WHEN IT COMES TO EDITING SERVICES, REST EASY.
YOU’RE IN GOOD HANDS WITH MISSION POINT PRESS.
Since Mission Point Press was founded in 2015, we have helped more than 350 authors of memoirs, fiction, and nonfiction. Many of our authors have won prestigious awards and nearly all have sold hundreds, if not thousands, of books.
Mission Point Press offers editing services for all kinds of writers, so no worries. Whether you’re starting out with a scribbled-out idea and a dream, or you’re a veteran author looking to polish your fifth novel, our goal is the same: to help you transform your idea or work into an unforgettable book.
Our process typically begins with an editor giving your manuscript a thorough read and writing up a multi-page evaluation. You can expect a big-picture analysis that also provides very specific advice on how to make your book better.
After the evaluation, you’ll receive a proposal on next steps and costs. If you decide to proceed, you’ll be assigned an MPP editor, who will serve as your ally and coach from your first sentence to “The End.” Our editors have a deep understanding of structure, story tension, and word mechanics and can teach you how to make your story shine.
We truly love helping writers and would love to hear from you.
Here are the six different editing services we offer*:
PRELIMINARY
EVALUATION
Have you written a manuscript but want a big-picture evaluation before you begin the editing process? Our evaluator will read your entire book and write a four- to six-page evaluation of what works, what may need some improvement, and make recommendations about next steps with Mission Point Press. Need to know more? We’ll be happy to provide you with samples of evaluations to give you an idea of what to expect.
This is a great value. It’s also often the first step in a very productive, longer-term relationship with an editor.
$800 (based on 70K words). Evaluations earn a $150 credit that can be applied to follow-up self-publishing services from Mission Point Press.
COACHING
Haven’t finished your book yet. Perhaps still thinking about what you’d like to write? An MPP coach will work with you on the early stage of the book, helping to bring concepts into focus, brainstorm, and identify your potential readership. Your editor will also provide a lot of feedback on writing craft in the margins of your book.
This is the one of the most important stages where the author identifies his or her unique contribution to the book world, their social platform, and the book’s likely audience. Think of a book coach more as a consultant rather than someone who delves heavily into your writing style or the creative process.
An author needing coaching would commit to a 10-hour program. The cost is $700. For that rate, the author gets:
- A free, no-obligation, one-hour discovery conversation with the coach. That's to make sure it's a good fit for either party. If it's not a good fit, the author is not charged. If it is, then this time would count as the first hour of the 10.
- A comprehensive reading of the material to-date ... whether that's a full manuscript or a loose collection of essays, or whatever. The author decides what will be submitted in consultation with the coach based on the discovery conversation.
- Whatever hours are left are then spent on the back-and-forth consulting, revision, consulting, etc., until those hours are used up. Most authors won’t need a second round of coaching, but that’s always an option.
The author would pay upfront for the 10 hours after the first hour of consultation.
$700
Read All about it
MPP author Joshua Veith describes his crowdfunding success here.
COPY Editing
A copy editor is the master of mechanics, correcting grammar, punctuation, spelling, and capitalization. He or she will flag jargon or an overabundance of acronyms—what we call “alphabet soup.”
A copy editor checks readily accessible facts and ensures that you have used consistent and correct style throughout the book, such as numerals, punctuation and formatting of dates, and comma use. They double check the consistency of spelling of names in your endnotes and bibliographies.
Our proofreaders and copy editors are expert in the use of words. Like the rest of the publishing world, they rely on The Chicago Manual of Style and the Merriam Webster Dictionary as their sources. (They will also make exceptions at the author’s request and use The Associated Press Style Book, especially for nonfiction work.)
$360 to $600 per 10K words (rate contingent on depth of editing needed)
Line Editing
Line editing is just like it sounds—an editor goes through your work “line by line,” rewriting clunky sentences, examining word choice, breaking up run-on sentences, flagging redundant paragraphs and jargon, and suggesting fixes for convoluted or awkward sentences. The line editor will also confirm facts that are easily accessible. Often, a line editor is hired to shorten copy so that it fits a word count.
To make your nonfiction book an easier read, your line editor might suggest using text guideposts: subheads, pull-out quotations, illustrations, charts, or sidebars. He or she will also look at the overall shape of a book and might suggest moving sentences, paragraphs or even whole chapters.
For fiction books, the line editor will do such things as: ensure that the opening is memorable and coherent; suggest cuts to the text or other revisions to improve pacing and plot unfolding; and tighten dialogue and ensure that it sounds natural.
For memoirs, the line editor’s approach is similar to that for fiction, with the difference being that instead of looking at characters, the editor examines the narrator’s voice and tone.
Your line editor will make suggested revisions, but will approach your work with a collaborative spirt and seek to preserve your unique voice. After all, it’s your name on the book, and we want you to be 100 percent proud of the final product.
Our line editors will leave word mechanics to the copy editor, including style consistency, spelling, and punctuation.
$550 to $850 per 10K words (rate contingent on depth of editing needed)
DEVELOPMENTAL EDITING
Our fiction development editor not only does the job of a line editor but also brings to the table a big picture view. She or he will examine the arc of your character and plot development, asking questions like: Are your characters substantive and authentic? Is your plot believable? Is your pacing too fast or too slow? Are you taking too long to get to the heart of the conflict? Your editor will make sure that your plotline isn’t a recitation of “this happens, then that happens” but is driven by your characters’ deepest fears and motivations. Your editor will look at logical gaps or holes, and examine your imagery and overall theme.
For nonfiction, the line editor helps shape the book and ensures the subject matter is clearly and logically organized. She or he may suggest cutting or revising sections that go on too long, aren’t relevant, or are too flat. Your editor will flag sections that jump to conclusions which aren’t factually supported.
Collections of short fiction stories, or short memoir/nonfiction pieces, will be edited using the craft techniques of their respective genres. In addition, the editor will also consider how well the collection coheres to form a whole. The editor may suggest cutting one or more of the pieces, or reordering them
Beyond editing, he or she will ask you to picture your reader and to think about where your book fits into the publishing landscape. He or she will also suggest ways to build your social media presence prior to book publication.
A development editor comes at a premium price, but the back-and-forth of revisions will help you grow into an accomplished writer in the long run. By the end of the process, you will have a transformed manuscript, ready for publication.
$800 to $1,500 per 10K words (rate contingent on depth of editing needed)
Proofing
Proofreading is the last step in the editorial cycle after the book is revised to your satisfaction, designed and completely laid out. A proofreader corrects spelling, hyphenation, punctuation, grammar, and confirms easily accessible facts, such as the spelling of a city or country name or a historic date.
As a note, proofreaders are not in-depth fact checkers or copy editors. Mission Point Press requires that all books published under its imprint be proofread by an MPP editor.
$150 to $300 per 10K words
ghost writing
Ghostwriters work with an author to help write the author’s manuscript. Ghostwriters come in all stripes, and the level of work depends on the author’s needs. An author may come with a simple outline, and it’s up to the ghostwriter to do the research and the vast majority of the writing.
To apply for ghostwriting, we'll need to see a paragraph or two about what you have in mind. A writer will then contact you regarding your story, the time-line and your publishing goals.
$3,000 to $5,000 per 10K words (rate contingent on the level of interviews and research needed)
CHILDREN’S BOOKS
Editors receive more picture book manuscripts than any other genre. Why? Because writing a children’s book seems so easy to do.
Despite popular belief, writing books for little people who can’t read is actually really hard.
Mission Point Press can help. Click here to see more.
*All of our editing is done digitally. We use track changes in Microsoft Word, which allow you to accept or reject our suggested changes. In the case of a book with multiple authors, we use Google Docs to allow collaborative revision. MPP also offers fact-checking and indexing services. Contact us for more information.