Bramble & Crow Books is booking into October 2024+
bramble & crow books
Editing Services
Details
Manuscript Evaluation
$0.008 per word
A manuscript evaluation is an assessment of your book without the intensity and specificity of a developmental edit. Your novel will be evaluated at a high level, think: character development, plot, pacing, and structure. This is the perfect service for writers who want a happy medium between hiring a beta reader and an expensive editor.
What you will receive:
-
An edit letter (2-3 pages) highlighting your book's strengths and potential areas for improvement. This letter will also include answers to questions such as: how is the character development, is there anything confusing, does the dialogue sound natural, are there any glaring inconsistencies, what do I think the book is missing, does this book meet genre expectations, are there any plot holes, what is working well?
-
Access to Kelley's inbox for 14 days following the return of the manuscript for any questions
Developmental Editing
$0.028 per word
A developmental edit is a very detailed and in-depth review of your book's plot, characterization, pacing, point of view, voice, tense, setting, tone, and more. This service is for those who want a deep-dive critique of their manuscript. A developmental edit is closer to a 1-on-1 consultation than a generic edit. Prior to this service, a 30-minute call will be required to review the manuscript with the author and understand the author's blockers and pain points. After the hand-off of the edits, another 1-hour feedback session will be scheduled to review the edit letter with the author. This is your time to ask Kelley any questions!
What you will receive:
-
Copious amounts of notes inserted right into the margins of your manuscript, including reader reaction, commentary, and overall suggestions
-
An edit letter (15-20 pages) detailing your book's strengths and potential areas for improvement in terms of character, plot, setting, pacing, voice, world-building, and more
-
Access to Kelley's inbox for another 14 days following the 1-hour feedback session for any questions
NOTE: The author must have done a self-edit prior to the start of this service. The initial call will help Kelley determine whether or not a developmental edit is the right fit for you. If the author does not feel comfortable with video calls, Kelley is more than happy to provide alternative methods.
Proofreading
$0.006 per word
Proofreading should be the last step in your self - publishing journey. This is your last quality assurance check before publication. Big congratulations to you for getting this far in the process, you're so close to the end :)
What you will receive:
-
In-line corrections of typos, grammatical errors, and formatting errors
-
Lights queries on clarity and plot
-
Lots of cheerleading & reader reaction! Your book will be published soon!! That is so amazing!!
-
Access to Kelley's inbox for 14 days following the return of the manuscript for any questions
NOTE: Manuscripts with excessive errors (more than 500 per 50k words) will be charged a $50 fee
5,000 Pass
$240 flat rate
5,000 Pass is a developmental and line edit of your first 5,000 words. The goal of this service is to seek feedback on the pacing, hook, characterization, stakes, world-building, and plot of your novel. New authors can use this service to get initial feedback on their idea and learn more about line-level craft.
What you will receive:
-
Notes inserted right into the margins of your manuscript, including reader reaction, commentary, and overall suggestions
-
An edit letter (1-2 page) detailing your book's strengths and potential areas for improvement
-
Queries inserted in the margins of your manuscript on clarity and vagueness
-
Suggestions and rewrites to tighten dialogue and improve the flow, style, and readability
-
Access to Kelley's inbox for another 14 days following the return of the edits for any questions
Short fiction
$0.028 per word, with a minimum of $60
Bramble & Crow Books is now offering edits on short stories less than 10,000 words. This editing service is similar to MANUSCRIPT EVALUATION but exclusively for short fiction.
What you will receive:
-
An edit letter (1-2 pages) highlighting your story's strengths and potential areas for improvement. This letter will also include answers to questions such as: does this story meet short fiction expectations? What is working well? What can be improved?
-
Access to Kelley's inbox for 14 days following the return of the story for any questions
Poetry
$0.015 per word, with a minimum of $60
Bramble & Crow Books offers an all-encompassing edit on poetry collections.
What you will receive:
-
In-line suggestions on tone, flow, style, and development
-
Copy edit
-
A 1-page edit letter detailing overall reader reaction
-
Access to Kelley's inbox for 14 days following the return of the manuscript for any questions
Augur Magazine
Kelley is a senior fiction editor at Augur Magazine and has edited four unique pieces since joining the publisher in 2022. Toronto Isn't Real and Other Metropolitan Anomalies by A.D Sui was a 2023 finalist for the Theodore A. Sturgeon Memorial Award.
Observations on the Strange Occurrences at the Stables of the Macha'cuay School of Magic
by Ruth Joffre
Age of Aquarius
by Kivel Carson
The Giant Waterslide into Canada
by Emily Lu
Toronto Isn't Real and Other Metropolitan Anomalies
by A.D. Sui
Testimonials
"Kelley really took the time to read and understand my book while also exceeding the time she had initially given for how long the edits would take. I was very happy with her feedback. My confidence in my book as well as my excitement and motivation for writing grew after she had communicated her suggestions to me. I highly recommend Kelley as an editor. She is very personable and gives honest thoughtful feedback, communicating it all clearly. It’s always a pleasure working with her!"
Robin Nemesszeghy, author of The Boathouse
About Us
Here at Bramble & Crow Books, our mission is to provide authentic editorial services to writers. We are here to champion your story and also critique with care and attention to the writer's vision.
Founding Editor Kelley Tai is the Fiction/Online Editor for Augur, a literary magazine publishing dreamy realism & SFF content from Canada. She has also obtained the Poynter ACES Certificate in Editing and reads Grammarly blogs in her spare time.
You can visit Kelley's author website for her list of publications.
The Nitty-Gritty
-
Bramble & Crow Books is opened to all genres, but has the most experience with speculative fiction (sci-fi and fantasy). We are not interested in picture books, middle grade, religious fiction, or non-fiction (memoirs are an exception).
-
Please contact Bramble & Crow Books if you are unsure about your genre's fit.
-
All services require a 50% nonrefundable deposit at time of booking. If you need to reschedule, please give notice at least 30 days in advance & the deposit will transfer over to the newly agreed date. If no notice is given, the deposit will be forfeited, and a new deposit will be required for re-booking.
-
Payment plan is as follows: 50% at the time of booking, 50% when the manuscript is sent
-
Bramble & Crow Books uses both Venmo and PayPal. A PayPal service fee will be absorbed by the client.
-
Additional words will be charged using Bramble and Crow's most up-to-date rates on this website.
-
Bramble & Crow Books offers samples of your first 1,000 words. Samples are only available for manuscript evaluations, developmental edits, and proofreading. With that being said, edit letters cannot be written for samples.
-
An editorial contract is available upon request.
Bramble & Crow Books is booking into October 2024+
Contact Bramble & Crow
Thanks for contacting Kelley! We look forward to working with you :)
FAQ
Do I need an editor? If I do, how should I prepare my book for edits? Help, I'm new!
Anyone looking to improve their craft can hire an editor for a 5k pas or a manuscript evaluation. However, for all the other services, in an ideal world, an editor should be hired only if you planning on self-publishing your book.
As a best practice, prior to hiring any editor, please take your manuscript as far as you can. A self-edit goes a long way: the cleaner the manuscript, the more in-depth the feedback will be, even if it's only for a light critique.
Here's a basic checklist to follow:
-
Format your book correctly: indent during a new paragraph, use quotations for dialogue, and please double-space your manuscript. When in doubt, follow the Shunn Modern Manuscript Format
-
For proofreading, your manuscript should already have been copy edited by either you or another editor. A $50 fee will be charged if more than 500 errors per 50k words are found in the manuscript
Are your rates industry standard? They look a little high to me.
Yes, our rates are industry standard, if not also on the lower end of the range.
Do you offer discounts when writers book more than one editing service with you?
Unfortunately, no. Since Bramble & Crow Books is still charging the lower end of industry-standard fees, packages have been discontinued.
Writing Resource Library
Need an editor but can't afford one right now? Check out these free resources on writing! You are also cordially invited to join the Writer's Cafe discord server to look for critique partners and beta readers :)