When you reach out to me, I'll ask for some details about your project and your goals, including the length, genre, state of the manuscript, tentatively requested service (pending my evaluation), tentatively requested timeline (pending my evaluation and availability), and others. If your manuscript sounds like a good fit for me (and I for you), we will proceed. 

The process is (almost always) as follows:

1. You send me a 10- or 20-page (depending on service requested) double-spaced Microsoft Word, Google doc, or other format of excerpt in 12 pt. Times New Roman or other serif font for evaluation. (For developmental edits, I often request up to 20 pages. For proofreads, 10. I will be sure to specify for all evaluations.) Please, no PDFs.

2. I invoice you for the $20 evaluation fee. 

3. Once I receive payment, I review your work, evaluate it, and provide you with a sample edit/sample suggestions (depending on the particular service that you've requested or I've identified as most appropriate). My assessment of your work will be fully detailed. 

4. I return the sample edit and evaluation to you for you to review. Whether or not you move forward with my services, this small edit is yours!

5. If you are interested in moving forward, I provide you with a quote, at which point we can discuss the particulars of the service or services with which you want to move forward, including costs and timelines. 

6. Once we agree upon the services, costs, and timelines, we both sign a contract. 

7. I invoice you for 10% of the total contracted amount, which secures the dates for your project. 

8. If the manuscript is done already, you can send me the pages at any time. I request that you send the completed pages at least one week prior to your editing dates. After you send me your pages, please do not make changes that would require you to send me new pages after I've already begun editing. I will not start over. 

9. Once the dates for your project arrive, I begin editing the work. I may reach out with questions in the midst of my editing, but I will likely provide only brief status updates. 

10. At the end of the project, I upload the edited manuscript and editorial letter to a password-protected page on my website for you to purchase at the agreed-upon amount, less the 10% deposit. I remain available for questions for this specific manuscript. 

11. After you respond to queries and review changes, you send a further-commented (and sometimes further-edited) draft back to me. I review your comments and questions. At this point, we may or may not also chat on the phone or Zoom about the edits and changes. 

12. I then clean up the document according to your responses and our conversations. I accept, reject, or adjust all changes and provide a new clean draft. Some authors prefer to do this themselves; this is your prerogative and wholly up to you.

Please note that I do not return manuscripts in parts; the whole is just as important as the individual pieces.