At Design for Writers, we’re not just here to help you with how your book looks. We can also help you refine and polish your book until it’s publication-ready with a range of editing and proofreading services.
We provide a gentle guiding hand to take your writing to the next level. We are passionate about words, and we want to help your voice shine out on the page. With experience in editing and proofreading, and an MA in Literary Linguistics, we’ll help you craft your words into a novel that pulls the reader in, or a non-fiction book that displays your expertise.
Our editing and proofreading prices vary depending on your book and what services you need. Contact us with your requirements to get a personalised quote.
How we work
Editing is a large umbrella covering a range of services; you might only need one of these, or you might be looking for someone to take you from finished draft to publication. We can even offer guidance and support during your initial writing phase.
Our developmental editing process can look at the use you make of textual features—how you create your worlds, how you foreground events, themes and characters, how cohesive your plot is, any inconsistencies in your writing—and give you constructive feedback as a tool for you to take away and use, as much or as little as you like.
Alternatively, if your book is past the developmental stage, our copyediting service can get down-and-dirty at sentence level. We’ll go deep into your book to look at consistency, language and style. We’ll look at spelling, grammar, and punctuation; tense, metaphor, pacing, and dialogue. Throughout it all our foremost concern is keeping your authentic voice so that your work remains uniquely yours. Finally, we’ll also make sure you have a clean manuscript ready for formatting, whether that’s with us or someone else.
Lastly, once your book has been formatted, we can proofread your PDF, making it perfect and publication-ready. We’ll cast our expert eye over your work to make sure no errors in spelling, punctuation and grammar have slipped through, all styles are consistently applied so your book looks perfect, there are no widowed or orphaned lines…basically, ensuring that nothing comes between your readers and their enjoyment of your words.
Although we’re happy to apply our skills to most genres, our specialities are historical fiction, literary fiction, children’s books, non-fiction and academic books. If you’re unsure as to what service you need, why not ask for a critique of your first 10k words?
To find out more about our book editing and proofreading services, and which approach is right for you, message us through our contact form. We’ll get back to you with more information and a price as soon as possible. Our pricing structure depends on the scale of work we’re undertaking for you, so let us know:
- what stage your manuscript is at (what editing you’ve done so far);
- how many words (roughly);
- what genre you write in;
- what timescale you’re working to – when you think you’ll be ready to send it over and when you’d like the work to be completed.
What our authors say about our editing services
Rebecca took my fuzzy around the edges manuscript and polished it to perfection with her meticulous proofreading and attention to detail. As a complete novice at self-publishing I was unsure of so many things but Rebecca’s professionalism and friendliness has reassured me so much and she has gone above and beyond in guiding me through the necessary steps to get my book in shape before I unleash it to the world. —Annie Tucker
Will call on your services again. You were a perfect fit for me, a first time writer who had no clue about publishing. Design for writers are especially good for new writers as they offer great advise and tips and their fees are very reasonable. —John Little
Design for Writers engage with a project and their client, listening and consulting before turning out a first-class book. It’s been a pleasure working with them. Can’t over-praise their combination of creativity, meticulousness and mastery of the book production craft. Personal feedback from readers has emphasised how important the presentation of the book has been to their reading pleasure – thank you. —Philip Prowse
It was a great pleasure to work with Rebecca on all aspects of the production of my book – the service was excellent in all aspects of design and proofreading. I look forward to working with her again. —Ken Jarrold CBE
Rebecca is a lifeboat for me when I am in the final stages of bringing my books into the world. She has so much experience and knowledge in book formatting that my uploads are always seamless and her copyediting saves me from the many details that I never seem to see. It would be a much more difficult process without her. —Colleen Winter
Frequently Asked Questions
What level of editing do I need?
There are three broad stages of editing, once you’re happy that you’ve done all you can yourself on your book. You can find more information above, but briefly:
- Developmental or structural editing looks at the big picture and how the book works as a whole.
- Copy or Line editing looks at sentence-level stuff: consistency, authenticity, spelling, punctuation and grammar, style, and the effect your language has on your reader.
- Proofreading comes after the book has been formatted, and makes sure your text is ready for publication.
How long does editing take?
This depends on a range of factors: the length of your manuscript, the service(s) you require, and how booked up we are! You should allow several weeks for a full work-up of your text, though.
What about American/UK English?
Although we’re based in the UK, we can prepare your text to US English style, looking out for features such as spelling and punctuation, and phrasal differences.
My first language isn’t English. Is that a problem?
Not at all, as long as your text is sent to us in English, we can iron it out for you so that it reads fluently.
What do I get?
Editing will be carried out in MS Word (docx) using Track Changes – we can give you advice on how this works, if you need it. You will get a copy of your manuscript with the editorial feedback marked-up as well as a stylesheet personalised to your book, noting language use, notable details and individual style choices. For a reader report, you will get a detailed report in Word to the level agreed at the start of the work – every author is different!
Proofreading will be a marked-up PDF, as it comes after your book has been formatted; the last stage of the publishing process!
I’ve already published my book but am now noticing errors.
Easily done, and not a problem, just book in for editing in the normal way. Depending on the level of corrections needed, you can either upload a corrected version to replace your book (on Amazon KDP or IngramSpark, for instance), or, if the corrections involve substantial textual changes, you may need to class it as a new edition.
How do I send you my work?
Ideally, as an MS Word docx file, although we can accept Google Docs, rtf, and Pages. Make sure you have a back-up saved securely!
Do you have a preferred genre?
While we’re happy to work in all genres, our specialities are literary fiction, historical fiction, romance, and children’s/Young Adult. We edit and proofread non-fiction, and proofread academic work, but we’d recommend looking for specialist expertise for technical or professional texts such as medical or scientific.