT A PRICE CAP ON HOW MUCH YOU DO?

Absolutely! Though we do charge for the first 3 hours of work in advance ($90), you will pay for the rest of the project edit on your own time schedule, based on your budget. If you only want another $30 worth of feedback, we'll stop at 1 hour of work. If you choose to continue, you can pay for as little as an hour at a time in advance.

 

HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE FOR MY BOOK TO GET EDITED?

The length of time for editing a full-length manuscript varies and is dependent largely on the author. Since work is only done once a block of time is purchased, the author determines the pace. Of course, the editor must have time to complete the work, and our usual editing workdays are Fridays. So, if you pay for a chunk of time on Sunday, it may not get done until the following Friday. Our prices are very low compared to other editors in part because Ms. Thomas, the editor, works a second job. Though she will do her best to accomplish paid work in a timely manner (usually within a week's time), she does not accept rush jobs and, if her time is already booked with another author, she will not accept the job at all or let you know if advance of the waiting period. Of course, if your book is worth the work, it's worth the time. It's never a good idea to put out an inferior product just to get it out there sooner. If you have any concerns about this, please contact us. We can also refer you to other editors who accept rush jobs; however, most editors charge by the word, meaning you will be paying considerably more.

 

HOW DO I GET STARTED? DO I JUST SEND YOU MY WORK?

Please do not send us anything until we have had a chance to approve the arrangement. We require a signed contract of services for all projects. This can only be obtained directly from us. Please visit the Contact Page to inquire about your specific project needs. The first project consultation (to determine if our services are a right fit for your project) is free.

 

(Note: We reserve the right to refuse any project. We do not work on projects that directly conflict with the Christian world-view.)

 

WHAT FORMAT SHOULD MY WORK BE IN WHEN I SUBMIT IT TO YOU?

That's up to you. You can send a hard copy by mail. If you do so, please include a prepaid envelope for its return. Or, you can send us a Microsoft Word Document, either by emailing it to us (editor@thedramaticpen.com) or by use of a DropBox.Com account. For electronic submissions, we do our edits using a "track changes" document so that, when you get it back, you can approve or reject any changes we suggest. Additionally, please double-space the entire document and include page numbers. Be sure to include your name and contact information with your submission. Please do not send us (or anyone!) the only copy you have of your work!

 

I'M WORRIED ABOUT MY WORK GETTING STOLEN. ARE YOUR SERVICES CONFIDENTIAL AND SECURE?
Many authors are concerned about confidentiality and security when it comes to their intellectual property, and for good reason. Be assured, however, that our services are completely confidential. We do not share your work with anyone outside the company, nor do we discuss the content with anyone. If we feel you would benefit from some additional input, we will direct you to those areas (such a a Facebook group) where you can get that feedback yourself, but we will never post or share about your work for you. Furthermore, we seek to use secure means of communication and manuscript delivery. We do not save copies of your work where other parties can access it. Your work is SAFE with us!

 

WHEN YOU'RE DONE EDITING MY BOOK, WILL YOU PUBLISH IT?

The publishing arm of this company is separate from the writers' services arm. That means we have different policies--one is a product line, the other is a service. Our publishing company does not operate on a self-publishing or vanity publishing model, meaning no one can pay us to publish their book. We maintain this strict policy to ensure that we never put out an inferior product simply because someone paid us to do it. Authors who hire us to do the editing for their book are free to then submit that book to us for consideration for publication; however, there is no guarantee we will accept it. That also means that, if you hired us to help you get your book ready for publication through our editing service, formatting service, etc., you retain ALL rights to your work. You are free to self-publish it or submit it to another publisher of your choice.