I'll read it! Editorial Services by Donna Fleisher

Have you written a novel
and now can't seem to find anyone who wants to read it?

If no one reads your story,
how will you know for sure
if it works?

You need feedback and support.
A constructive critique.
Detailed proofing.
And a vigorous edit.

Without going broke.

You've done it. You've written a novel. Congratulations!
But now are you wondering what's next?
Are you ready to submit your novel to a publisher or an agent? Are you sure you're ready?

May I ask you two more very important questions?

How well have you studied the craft of writing powerful Christian fiction?
How well do you know the industry you are about to leap headlong into?

Before you submit anything to a publishing house editor or an agent,
be sure you are ready. Only you know how well you have studied the craft, the artistry of
writing powerful fiction. Only you know how much time and effort you have invested.

Please don't get me wrong.

Before you submit your manuscript to an editor or agent, it is very important to send it to
an editorial services professional who will help you find the problems in your work
you didn't even know existed. This is one of the best ways to get the type
of constructive feedback and ongoing support you will need.

I would love to read your novel.
Along with being a Christian multi-published novelist,
I just so happen to be an editorial services professional specializing in Christian fiction.

You do sense that there is a "but" arriving soon, though, don't you.

I would love to read your story.
If you send it to me, what exactly will I do?
Well, I'll not only read it, I'll critique it and line edit a large portion of it as well.
As I read, I will clean up spelling, punctuation, grammatical, and typographical errors on the
first 100 pages; and when I'm done, I will prepare for you a detailed summary on cassette tape
of what I perceive to be the strengths and weaknesses of your overall writing style.

All this without going broke.
I promise.

But.

Yes, there is a "but."

For us to proceed with a line-edit and critique of your manuscript, first I will need
for you to fully understand what it takes to write powerful Christian fiction.
Once you hear these concepts and ideas, process them, ponder them, and then
discern for yourself if you want to accept them or disregard them . . .
Once you decide to accept these new concepts and ideas,
and choose to apply them to your writing . . .
Once you have completed the rewriting necessary to implement these new
concepts and ideas into your story and your overall writing style . . .
Then we are ready to proceed.

There is good news here.

Getting started is easy!
(And much cheaper than the full critique.)

For us to proceed, this is the place for you to start:

As I read through your novel, I will record my initial impressions
directly onto a 90-minute cassette tape and I will mark your manuscript
to point out line-editing problems such as misspelled words, spacing
problems, format errors, redundancies, and other items that catch my eye.

As I finish reading, I will continue to record my overall impressions of
your novel. Is the ending satisfying? What are the strengths and
weaknesses of the story? Are the different elements of fiction working
together as powerfully as they can to bring the story to life on the page?
Looking at such things as point of view, show versus tell, dialogue,
characterization, setting, and plot, I will evaluate your overall style and
give my opinions as to whether or not I think it works.

My opinions will be based on the concepts I believe guide us and help us
write the most powerful fiction possible. These concepts are explained
in detail in the course.

When I have completed my work, I will wrap everything up and return it
to you without delay. After you read through my comments and listen to
the critique, please e-mail me with your questions and concerns.

My service includes free and unlimited (schedule permitting) future
consultations, and should you decide to send your revisions to me for
another critique and line-edit (on the same novel), rates for these
services will be discounted by 15%, and the line-edit will extend to the
complete manuscript. Also, at this point, I would be interested in seeing
your proposal and helping you refine it.

I will put your manuscript into my editing schedule on a "first come first
served" basis. Once I receive your manuscript and begin work on it,
please allow me at least three weeks to get it back to you. (I do have
another full-time job.) No matter how long it takes me, the rate remains
the same.

What is my rate?

Most editorial professionals structure their services into three categories:
critique, line editing, and extensive rewriting.
Their rates for a complete manuscript also fall into three categories:
ouch, you've got to be kidding, and absolutely outrageous.

I like to structure my services into one simple category.
I prefer to work with a complete manuscript, and I prefer to offer a complete editorial package.
My rates also fall into one category: really?

For entire, completed novels (no page limit), my rate is $300 (plus return postage).
This flat rate will never increase, and includes
extensive constructive critique, line-by-line editing of the first 100 pages,
continued teaching to help you apply the principles of the craft of fiction
to your own writing (further explanation of the concepts discussed in the course),
unlimited future consultations (schedule permitting),
and a 15% discount on future services (working on the same story).

For my submission guidelines and contact information, click here: submissions
For comments made by previous clients about my I'll read it! services, click here: references

How else am I different from other freelance editors?

Like you, I write Christian novels. I love writing, learning how to write,
reading, and editing Christian novels. I am only interested in working
with Christian novels and short stories. I know nothing about the
mechanics of writing newspaper articles or technical manuals, so I won't
pretend to know.

When I use the word Christian in front of the word novel, I'm not
referring to a "spiritual" story. We're even starting to see that there are
differences between Christian novels and CBA novels (those sold
exclusively in Christian bookstores). The market is changing, but my
definition of a Christian novel is one that honors the God of the Bible,
the only true and living God, and glorifies the Lord Jesus Christ, His
Son. A Christian novel should entertain and either edify believers or
evangelize unbelievers. The best Christian novel will do all three of
these things.

For more information on this, click here: the Christian novel

By using a cassette tape for the critique, I will be able to give you much
more detailed information than if I only wrote out a critique summary.
You will hear ninety minutes of my ideas and suggestions as if I was
sitting beside you at the table. I believe this helps eliminate the
confusion that usually arises from written comments in a critique
summary. This also helps make the presentation more personal for you,
more enjoyable for both of us, and definitely more unique. I also enjoy
incorporating teaching into the critique, further explaining the concepts
and principles discussed in the course. By doing this, I hope to provide
the information you'll need to better understand the craft of writing
fiction, and to help you understand how to make the changes suggested.
One thing is for sure: my critiques will not be generic or boring. Why
would you want to pay good money for a form-fed generic critique of
your novel?

I prefer to do the entire service on the entire completed manuscript hard
copy. In my opinion, novelists should not actively seek extensive
critique and feedback on their stories until they have been completely
wrenched from their souls and printed, double-spaced, on clean sheets
of white paper. In other words, until they are finished. Any critique or
guidance you receive on an unfinished story only contaminates how the
remaining parts will flow. Your unique voice will change to
accommodate outside influences.

Get your story from your heart to your head to your word processor to
your printer. Then seek feedback from someone willing to read the entire
thing, from word one to The End. This is my opinion, and why I prefer to
offer complete editorial services on a completed manuscript. For this
service I prefer to charge a flat fee. I'm a slow reader. Be glad I don't
charge by the hour.

I will not actively try to rewrite your work. I don't feel it is my
responsibility to rewrite your work. I will certainly offer my ideas and
suggestions for reworking certain problem areas, but I will never tell
you how you should rewrite your story. Your style is completely your
own. Anything I do to change your style contaminates your style. In my
opinion, this is the worst thing an editor can do. Your work is your own.
I am not a "cleaner," nor a creator. I will never be a "co-creator" of your
work. I will point out problems so you can rewrite your work in your
own style to make it a better creation.

also . . .

Your work is completely your own. I will never show your work to anyone, and I will
never copy your work for my own personal use.
I will never use examples of your work on this Website or as I teach or critique.
I may allude to a non-specific concept, but I will never specifically quote or degrade your work.
Ever.
(I'm hoping the editors to whom I sent my horrible query letters all those years ago follow this rule.)

Everything you send to me carries your copyright, whether the work is specifically marked with the
copyright symbol or not. I understand this. I will not steal your words or copy your work.
I do not keep sensitive personal or financial information on file in my office.

And also, please understand, I will not be able to make specific referrals to
agents or house editors on your behalf. Your work must (and will) speak for itself.
Also, I am no longer able to give you a detailed market analysis.

I would be honored to work with you.
I know how precious your novel is to you.
The process of writing a novel is an exhilarating, rewarding adventure.
When it's finished, who knows where it may lead? Let's work together to make it really shine,
then together we can trust the Lord to take it and use it any way He can.
He won't let us down.

To read what a few of my clients had to say about the service they received, click here: references
For my submission guidelines and contact information, click here: submissions

Sorry, but I cannot edit works of non-fiction (including memoirs) or children's materials.
If you are working on a non-fiction or children's manuscript, please consider checking out
The Christian Proofreaders and Editors Network. You'll be sure to find an editor
there who will be a perfect fit for you and your project.

www.theChristianPEN.com

editorial services

1 Corinthians 3:7-9

So then neither he
who plants is
anything, nor he
who waters, but
God who gives the
increase.
Now he who plants
and he who waters
are one, and each
one will receive his
own reward
according to his
own labor.
For we are God's
fellow workers.

Job 38:1, 8-11

Then the LORD
answered Job out of
the whirlwind, and
said: "Who shut in
the sea with doors,
when it burst forth
and issued from the
womb; when I made
the clouds its
garment, and thick
darkness its
swaddling band;
when I fixed My
limit for it, and set
bars and doors;
when I said, 'This
far you may come,
but no farther, and
here your proud
waves must stop!' "

1 Corinthians 10:31

Therefore, whether
you eat or drink, or
whatever you do, do
all to the glory of
God.

For references, click here.

Bringing Fiction to Life
On Writing Powerful Christian Novels

A set of six hour-long cassettes or CDs designed to enlighten and educate new novelists about
the craft of writing not just any fiction, but powerful Christian fiction.

What does it take to bring a story to life?
A story needs to breathe to live. It needs a pumping heartbeat.
How do novelists breathe life into their stories?

In this six-hour course on writing powerful Christian fiction, I'll share the
concepts and ideas I've learned over my years in the industry.
This may be just what you have been looking for.
I hope it is.

Wherever you are on this writing journey, whether you are ready to submit or not,
even if you later decide you don't want a full critique or line edit, I am confident
you will easily be able to incorporate the ideas presented in this course into your
writing to not only make your current story stronger, but every story you will ever write.

The cost of the course is $45 plus $4.95 for shipping.

For more information on the course and what it entails, please click here.
To read what prospective I'll read it! clients had to say about the course, please click here.

Please continue to read on about my editorial services,
but remember that it all begins by listening to the course.
Thank you.

So, after listening to the course, processing, pondering, discerning, and all that . . .
after rewriting your entire manuscript to incorporate and apply the new
information you've learned . . . are you now ready for a complete critique?

Just what does a complete critique involve?

Glad you asked.

To get started by learning more about how to bring your fiction to life, how to
write powerful Christian fiction, click here: the course

If you don't think I may be a good match for you and your manuscript,
or if you need the work done faster, please consider contacting Camy Tang.
She is a published novelist with Zondervan and also a freelance editor.
She would love to talk with you.
Check out her very informative blog for Christian novelists here:
www.storysensei.blogspot.com, or send her an e-mail at camys.loft (at) gmail (dot) com.

updated
May 14th, 2008