Advertisement. Menu. Brochure. Annual report. Newsletter. Mass mailing. Book. Magazine.

Each is an interaction with your target audience, enticing them or informing them.

Whether you write it yourself, collect items written by others, or depend on a public relations firm, a trained editor can ensure that your publication is error-free and as cogent and persuasive as possible. Businesses and organizations routinely publish things riddled with misspelled words, random punctuation, and ludicrous errors. You lose the respect of potential patrons and established members when your publication looks carelessly composed and poorly written. Don’t alienate your readers with publications that are less than the best. Let me help.

I offer quick turnaround for short pieces, from the same day for an ad or menu to overnight for newsletters and brochures, to help you meet your deadlines. If your business or organization publishes multiple pieces on a regular basis, consider keeping me on retainer to look over every piece as it comes up, including newsletters, ads, and mailings. If you work with a public relations firm, consider letting me look over their copy before approving it; many embarrassing mistakes can be caught and corrected at this stage. See my blog, Crotchets, for cautionary examples of work that never passed through the hands of a trained editor.

My fees are based on length for individual pieces submitted by e-mail for same-day or overnight service. I will provide individual estimates for longer pieces such as annual reports at an hourly rate. Monthly and yearly contracts for regular and/or multiple publications can be arranged at a discounted rate.

Fee Structure

Same-day service: $50 per piece, maximum length 2 pages, electronic submission only
Overnight service: $150 for a 4-page newsletter or equivalent, $250 for a 6- to 8-page newsletter or equivalent, electronic submission only
General rate: $75 per hour, with a 2-hour minimum
Contract rate: $200 a month buys 3 hours of editing time, with additional hours billed at the general rate

Services are offered as paper or electronic editing.

Paper: I will edit and return a printout of your piece. I will proofread a corrected copy to ensure all the changes have been transferred. Copy to be edited must be printed out double-spaced with 1-inch margins on all four sides to allow room for marking up the text and writing queries.

Electronic: I will work directly with your Word file and return a completely corrected or marked-up file. Pieces received by e-mail can be returned within 2 hours (same-day service for menus and ads) or overnight (send it by 8 p.m. and it will be in your in-box next morning). If for any reason I cannot open or work with the file received, I will need paper copy.