It doesn’t matter how beautifully you write. If your book jumps all over the place and fails to take the reader on a logical journey, it won’t resonate or get traction. Which means your ‘big idea’ will never get the chance to spread.
A structural edit ensures your book:
- Flows smoothly (from sentence to sentence, paragraph to paragraph, section to section, chapter to chapter)
- Delivers on the promise made in the title and sub-title
Before I commit to a structural edit, I do a manuscript read to establish what kind of structural edit the manuscript is ready for.
A manuscript read costs $150AUD per 10,000 words.
Once I've done the manuscript read I can then advise which of the following two structural edits your book is ready for:
1. High-pass structural edit
I usually recommend this edit when a manuscript isn't quite finished, or doesn't deliver on the promise the title is making. I make high-level comments in the manuscript, and usually suggest re-structuring both of chapters, and within chapters. I also make notes to help you fill any gaps I identify in the manuscript.
Once you've completed your edits and re-writes, your manuscript will usually be ready for a granular structural edit (see below).
A high-pass structural edit costs $500AUD.
2. Granular structural edit
This kind of structural edit suits a manuscript that is at the 'very very solid' stage -- usually the point where you've been through the manuscript a few times already, and feel you've done all you can to make it as good as it can be.
In a granular structural edit I go through the entire manuscript and clean up every transition (between sentences, paragraphs, sections and chapters) and move information around to ensure the book reads smoothly and delivers your idea in the most logical and satisfactory way possible.
Please note - a granular structural edit is not a line edit (although a lot of line editing is involved). A line edit would be done after this stage. For line editing, I recommend Bill Harper.
A granular structural edit costs 4c per word.
What should you budget?
Most books I've worked with have involved all three of:
- Manuscript read (usually between $650 and $900 depending on the number of words)
- High-level structural edit - $500
- Granular structural edit (usually between $900 and $1650, depending on the number of words)
Let's chat!
For a free consultation to help you determine whether we're a great fit for each other, click here to book a time.
Or drop me an email with any questions you have about the above.