Frequently Asked Questions

Why are there different services?

Not all projects need the same thing. For instance:

You may have a project that is 99% finished and you just want to polish it and remove any typos you might have missed on the last few editing passes - Proofreading would be for you;
You may not be as far along and need some help with tone, word choice, verb tense, POV, etc. - Copyediting would be for you;
You may have a project that is intended to be instructional, and you need help properly formatting it so that the end-user won't find it confusing - Technical Writing would be for you; or
You may have accomplished all of your projects but need some help with creating marketing copy for your website or emails or other short-form outreach messaging - Copywriting would be for you.

Because each situation noted above requires a different approach, I have divided my services into proofreading, copy editing, technical writing, and copywriting. Each are priced differently so that someone just needing a touchup (proofreading) won't be paying as much as someone who needs much more granular attention paid to every word choice (copy editing).

How do I know what sort of service I need?

If you aren't sure what sort of editing service you need, that's okay! You can always reach out to me via the form on this website or send me an email at editor@hmedits.com, fill out the contact form. or request a quote and describe your project and what you feel it will need. Inquiries will cost you nothing.

Why do you charge by the page and not by the hour?

Transparency!

If you are coming to me with a manuscript that needs work, it's going to be more comfortable for you to have a sense of how much getting that work edited will cost ahead of time. Some editors charge by the hour, but I choose not to bill that way. I want you to know what you will be invoiced for before editing ever starts, so that you can go into the transaction with the confidence that it will remain within your budget.

Why do some services seem to take longer to do than others?

Writing is creating something from nothing, and so takes quite a bit more thought and consideration than finessing that which already exists. As a writer/editor, editing will always be a faster task than writing.

When is payment expected?

Payment is expected upon the completion of editing, before the edited manuscript is returned to you. At this point you will be alerted with an email indicating that edits are complete, and that an invoice is being sent. To find out more about the process, check out the Process page.

What Payment Methods are Accepted?

At present I am invoicing through Paypal.

What File Types Do You Accept?

.doc and .docx files

What SoftWare Do You Use For Editing?

I use Microsoft Word and carry out edits via redlining and sidebar comments. Track changes will always be kept on, so that you can see for yourself what has been changed. This also gives you the ability to return what has been changed to its original state if you wish.