1. Read the Overview. If you haven’t read the overview section, please do. It is foundational to a good understanding of what editing means for your work.

2. Heads-up. Please let me know as early as possible what your ideal publishing timeline will be. I want to be able to work with you to achieve your goals. Although it’s tempting to set a firm release date and plan your book signings as soon as you’ve finished your first draft, please understand that I can set a firm copyediting schedule after, and only after, I see what kind of editing the work requires.

3. Submit your manuscript for an editorial analysis. When I receive your manuscript, I will complete an analysis of a random 8-10 page sampling to determine where in the editing stages your writing falls. This will take 24 hours to complete and I will provide you with a one page written document that delineates the type of editing the text requires and why. The analysis will also estimate the cost and time it will take should you choose to hire me to bring your manuscript to completion.

4. Consultation. I will give you a personal consultation over coffee, by Skype, or by phone during which we review the analysis and the manuscript sampling together and discuss a plan of action. If the text requires more work than you expected, we will discuss how you can improve the text yourself and explore creative ways we can work together so you get the most of your editing budget.

5. Book the time. At or soon after the editorial consultation, you may book my time with a 50% deposit of the estimated cost of editing. At this point we agree upon the timeline for completion and editing begins.