Free Sample Edit | MandaWaller

Have you finished writing your book**? Are you thinking about having it edited? Finding and committing to a new editor is a big step – not least because of your financial input!

Why Do I Offer a Free Sample Edit?

You need to find an editor who is right for you – someone who you feel you can communicate with, and someone you feel you can trust to be honest but sensitive in their feedback.

It’s not just about the costs – it’s also about finding someone you can work with, someone who gets what you are asking for.

To check that I’m right for you, I offer a FREE sample edit of 1,000 words for all completed full-length novels/novellas. For short stories, I am very happy to provide a sample edit for a fee of £50. I will refund this fee if you go on to book an editing service with me.

The sample edit also allows me to have a closer look at your manuscript. This will help me to see how much support your book might need. It also tells me and how long the editing process might take (this in turn will help me provide you with a clear indication of cost).

(** if you don’t yet have a completed novel, then you will need to find a book/story coach, rather than an editor. This is not a service that I currently provide but – depending on the genre – I can recommend some colleagues who do, so please send me an email.)

What will I be looking for in a Free Sample Edit?

I will read every single word of your text, and provide you with an edited MS Word file that will show you each change that I have made. I’ll correct errors within the text, and suggest improvements within the comments feature.

I will be looking at:

spelling
punctuation
grammar
dialogue (including speech tags and punctuation)
narrative voice
use of tenses
pace and flow
characterisation
formatting (indents, line and word spacing)

What do I need from you?

Please send me a 1,000-word extract from your text as a MS Word file. This extract should ideally be taken from midway through the book (not the opening chapter, as book openings tend to be re-worked multiple times and are therefore not representative of the whole), and include some dialogue (assuming your book contains dialogue).

Name *

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Is your manuscript: *

Fiction
Non-fiction

Is your manuscript complete? *

Please confirm the number of words in your complete manuscript *

What format is your text in? *

.doc
.pdf
google doc
other (please specify in the message box below)

What version of English do you write in? (For example American English, British English, Australian English, Canadian English) *

Is English your first language? *

What genre does your manuscript fall under? *

How did you hear about me? *

Please be as specific as possible!

Are you happy to be added to my e-mailing list? *

I send out very occasional newsletters containing tips and tricks about self publishing, traditional-publishing, submitting query letters, book marketing and social media. You can opt out at any time.

When are you hoping to have the editing completed by? *

Are you intending to self-publish? Or are you hoping for a traditional publishing contract? *

Message *

Sample Extract

Click or drag a file to this area to upload.

To give you an idea of the cost involved with editing your manuscript, I will need to have a look at an extract. Ideally, this should be between 1,000 and 2,000 words, be taken from the central chapters of your book, contain dialogue as well as narrative, and be supplied as a MS Word document.

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