Polish 59k-Word Memoir Narrative
Budget: $250 – $750 USD
I have a finished memoir sitting at roughly 59,000 words and I’m ready for a fresh set of eyes to elevate it. The text is already clean at the sentence level; what I really want is an editor who can refine style, sharpen voice, and ensure the tone is consistent from the opening scene to the final reflection.
Here’s what I’m after:
• A full, cover-to-cover read-through with line-level edits aimed at rhythm, clarity, and emotional impact.
• Thoughtful comments when a paragraph drifts, a scene feels rushed, or an anecdote could be trimmed or expanded to hold the reader.
• Light grammar and punctuation fixes along the way (I know you can’t ignore them!).
• A brief editorial letter summarising the key strengths you noticed, areas to revisit, and any big-picture suggestions.
The manuscript is in Word; please return both a tracked-changes file and a clean copy. I haven’t decided whether to reformat for print or e-book yet, so if you’re comfortable with layout work, let me know—your guidance there could be a plus.
Timing: I’d like first-pass edits back within three weeks of project start, with a short follow-up round included for anything I need clarified.
My ceiling for the entire job is $600. If it helps, we can split that into reasonable milestones: for instance, half on delivery of the marked-up manuscript, the rest on completion of the follow-up round.
If you have memoir experience—especially shaping voice and pacing—please share a sample or two. I’m excited to see how your polish can make this story shine.
Here’s what I’m after:
• A full, cover-to-cover read-through with line-level edits aimed at rhythm, clarity, and emotional impact.
• Thoughtful comments when a paragraph drifts, a scene feels rushed, or an anecdote could be trimmed or expanded to hold the reader.
• Light grammar and punctuation fixes along the way (I know you can’t ignore them!).
• A brief editorial letter summarising the key strengths you noticed, areas to revisit, and any big-picture suggestions.
The manuscript is in Word; please return both a tracked-changes file and a clean copy. I haven’t decided whether to reformat for print or e-book yet, so if you’re comfortable with layout work, let me know—your guidance there could be a plus.
Timing: I’d like first-pass edits back within three weeks of project start, with a short follow-up round included for anything I need clarified.
My ceiling for the entire job is $600. If it helps, we can split that into reasonable milestones: for instance, half on delivery of the marked-up manuscript, the rest on completion of the follow-up round.
If you have memoir experience—especially shaping voice and pacing—please share a sample or two. I’m excited to see how your polish can make this story shine.