I'm a writer. Many of our permanent and freelance staff members are writers. We know it's never easy to get your work onto the page. We know it can be next to impossible for most writers to get their manuscript turned into a book. And, we also know that it can be harder still -- and both emotionally and financially devastating -- to find a trusted, capable partner to give your work its best chance to be published.

Not every project will speak to us. To those that do, we offer your choice of reviewing and editing services. To projects we accept, when we encounter work that we believe holds promise, we pledge to dedicate our time and talent to your satisfaction. Is it time to give your work a chance?

We edit and review manuscripts, offering:

• Brief So-What-Do-You-Think Appraisals,
• Detailed Report-Length Reviews,
• A Polishing Edit,
• The Line-Edit, and
• The Overhaul.

Some clients merely want an educated appraisal of their work, as in, Is this worth pursuing? We don't turn down many of these requests, the fees for which generally begin at US $25.00, for manuscript lengths of one hundred pages. This level of review typically produces a report on what we liked, what we didn't, what needs work, and a summary of what we believe the work's potential is in today's marketplace.

The detailed review demands a critical yet compassionate eye. Projects requesting this service have often received several rejection letters and the writer wants an answer to, "What's wrong with what I've written?" We ask for a synopsis of your work to determine if we can offer a solid match of both interest in your manuscript and experience with your type of project. Our goal will be to learn why your manuscript hasn't been published and to tell you how to fix it, if it is fixable. Our critiques can run ten pages or a hundred, but you'll know before we begin what to expect and what our fee will be.

Editing means we'll be changing what you've written. When we consider a manuscript for edit, we ask for five things:

• The completed manuscript,
• A one-page synopsis of the work,
• A one-sentence blurb-type synopsis,
• A short service-requested statement from the author, and
• A short manuscript submission history, if applicable, with received comments attached.

The Polish Writers about to self-publish often want one more pair of eyes to review their work to eliminate typos, grammar errors and to give it a good clarity-check. We're pleased to extend this type of service to almost any manuscript. Tell us how many pages you'd like to have us edit, advise us of your deadline, and we'll shoot you back an estimate.

The Line-Edit & The Overhaul These services require a partnership commitment that begins when we read your synopses and examine the subject matter of your manuscript. Based on these, we assign an empathetic member of our staff to create a brief reviewer's synopsis. Why? It's funny, but it happens: the writer's idea of the book and the book itself may not always be exactly the same. All three synopses are posted to an assignments board and we alert all of our staff that a new assignment has been posted.

Interested members of our permanent staff and our host of professional freelancers review as much of the manuscript and supporting materials as they need to help them decide if this is an embraceable project. They then submit a written Assignment Request and we interview them to determine whom we might recommend as the best match to work with the writer.

Like pulling the handle on a slot machine, three things must fall into place for an assignment to be won by a specific member of our staff:

• The editor must have available time for the project,
• The editor must demonstrate a certain level of passion for the work, and
• The author must select the editor from among those who've taken an interest in the manuscript based on our recommendations and the spirit embodied in the Assignment Requests.

That's right. The writer gets to choose.

How does a writer decide? Writers are forwarded the Assignment Requests prepared by those of our editors who have expressed an interest in the project. Assignment Requests feature responses to the following questions:

• Why does the project "speak" to you?
• Why do you think you'd enjoy working with this writer?
• What are your hopes for the project?
• What do you find promising about the work?
• What have you seen so far that's of concern?
• Why do you believe the manuscript has not yet met with success?
• What do you plan to do about that?
• How long do you believe it will take to complete the requested level of editing.

It's our belief that by studying these Assignment Requests, the writer will be able to comfortably choose the member of our staff with whom he or she will then work.

The editor you've chosen is now somewhat familiar with the manuscript and ready to get to work. We find this is the right time for a telephone or face-to-face conference with the writer. We feel that we must really understand and appreciate your vision of the work in order to help you make its publishable execution a reality. This may take more than one call, and more than one of our staff will likely sit in on the conversation(s). When it's possible, we'll have every available editor who expressed an interest in your work attend this conference.

The Nervous Time After the writer and editor have spoken, we give both parties one week exactly to decide whether or not to pursue the project. No one wants to make a mistake. This is a big deal. If the writer's goals, attitude and the quality of the manuscript all seem to hold sufficient promise, and if both the writer and the editor agree to proceed, then the project will be formally undertaken. A simple contract will be offered and this is when payment will be due. Up until this time, the writer will not have invested a nickel more than the cost of postage and the phone calls.

It's A Go

Now that we're all in agreement, a schedule of online or phone conversations will be arranged from the inception of the contract until the scheduled completion date. We prefer online instant messaging to keep costs down but sometimes the phone does work best.

Depending on the level of service you've chosen, when we're done, you'll either be ready to submit your manuscript for publication, or you'll know what remains to be done before we'd recommend you submit.

If you've chosen the overhaul, we will have completed our editing to the best of our ability within the framework of your vision. If you've chosen our line-edit service, we'll have revised your work except for those passages we've agreed that you need to rewrite. When you've completed those passages, we will perform a polishing edit on the manuscript.

Before contract's end, we'll provide you with a list of the best matches to literary agents. But do know this: we do not speak for any agent. We cannot promise that an agent will find your work irresistible. We stay on top of the literary scene and we track agents who are open to submissions but publishing is a volatile and dynamic industry and no editor should ever promise what an agent will or won't want from one day to the next.

We will also provide you with the draft of an agent query letter. And, finally, we will supply a review letter happily testifying to the merit we've found in your completed work.

It seems as if every single time there's a person who wants something, there are about a hundred other people anxious to take that person's money to help him or her "get" that something. Writers and would-be writers can be especially vulnerable.

We take no joy in being negative. We've agonized over including these words of caution. But beyond the writing itself, you're taking a good step toward becoming published by considering working with an editor on your manuscript. That's great. But, please be careful.

There are fee-based literary agents who've never sold a manuscript, manuscript submission services who've never placed a manuscript, and editing services that promise you a roomful of authors all wiggling and eager to give you their undivided attention ... despite the rather obvious impediment of never having heard of you, and having no conceivable idea if your project is a good match for their abilities and experience. Besides, not all that many authors are the least bit qualified to give others' editorial feedback. And please, beware of any service which promises to work with writers of any and all levels of skill. No, not everyone is or can be a writer.

If you'd like to see if we might be of service, we want to hear from you. Write to us.

We offer these few words of advice and encouragement:

• Don't give up.
• Write every day.
• Set writing goals and live up to them.
• Writers read. Are you reading?
• Be an acquisitive student. Ask questions about everything, even if it's only yourself you're asking. Tilt your head at the world.
• Writing is supposed to be hard, otherwise everyone would be a writer ... and everyone definitely is not.
• Writers write. Learn to ignore distractions.
• People who don't support your writing ambition wholeheartedly can sour you on it. Choose better friends.
• Assume you can succeed and plan for success.
• People who win start by showing up. So show up.
• When you have a bad day at the keyboard, remember how good the good days feel.
• And, remember that you're not alone.

If we may be of help, please email us.