Why do you need an editor?

The benefits of an edit by an experienced editor are many, from correct spelling, punctuation and grammar to the more in-depth issues of maximizing plot, characterization, pacing and tone. An editor is the pair fresh eyes that every writer needs. A sensitive editor is one who respects your voice and personal style.

Send us an example of your work and we will discuss what type of edit you need:

Proofreading is the final check for typos, repeated words, spacing and formatting consistency.

Copy Editing corrects grammar, word usage, and punctuation, while checking for internal consistency of facts.

Line Editing includes the above, but also addresses style, refining each line for smooth and clear text.

Developmental Editing looks at the forest, not just the trees. It is, as you can imagine, complex and time-consuming. As it concerns the structure of a book, it is best done after a first draft so fundamental problems can be tackled from the outset.

Is your story ready for editing? Give it the best chance you can.
Flash Fiction: (up to 1200 words) full critique/copy edit plus follow-up
£15

Short Stories: 1200 to 5000 words for line by line editing and a full comments sheet.
£25

Follow-up if needed

Are you at the second draft stage? Contact me to discuss rates for a full
critique, a line-by-line copy edit or simply a proof-read.

“There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a
typewriter and bleed.”

Ernest Hemingway

I met Sophie in Paris where she worked tirelessly with me to edit and refine twenty-two, multiform short stories. She is a joy to work with because of her uplifting, motivating personality and genuine interest in the work She is a good listener and careful reader who seeks first to understand, then gives highly individualized and personalized attention to each of her clients.

Whit Sanders

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As all writers know, spending several years writing a novel gives you a one-sided perspective on your work, to the point that it is impossible to see its more subtle flaws – and indeed sometimes even big ones! This is crucial when approaching agents for publication and your work must be as perfect as it can be. Even more important is an overall impression of characters and their behaviour, repetition and action and the many other pitfalls that result in being too close to your writing. However, when I met Sophie Cole all ofthese worries were put to rest. I have never met anyone with such an eagle eye for detail and the patience to spend hours, line by line, reading through my novel, picking up on things I had never seen despite rereading many times. She greatly improved my text, chapter by chapter, and refined the dialogue and the plot. Her suggestions were intelligent and interesting and I inevitably applied them, almost without exception. I highly recommend her for editing work on short stories and novels, for her thoroughness and fresh approach to producing a professional piece of work.

(Carol Brick-Stock. Short story writer, published and short listed for Wasafiri New Writing, Fish Memoir and Gem Street short story collection. Her novel, Out ofPlace, is set in Paris and Dublin.)

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Thank you Sophie for taking the time to read my stories, and to comment on the content. It is this type of encouragement that keeps me writing. As one globe trotter to another, we are exposed to so many fantastic
stories in our daily life, it is wrong not to put them down, and share with others

Mick Alkan, Tel Aviv, Addis Ababa or Saigon, depending on the season.

~~~
Like many authors, I know how much my novels benefit from the clear eye and literary good sense ofa fine editor. I asked Sophie Cole to run her eye (and pen) over the 72,000 words of my latest novel, provisionally titled ‘Sherlock Holmes And The Nine-Dragon Sigil’ and she has come up trumps. It’s well said that an editor requires at least three personal characteristics – love, as well as knowledge, of our language; Consistency, and above all Empathy with authors while aware there’s more to editing than a zeal for rules and detail. Every author presents different challenges. A good editor needs to know where to be prescriptive (telling you like it is), where to cut slack, and where to probe the author’s intentions before making suggestions.

I recommend Sophie on all the above counts. From the start you know she’s on your side, a full member of a team determined to give the world out there a darned good read.
Tim Symonds.