Contracting for Services
When you need a professional to edit or ghostwrite your book, training manual, article, or short story—our team of editors and writers can assist you with fiction or non-fiction manuscript preparation, book proposals, cover letters, author bios, and query letters.  Our professionals encourage and mentor aspiring authors to complete their manuscripts.

Flat Rates or Hourly Fees
For ghostwriting services, the author signs a contract to pay for services at a flat rate per-project (based upon the scope, complexity, and length of the project). Either party may cancel a contract during the development phase with 30-days written notice. Payment for services rendered through date of termination of contract is required.

• For article writing projects, a 50% retainer is paid at time of contract with the balance due in 30 days or upon presentation of final draft, whichever comes first.
• For book-length projects, the author signs a contract, pays a 50% retainer fee, and makes incremental payments at contractually agreed-upon intervals through project completion. The ghostwriter receives a percentage of royalties on book sales after publication and may have a byline or acknowledgement in the book.

Some writing, editing, and coaching services are billed on an hourly rate instead of a flat fee. The author makes incremental payments over the course of the project at contractually agreed-upon intervals.
We offer phone consultations by appointment for all your writing and editing needs. Editorial consultations and coaching sessions are by appointment and billed at an hourly rate of $100 per hour for non-technical writing and up to $160 per hour for academic, technical, or medical writing with a ½ hour minimum charge.

Written by a Pro relieves authors of the tedium of the submission process. We will format, print, and send manuscripts via USPS or FedEx.*

Medical, Technical, and Academic Editing
Professional editing services are available for healthcare and technical projects as well as for academic papers and doctoral dissertations. We book up quickly for these services. Please allow adequate lead time for project completion. Staff writer and editor Marylane Wade Koch specializes in medical, technical, and academic writing.

How the Editing Process Works
Our editors partner with authors to develop their book ideas. Editors usually work through a manuscript three times to edit, revise, and polish. The first pass is the initial editing stage and is clearly the most time consuming. A second editorial pass is to review, revise, and refine the manuscript before sending it to the author for final approval. The third pass occurs after the author’s review and prior to submitting to an agent or publisher. This three-step process keeps the project moving ahead without becoming trapped in an endless loop of revision.

Written by a Pro offers four levels of editing services, based on each customer’s needs. The amount of copyediting required for any project may be light, medium, or heavy. Each project varies in scope and complexity and can only be assessed after the editor reads the original manuscript. Service contracts define the level of editing required, the estimated number of hours for project completion, and the cost per hour for editorial services.

Line editing identifies errors in basic mechanics (spelling, grammar, and punctuation).

Copyediting addresses mechanics and style of written communication. Copyediting goes a step beyond line editing to red flag basic errors such as repetitive or inappropriate word usage, subject/verb agreement, and parallel structure in sentences.

Substantive or comprehensive editing involves mechanics, style, and substance combined with organization and presentation of existing content. For nonfiction, the editor may comment on word choice or suggest rephrasing to eliminate ambiguity or strengthen the cohesiveness of certain passages. In a fictional work, the editor may suggest revisions to limit exposition, improve dialogue, develop characters, or advance the plot—all in keeping with the author’s vision.

Developmental editing is the most in-depth and collaborative form of editing. The developmental editor reviews the overall manuscript for mechanics, style, and substance and goes another level deeper to evaluate concept, content, and organization of the manuscript. The editor actively partners with the author, either serving as a writing coach or ghostwriter, to restructure, rewrite, revise, and polish the manuscript—all in keeping with the author’s vision. The editor may suggest ways to expand the content, offer suggestions to improve presentation, or point out the need for more or less documentation. The author may want to contract for a single chapter to test the editorial or coaching relationship before committing to a book-length project. This trial period gives both the author and editor a chance to evaluate the synergy and effectiveness of collaboration to achieve the author’s goal.

For an extensive explanation of the author’s and the editor’s responsibilities, follow this link to a free trial of Chicago Manual of Style online at http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/home.html and read the following sections:
2.3 to 2.46 The Author’s Responsibilities
2.47 to 3.19 The Editor’s Responsibilities
The following sections cover types of editing:
2.48 Mechanical editing as opposed to developmental editing
2.49 Estimating Time
2.50 Stages of editing
2.51 Mechanical editing
2.52 Style
2.55 Substantive editing