Why Hire a Professor Editor?
Because you can’t always see what’s missing when you’re this close to the story.
You know your book better than anyone—which is exactly why editing your own work can be so difficult. After months or years inside a manuscript, it becomes harder to spot inconsistencies, pacing problems, underdeveloped ideas, repetitive language, or simply the places where what’s on the page doesn’t quite match what you intended.
Beta readers and critique partners can provide valuable feedback, but a professional editor brings trained, objective eyes and an understanding of publishing industry expectations to your manuscript.
Depending on the level of editing your book needs, professional editing can help strengthen structure and organization, deepen character development, improve pacing and clarity, refine your writing, correct grammar and consistency issues, and prepare your manuscript for its next step.
And that next step matters.
Whether your goal is to query literary agents, approach publishers, pursue hybrid publishing, or self-publish, your manuscript will be competing in a crowded marketplace. Professional editing helps ensure you're not just submitting a finished book—you're presenting the strongest version of your book possible.
You did the hard work of writing it. Now let’s make sure it’s ready to be read.
More Than an Editor—A Guide Through the Writing Process
“I spoke with a number of editors before engaging with Anne. Prices and suggested editorial approaches varied rather dramatically. Anne’s practical proposal made sense to me, and I got even more than I imagined.
I’m a first-time author, and I’m no spring chicken. I have no formal writing education, and my reading experience is heavily weighted toward the classics, which aren’t exactly bestsellers today. In spite of my inexperience, Anne immediately captured the thread of my intended message and helped me harness it into more efficient, contemporary prose.
She repeatedly challenged me to do better, but not without leaving me the necessary breadcrumbs to find my way. I could not be more grateful for her patient, compassionate, and professional guidance.
—Philip Verges, Author of Finding We
Sharpening the Message Without Losing the Voice
I had the opportunity to work with John Patterson on HIGH TQ: Why It Matters More Than Expertise as the book’s line editor. Because the manuscript was built around more than fifteen years of developed methodology and precise, trademarked terminology, my focus was on strengthening clarity, flow, consistency, and readability while carefully preserving the authors’ established voice and proprietary language. It was a rewarding project that required a thoughtful balance between editorial refinement and respecting the integrity of an already well-developed framework.
“Anne Brooks MacDonald was the line editor for HIGH TQ: Why It Matters More Than Expertise, and she was exactly what a book like ours needed. Our manuscript carried precise, trademarked language and a methodology built over fifteen-plus years. Anne sharpened every page without flattening the voice or disturbing the definitions that mattered. She caught what we couldn't see, asked the right questions, and made the work better at every pass. She was a joy to work with, and I'd hire her again in a minute.”—John Patterson Co-Founder & CEO, Influential U® Co-author, HIGH TQ: Why It Matters More Than Expertise, #1 Bestseller
Editorial Services:
Formal Book Review: This service involves a comprehensive review of your manuscript, offering expert feedback on story structure, character development, and overall writing strengths and areas for improvement to enhance your work. This included a formal written review. Additionally, it includes a 60-minute one-on-one follow-up session to discuss the review in detail and explore potential next steps.
Who is right for this service?
This service is ideal for writers who have finished their first draft and are unsure where to begin with the editing process. It also caters to writers who are preparing to query or submit their manuscript and seek professional feedback on its current readiness and potential for success.
Typical Investment: $750
Developmental Edit: An evaluation of how effectively the pieces of your book work together and identifies what may be missing, underdeveloped, out of place, or preventing the manuscript from reaching its full potential. Depending on your manuscript, this may include evaluating overall structure and organization, pacing, chapter and scene development, character or subject development, clarity and progression of ideas, point of view, conflict and stakes, content or story gaps, repetition, transitions, reader engagement, and the strength of the opening and conclusion.
Who is right for this service?
This service is designed for writers who have finished their first draft and seek professional feedback primarily on story/manuscript structure. Typically, these writers have already received input from beta readers and critique partners before engaging a professional editor.
Typical Investment: $2,000
Line/Detail Edit: This editing service looks at the manuscript sentence by sentence to improve the author’s voice, style, clarity, rhythm, and overall reader experience. A line edit addresses things like awkward or weak sentences, wordiness, repetition, unclear passages, sentence flow and variety, dialogue, transitions, tone, overused words or phrases, show-vs.-tell issues, and places where the prose could be stronger or more engaging. As a follow up this includes a 60-minute one-on-one follow-up session to discuss the review comprehensively and consider next steps.
Who is right for this service?
This service is tailored for writers who have completed their first draft, undergone developmental editing, received feedback from beta readers and/or critique partners, and are now seeking an edit to polish and refine their manuscript at the line level.
Typical Investment: ~.065-.05 cents per word
Copyline Edit: This editing service goes beyond correcting grammar and punctuation. Your manuscript is carefully reviewed for sentence structure, word choice, clarity, flow, consistency, repetition, awkward phrasing, dialogue, transitions, tone, grammar, spelling, punctuation, and usage.
Who is right for this service?
This service is tailored for writers who have completed their first draft, undergone developmental and line editing, received feedback from beta readers and/or critique partners, and are now seeking a final edit to polish and refine their manuscript before submission.
Typical Investment: ~.045-.03 cents per word
Polishing a Manuscript into a New York Times Bestseller
I had the pleasure of working with Joel Comm, New York Times bestselling author and AI keynote speaker, to edit and format his manuscript for publication. My focus was on polishing the prose, strengthening clarity and consistency, and ensuring the final manuscript was professionally prepared for readers. The book went on to become a New York Times bestseller—an incredible milestone and a project I’m proud to have been part of.
"Like many writers, my thoughts hit the keyword as fast as my mind can process them. And like many writers, that means that the words don't always come out precisely as pictured in my mind. The last thing you want as a writer is for a grammatical error or misplaced punctuation to stand out and tarnish the reader experience. That's why I'm grateful for Anne MacDonald! She was able to take my manuscript and fix the parts that I didn't pick up on. She did a great job of polishing my manuscript so I could feel confident in releasing it to the public.” ––Joel Comm, New York Times Best-Selling Author and AI Keynote Speaker
Elevate Your Manuscript: Professional Developmental Editing Services
Meet Kirsten, an aspiring author with a captivating debut novel in her YA series. Excited to take her manuscript to the next level, Kirsten sought professional guidance to refine her work before embarking on the journey to secure a literary agent.
My tailored feedback not only brought Kirsten's manuscript up to industry standards but also equipped her with the confidence to begin the querying process successfully. By leveraging my expertise, Kirsten now stands poised to captivate literary agents and publishers alike with her polished storytelling.
“Anne viewed the novel as an editor and a consumer, which allowed her to understand how to help me best. The process was very smooth and helped with the overall process both on my end and hers." - Kirsten, Writer