Developmental editing is for feedback on the major elements of your book, such as genre fit, story structure, characters, and plot. This type of feedback is largely subjective, so working with an expert editor who's familiar with your genre is critical. Example, "The ending scene needs more suspense." 

Line editing involves feedback on how your book unfolds, covering pacing, plausibility, tone, and flow. It is mostly subjective, yet can be objective with the pointing out of factual inaccuracies. Examples, "This description of the forest should be shortened," and "The weather in this region in July would never be as cold as 50 degrees."

Copyediting gets you input on wording. It is a mixture of objective and subjective. Example, "Instead of using the word 'sprint' in this sentence, go with 'jog' or something similar." Proofreading involves finding issues with syntax, grammar, spelling, and punctuation. It is mostly objective feedback. Example, "Use the word 'hear' instead of 'here' in this instance."

Though copyediting and proofreading are different, since they both involve a word-level analysis, we discuss them as a pair, ie copyediting/proofreading. 

To up your book's odds of success, yes, you should get all three types of editing done. Because we feel strongly about this, we include all three types of editing with every order.

A developmental edit can surface a major gap in your story's plot. A line edit can make you realize your book is too slow in spots, while copyediting/proofreading can uncover wording and spelling mistakes.   

Publishing your book without these issues addressed could lead to poor reviews and a drop in sales.

All of them. We can edit a book in any genre across fiction and non-fiction. Examples:

Thriller

Mystery

Suspense

Action

Crime

Horror

Sci-fi

Fantasy

Romance

Literary

Graphic novels

Comedy

Children's

Middle grade

Young adult

Historical

Poetry

Biography 

Memoir

Business

Education

Cooking

Health

Design

Technology

Social science

Our editor will provide you a version of your manuscript with edit suggestions highlighted in a bright color. Developmental feedback will be given in a separate document.

We recommend you create a new manuscript file for your final draft, go through the editor's comments, and update your final draft to reflect the editor's suggestions. Certain input, like spelling mistakes, is objective, and should be fixed in all cases. 

However, a portion of editing feedback is subjective. In no way are you required to include every edit suggestion in your final draft. We recommend you evaluate each subjective comment and decide what ones you'd like to address.

As the author, you have final say in your final draft.  

The duration of the editing process depends on the number of editing services you need and the length of your manuscript. In general, the process takes about 2-4 weeks.  

We encourage you to self-edit your book through multiple drafts, and get it to a place where it feels refined, however, before you have a final draft, we strongly recommend you have another person - particularly, an expert editor - go through your manuscript.

You should avoid bringing on an editor early, say, after you complete a first draft that has a bunch of plot gaps. Instead, bring on an editor later, after you feel you've addressed any big issues. The value of an editor isn't to point out issues you already know exist, but to find ones you've overlooked. 

We charge $149 for every 10,000 words you need edited. We refer to every 10,000 words as an editing "unit."

Since most books are between 50,000 and 90,000 words, you likely need 5-9 units. However, we can gladly do projects much shorter, or longer, too. Once you click an "Order Now" button on this page, you'll be able to input your number of units and complete your order.

You can look up your manuscript's word count in just a few seconds within your word-processing program. For example, in Microsoft Word, just click "Tools," then "Word Count," and you'll be shown the number.

We'll let your manuscript length go up to 5,000 words over your order. For instance, for a 95,000-word book, you can order just 9 units. However, for a 99,000-word book, you'd need to order 10 units. 

You have four main options for editing your book:

1.) Doing it yourself. Though we encourage you to self-edit your book through multiple drafts, we strongly advise you do not act as the book's sole editor. Bringing on another person, who's an expert, can surface issues you've overlooked.

2.) Hiring a freelancer. Though many good freelancers are out there, plenty overpromise and under-deliver. Knowing whether you're choosing an effective one can be hard. Plus, if you go with a freelancer, you'll have to spend time managing the project.  

3.) Working with another company that provides editing services. Though other companies provide similar services as Galdi Media, many force authors into restrictive, lifetime contracts that claim a significant percentage of a book's royalties. In addition, your point of contact at these companies likely won't be its president, or a #1 bestselling author.

4.) Partnering with Galdi Media. Your point of contact will be Ted Galdi, our president, and a #1 bestselling author. He'll give you customized advice to make your book a success. You won't have to do any project management. Ted will make sure experts from his network handle everything for you. Because he believes authors should keep 100% of their earnings, you won't be asked to give over a royalty percentage, or to sign any contracts at all.