TRUE IMAGINARY
LITERARY SERVICES
Where Ideas Become Reality
Choosing your editor and publishing team is going to be one of the most important things that you do as a writer and author. And, truthfully, it can be a really overwhelming and confusing process, as each editor has their own systems and works in their own way. I have done my best to lay out my services so that you know exactly what you're getting (and some hints of what the experience of working with me will be like). If you have any questions about the services offered here or the editing process in general, please don't hesitate to reach out.
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It is my goal to help as many authors as I can to reach their writing and publishing goals. If you book a consulting call or reach out through email, there is no obligation to book services with me. I just want to help to lead you in the best direction!
ABOUT TRUE IMAGINARY
Est. 2016
I established this company as a place where writers at all stages of their career, experience, and writing journey could come to nurture their books into their best possible version.
I believe that the author-editor relationship is one that requires an immense amount of trust and good communication. I am known for delivering long editorial letters and detailed line edits. This is because I both believe in never presenting a problem without offering a potential road to solution and I believe the developmental editing stage is the opportunity to push a story forward (even through several drafts!) until it reaches it's full potential.
I strive to be as honest as I am encouraging and to be with my authors through their story development so that they can be proud of and confident in the end result.
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If this sounds like it might be a good fit for you, I would be excited to hear about your project!
Are you a StoryCraft: Writing Your Novel Course Participant?
All editing services are 15% off.
DEVELOPMENTAL EDITING
Manuscript Evaluation
What Is It? Usually this is the first stage of editing for most books. It is a big-picture edit where I will be looking at all of the foundational element (the plotting, characterization, pacing, voice, perspective, balance of scenes, etc.) The purpose of these edits is to work out all of those structural elements before turning our attention to the more micro details (the language, flow, grammar, etc.)
How Much Is It? $1200 for the first 50,000 words and $12/1000 words after that. Payment is $600 upfront and the remainder at the delivery of your evaluation.
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What Is Included? I will do a thorough read-through of your manuscript and will write a comprehensive letter with my assessment, including its strengths and areas in need of improvement. I will also offer suggestions for how issues could be resolved and prompts and questions that will hopefully help you find the right solution to each issue. Note: This service does not include any notes or on-the-page edits within your manscript.
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Who Is This Service Best For? Writers who has done as much as they can do on their own (including taking advantage of writer's groups and alpha readers) and want to get their book up to standard for publishing.
Substantive Edit
What Is It? This is a more detailed big-picture edit that combines the editorial letter from the manuscript evaluation with on-the-page notes throughout the manuscript, offering further detail and examples of elements mentioned in the letter and some thoughts and reactions during the read. Also, because I am taking longer with my read and making more extensive notes along the way, the letter is usually even more detailed, addressing smaller topics.
How Much Is It? $1600 for the first 50,000 words and $16/1000 words after that. Payment is $800 upfront and the remainder at the delivery of your evaluation.
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What Is Included? An editorial letter like the one offered in the Manuscript Evaluation plus on-the-page notes throughout the manuscript using the Comments function in Microsoft Word.
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Who Is This Service Best For? Writers who are interested in a more in-depth look at the prose and story development. Ideally, at this stage, most of the major structural work should be done and we are looking more at the details scene-to-scene and pushing the story to its highest point.
STYLISTIC EDITING
What Is It? Line-by-line editing on the page to improve the flow, style, and readability of the prose. This should only be done after all of the developmental work is done and the structural elements of the story are in place. This stage might include some structure work on the placement, length, and necessity of scenes but it is ideally done when all of the story choices have been made.
How Much Is It? Price is determined by a writing sample.
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What Is Included? In-line edits throughout the manuscript. This is a service where I adapt to each other's needs and preferences. For some, I am doing extensive edits while others like a light hand where I will only deals with any material that compromises the understanding of the piece. Expectations are set during the writing sample evaluation. Note: This is not a copy edit. While it will address any errors or issues that I see, it is not meant to be the final stage of editing.
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Who Is This Service Best For? For this service, I only work with clients who I have done evaluations on or am working with as a coach. To do this work effectively requires a certain level of understanding of the author, their style, and preferences. I recommend this service for those that are self-publishing their first book, as they generally have less professional eyes on their work before it makes into the world and this service can help you refine your voice and style as a new author.
Stylistic Review
What Is It? For clients that are planning to submit their work to agents and those that want some feedback on their prose. The most common reason that agents and readers pass on a submission is because the writer's craft is not up to industry standard. This service is both an edit of your work and offers suggestions on how you can improve the prose throughout the rest of the work.
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How Much Is It? $400 for 2500 words.
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What Is Included? In-line stylistic edits, equivalent to those described above, for the first 10 pages of a manuscript and a short letter detailing common issues found and suggestions for improvements. I approach this work from my experience as a reader and consultant for literary agencies, where usually about 3% of the submissions pass these initial pages.
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Who Is This Service Best For? Writers who are getting ready to publish, either by entering traditional publishing through submitting to agents and small publishers or those who are self-publishing. The goal of this service is to learn more about your strengths and weaknesses as a writer (we all have them at every stage!) and to use that knowledge to improve throughout the rest of the manuscript. This can be done before getting a full stylistic edit to reduce the cost or as a cost-conscious alternative to a full stylistic edit.
ADDITIONAL SERVICES
Book/Writing Coaching
What Is It? One-on-one sessions to work through your draft and rewrites or to help boost your writer's craft skills. Coaching services are always designed alongside every writer to best serve their needs. It can involve video call sessions where we talk through your work and writing process and can include editing and critiquing sections of your writing as we work.
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How Much Is It? You can buy sessions individually or in blocks of time. When buying an individual session, it can be used for a 1hr coaching call or can be split between a 30-min call and reading up to 20 pages beforehand. With blocks of time, you can use the time as you see fit, either for coaching calls, for reading/editing work, or for a combination of the two.
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Pricing:
Single Session: $150
5-hr Block: $600
10-hr Block: $1000
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What Is Included? Single sessions can be either a one-hour call to discuss your project or I can read up to 20 pages before the session to discuss. Blocks of time are entirely customizable to your needs. Most people like to book regular coaching sessions either weekly, bi-weekly or monthly and will submit work for review before each session during rewrites.
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Who Is This Service Best For? Writers who are looking for an accountability partner, want to work on their writer's craft skills, want help getting them to the end of their first draft, or all of the above. As a coach, I am part mentor, part teacher, part cheerleader, part project manager, part alarm clock.
StoryCraft Course Participants:
Single Session: $120
5-hr Block: $500
10-hr Block: $800
Outline & Query Letter Review
What Is It? The beginning and end of creating a novel can be the most difficult and can also have a huge impact on the success of the project. With this service, I will do a review of either your novel outline or your query letter for submission to agents and small publishers. I also offer a submission package review, that includes your query letter, synopsis, and a critique of the first 5,000 words of your manuscript.
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How Much Is It?
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Outline Review: $500
Query Letter Review: $300
Submission Package Review: $600
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What Is Included? ​You will receive a letter with all of your review notes and suggestions as well as in-line notes throughout your documents.
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Who Is This Service Best For? For the Outline Review, those who are approaching their first draft and would like to streamline the process of writing by working through the major story elements. For the Submission Package/Query Letter, those who are about to embark on querying or those who have started querying and want some insight into why they are not getting requests for additional pages.
StoryCraft Course Participants:
Outline Review: $400
Query Letter Review: $250
Submission Package Review: $500