Horrorsmith offers multiple tiers of editing and additional services to assist you in your publishing process, whether you are self-publishing or submitting to an agent. Not only do we provide editing services you'll be dying to recommend, but many of our packages include comprehensive resources like cover art and marketing from top industry professionals Horrorsmith has partnered with to provide you with the most value for your career investment. It is our goal and our promise to make sure your story shines.

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Horrorsmith recognizes that not all authors know the differences between the tiers of editing and might not know what services like manuscript evaluations and ghostwriting entail. In order to optimize your search for an editor, we'd like to take a moment to detail these differences and help clarify how editors might take alternative approaches to these tiers.

Please note—these editing services offered by Horrorsmith Editing are entirely separate from Horrorsmith Publishing. Horrorsmith Publishing is for authors who want the opportunity to try to publish under a small publishing house. These authors are not charged for submittals or for any editing services, except for any initial investments the publishing house recoups via royalties after the books have been published. 

 

Comprehensive Editing Services

This tier is most often referred to as book coaching. In this service, the editor helps the author fully flesh out their concept, develop a thorough outline with a strong narrative arc, structure rich characters with relatable backstory and believable actions, and give the author recommendations on additional resources to help them improve their craft. The comprehensive editing service offered by Horrorsmith Editing is perfect for new authors unsure how to take their novels from concept to finished product, or for established authors looking to switch from short story specialization to the first venture into novel-length fiction. Some of our clients have even utilized these services to obtain assistance in compiling short stories into cohesive collections and reader magnets. 

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Many editors and book coaches offer this service at an hourly rate. However, Horrorsmith Editing has chosen to instead focus on flat rate investments with some slight variance for word count in the editing phases. You can find more information on our comprehensive editing packages here.

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Developmental Editing Services

A developmental edit focuses on the story as a whole from a birds-eye view, taking in how the beginning, middle, and end intertwine to form a cohesive narrative arc. Subplots are examined for relevance, conflict, and conclusion. Point of view is nailed down and made consistent, while characters are fleshed out and brought to life. This service does not analyze line-level structure or grammar. Instead, you'll receive suggestions solely on how to make your story stronger. Most often, the editor will not be making these changes for you. If you require this level of assistance, you would be treading into ghostwriting territory and would be looking at comparable rates for such. 

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Editors approach the developmental editing process differently. Some will not provide comments or Tracked Changes—only an editorial letter highlighting the strengths and struggles of the story and how to rectify any issues or enhance the best parts of the novel. Horrorsmith, however, does a mixture of the two. We provide initial reactions and more in-depth notes via comments directly on the manuscript. In addition, we provide our clients with a lengthy analysis of the document that also includes marketing category and keyword bonuses. You can find more information on our developmental editing packages here.

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Line and Copy Editing

The line and copy portion of Horrorsmith's services is where the editing process becomes much more grounded in grammar, though influenced by style. Horrorsmith Editing utilizes the same style guides used by major publishing houses so your self-published novels are capable of standing proudly on the bookshelves beside traditionally published works. These tiers focus on the reader's experience, making sure sentences flow with reduced redundancy and repetition and that the author "shows" vs. "tells". Syntax and word choice are examined and adjusted accordingly. The editor corrects any instances of head hopping, tense changes, and excessive passive voice. Misspellings, punctuation, and grammar concerns will also be addressed. 

Please note that this tier is also subject to some subjectivity. Some editors will reduce instances of "that" within a manuscript, while some editors prefer to keep them. Some editors will remove filler words like "I see" and "He hears" to improve the overall strength of the manuscript's action, while other editors might see this as an intrusion on the author's style. When you book Horrorsmith Editing for these services, you will be provided with a custom Style Sheet that goes over all the style choices made for your particular manuscript. This will help you maintain consistency throughout all future works. You can find more information on our line and copy editing packages here.

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Proofreading

Though some editors handle proofreading differently, Horrorsmith Editing Services will only offer proofreading for previously edited works. It is up to the author whether this is to be done via a Word document or in the formatted work. We prefer for it to be after the formatting has been completed because this allows us to find any stray spaces and other formatting issues such as repeated chapters or one chapter without a drop cap. 

You can find more information on our proofreading services here.

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Manuscript Evaluation

At Horrorsmith Editing, we treat manuscript evaluations like light developmental edits. While the content of the solitary manuscript evaluation is approximately the same as the one you would receive during a developmental edit, the amount of context and comments within the manuscript is drastically less, only included when needed for absolute clarity. 

A manuscript evaluation will catch issues with dialogue, flat description, stylistic issues, plot consistency, thematic concerns, and overall character development.. This service is normally used for clients who are unsure what tier of editing their manuscript needs. We will provide you with a detailed editing plan that we feel will be most successful for the development of your novel going forward. You can find more information on our manuscript evaluation services here.

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Ghostwriting Services

Horrorsmith Editing Services offers ghostwriting services for the horror genre and for domestic abuse survivors only at this time. All rates pertaining to ghostwriting services are discussed between the author and Horrorsmith Editing Services on a case-by-case basis. Please fill out our inquiry form to schedule a time to discuss your particular project. 

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Additional Services Offered

Formatting—experience with both InDesign and Vellum

Blurb writing

Phone consultation

Beta Reading

You can find more information on our additional services offered here.