Valerie Martin Bailey, Editor
MANUSCRIPT EDITING
What I provide in editing:
• Grammar, punctuation, spelling, and sentence structure (syntax)
• Suggestions for tightening your writing
• Appropriateness of dialogue/dialect
• Look for redundancies, discrepancies, inaccuracies, or inconsistencies
• Look for problems in plot and character development
• Appropriateness of imagery and setting
• Appropriateness of format, chapter titles
What I do not provide:
• Query letters
• Help with finding an agent or another publisher
• A guarantee that your book will be published
• Marketing for your book
My Fee:
• Usual fee is $8.00 per page for manuscript editing.
Turn Around Time:
• Depends on length of manuscript and how much correction is needed. This can vary from
three weeks to three months.
TIPS FOR THE WRITER
Before you write:
• Know your genre—make sure your book fits in that genre—don’t make your book hard
to place in the bookstores.
• Know your market.
• Understand that rejection is likely; do not be discouraged. All writers have been rejected
several times before publication.
After you write:
When submitting your manuscript to a publisher, follow these guidelines:
• All manuscripts are double-spaced.
• One-inch margins with approximately 250 words per page.
• Use 12 point font in Times New Roman.
• Query and cover letters—single space with double spacing between paragraphs.
• Enclose a self-addressed stamped envelope for response.
• Know the writing in your genre and be famililar with the details required by the publisher.
• Before submitting a query and a synopsis, go to the publisher’s Website and read their guidelines.