What I’ll Do. I will assist you with discovering and shaping the theme and focus of your manuscript. The two of us will work together to explore opportunities for memorable scenes, to prune unnecessary material, and to find ways to channel your greatest writing skills. I will help ensure the cohesiveness of your book and assist you with fine-tuning the language, enlivening the dialogue, and enriching the characterizations.

We will begin with a consultation (in person or on Zoom/FaceTime) after I’ve seen a summary/passage of your work, when we can decide if we’re the best match for one another. If we agree to work together, I will design a pricing package for you. Costs vary based on the length of the manuscript and on the nature of our work exchange (in person, over email, with advance written feedback or just spoken guidance, etc.) and how often we collaborate.

What I Won’t Do. I will not take over your book. It’s important to me that you retain the integrity of your voice and meet your own hopes for the project. My goal is to help you find your way through the material, not impose my own. But if our thoughts on the manuscript’s direction diverge too much, I will advise you to meet with a different consultant rather than wasting your time with approaches you don’t want to pursue.

Although I’ll give you publication advice, I won’t put you in contact with agents, etc. If you’re mainly looking for connections, I’m not your best source. Since I often see manuscripts piecemeal, I’m also not the best consultant for a proofreading pass, which is largely about consistency.

I won’t expect you to use any particular technology in our writing exchanges. While I prefer typed to handwritten manuscripts, I like reading and commenting on paper as well as onscreen.