Editorial Services
Editing Matched to the Manuscript You Actually Have
Not every book needs every service. The right starting point depends on the manuscript's stage, its genre, and what you want it to do for readers.
Developmental Editing
What it is
A big-picture edit of the manuscript as a whole: structure, pacing, character development, narrative logic, themes, organization, and the reader's experience from first page to last.
Who it is for
Authors with a complete or near-complete draft who sense the book isn't yet working the way they intended, and authors preparing to submit to agents or publishers.
What you can expect
An editorial letter setting out the manuscript's strengths, the issues worth addressing, and a practical revision path — plus in-manuscript notes marking specific moments that support the analysis.
What Mathew examines
- Overall architecture and chapter order
- Pacing, tension, and momentum
- Character motivation, arc, and consistency
- Argument, evidence, and organization in nonfiction
- Theme, premise, and narrative logic
- Where readers are likely to disengage
Manuscript / Substantive Editing
What it is
Editing at the chapter and paragraph level, strengthening clarity, coherence, consistency, and readability while keeping the author's intent intact.
Who it is for
Authors who have addressed the book's larger structure and now want the writing itself tightened and made more coherent scene by scene, section by section.
What you can expect
A tracked-changes manuscript with substantive revisions and margin comments explaining the reasoning, followed by a summary of recurring patterns to watch for in future writing.
What Mathew examines
- Chapter and scene transitions
- Paragraph order and internal logic
- Redundancy, digression, and over-explanation
- Consistency of terminology, tense, and point of view
- Clarity of exposition and dialogue
- Balance between showing and telling
Line & Copy Editing
What it is
Sentence-level work on language, grammar, syntax, tone, rhythm, and consistency — the layer where prose either sings or stalls.
Who it is for
Authors whose structure and content are settled and who want the writing itself to read with precision and confidence.
What you can expect
A cleanly edited manuscript with tracked changes, a style sheet documenting the choices made, and queries wherever a change might affect meaning or voice.
What Mathew examines
- Sentence rhythm, length, and variety
- Word choice and unintended repetition
- Grammar, punctuation, and syntax
- Tone and register consistency
- Style-sheet consistency (spelling, hyphenation, numbers)
- Clarity of every individual sentence
Proofreading
What it is
The final quality-control stage before publication, identifying typographical, grammatical, punctuation, formatting, and consistency issues.
Who it is for
Authors with a fully edited, laid-out, or near-final manuscript who need a last careful pass before print or upload.
What you can expect
A marked-up file listing every correction, kept deliberately conservative — proofreading corrects errors rather than rewriting prose.
What Mathew examines
- Typographical and spelling errors
- Punctuation and capitalization slips
- Formatting and layout inconsistencies
- Heading, page, and chapter numbering
- Front and back matter details
- Residual inconsistencies from earlier edits
Specialist Work
Poetry & Creative Writing
Poetry and creative manuscripts cannot be edited by the same instincts that serve a novel or a business book. Line breaks, silence, rhythm, imagery, and deliberate deviation from convention are often the point — not errors to be corrected. Editing this work means reading for artistic intention first and asking whether the effect on the page matches the effect the writer intended.
Editorial attention here focuses on sequencing and collection shape, the consistency of voice across pieces, image and metaphor, sound and cadence, and moments where meaning becomes obscured rather than enriched. Suggestions are offered as questions and options, never as corrections imposed on the work.
No manuscript needs every service. The first conversation exists to determine which single stage will make the most difference to your book right now.
Not sure which service your manuscript needs?
Describe where the book stands and I'll recommend the level of editorial support that makes sense — including none at all, if that's the honest answer.