I love reading and helping writers who are serious about a career in publication in the clean-read, Christian fiction, or non-fiction markets!
First, focus on plot. Save the Cat Writes a Novel is a great resource! Ensure your story hits all those compelling plot-points. Then verify your opening pages contain all the aspects necessary to set the scene for the reader. The who, what, when, where, why is just as important in orienting your reader to your fiction story (and subsequent chapters) as it is in news publications.
Ready for feedback? let’s get to know each other with a comprehensive critique of your opening. $25 for your first ten (double-spaced) pages, or $50 for the first thirty.
A comprehensive edit provides detailed explanations of the strengths and weaknesses of your writing along with recommendations for improvement. After your make changes, I’ll help you take your work to the next level with one follow-up review of your pages and tips, if applicable, on revisions to apply throughout your manuscript to reduce the overall cost of a full manuscript edit.
If you’re not ready for an edit or low on funds, then consider joining a critique group. Critique groups require you to evaluate others’ work and provide feedback. And since it’s easier to see mistakes on someone else’s pages, this time is never wasted. The stronger your internal editor grows, the simpler it becomes to spot those same weaknesses in your own writing.
Which means critique groups are an outstanding way to grow your self-edit muscle! However, critique groups can be an extensive time investment (years!) on your project as well as others’ work, and you may receive questionable or conflicting feedback that requires additional research and learning. If you’re like me, and you love to learn (and you have time to devote to the process) then I strongly recommend you join a critique group.
Study writing craft books and connect with other authors. Most write before they have solid foundation, but if you intend to make this your career, don’t skip this step. Look for organizations to join, in your genre, that will help you create a learning lifestyle. For me, that was American Christian Fiction Writers. If Christian fiction’s your genre then you want to connect with us ASAP. In addition to providing writing conferences, and continuing education opportunities, there’s a members-only, online critique group as well as many smaller, genre-specific critique groups eager to welcome new writers.
Writing coach sessions are another great option if you’re serious about producing quality work, but you’re just starting out. As with any profession, it’s impossible to know what you don’t know! Meetings are geared toward educating you about a career in the publishing industry and ensuring your story structure’s what traditional publishers and readers want. This helps create a foundation you can build on and saves countless hours of hoping you’re on the write track. Each session runs approximately fifty minutes. Cost is $150 for three zoom or phone meetings and includes a critique of twenty, double-spaced pages and a five-page synopsis.
My editing rates are negotiated on an individual basis based on time and availability. Cost typically fall as low as $1 per page (for a proofread of a previously edited manuscript) up to $6 per page for a time intensive edit. Most full manuscript edits take between four and six weeks. A quicker turn-around is often possible, but may increase the rate.
I also provide beta or alpha-reading services for $300 for books under 100,000 words. This offers feedback on plot, characters, author voice, dialogue, my likes and dislikes from a reader prospective. Also broadly addresses the writing’s strengths and weaknesses.
Let me know how I can help! Edit@RobynHook.com
Robyn Hook 