Is your book ready for editing?

Then you've come to the right place!
freelance book editors

Hey, there! I’m Stacy Juba, the founder of Shortcuts for Writers. I provide developmental and line editing services.

I’ve published 10 of my own books, edited hundreds of manuscripts for my clients, and have had thousands of students go through my online courses. I love to read and am passionate about helping authors to tell their stories. I’ve worked with writers of all levels, from beginner to USA Today bestselling.

Although I’m open to most genres, I especially enjoy editing books in the following categories:

✅ Mystery and suspense

✅ Romance

✅ Chick lit and women’s fiction

✅ Contemporary fiction

✅ Paranormal

✅ Fantasy

✅ Young adult

✅ Middle grade 

✅ Self-help  

✅ Creative nonfiction like memoirs

I don’t take on projects in these genres:

❌ Children’s picture books and early reader books

❌ Poetry

I’m accepting reservations with a $50 deposit. Send an email to stacy@stacyjuba.com when you’re ready to schedule your slot, or if you have any questions. Want to get a feel for my editing style? Start with a couple of chapters.

But first, let me tell you more about my editing style and what makes me unique. You’ll get a lot of your questions answered below, and if you scroll to the bottom of the page, you’ll see client testimonials so you’ll know I’m the real deal.

I understand how important it is to hire an editor who is:

  • Trustworthy
  • Skilled at writing and editing 
  • Creative
  • Pleasant
  • Makes feedback easy to understand 

I’d love for you to get to know me better.  Let’s dive in!

What Does An Edit Include, Anyway?

Here’s what to expect if we work together:

Clients will receive a long editorial letter (usually about 8-12 pages, single-spaced) offering my overall thoughts on content, structure, characterization, pacing, dialogue, setting, point of view, technique, and other elements.

I will use Track Changes to do some line editing and light copyediting, note areas that could benefit from further clarification, and flag examples of issues included in the letter. Be prepared to see notes all over your manuscript! You might want to put on sunglasses to shield your eyes from all the red. Kidding! Sort of . . . 😉

I won’t rewrite your book, as an editor isn’t a ghostwriter, but I will sprinkle in what many of my clients have called ‘line editing magic.’ The stronger your manuscript is structurally, the more line editing it can receive. Line editing can’t fix a manuscript that needs major structural changes. Most of the line edits would become obsolete when you do the rewrites. If your manuscript isn’t ready for line editing, then I’ll revise sentences here and there as examples of how to improve your writing technique. Your pages will still be marked up quite a bit, but for learning purposes.

This isn’t a copyedit or proofread. I’ll correct punctuation, grammar, and spelling errors when I notice them, (and I do catch quite a bit through ProWritingAid, Grammarly, spell check, and my reading) but my focus is on developmental editing. For books with a lot of mistakes, I’ll give examples of how to punctuate correctly, clean up what was found in the electronic grammar scans, (which don’t catch everything), and direct you to resources to improve your skills.

“It’s so great that you do both developmental and line edits at the same time. Whenever you return edits to me, the line edits especially add a ‘punch’ to the sentences. Most importantly, you don’t judge and you offer balanced insights. I enjoy that and you provide positive encouragement. It’s very much like a child opening Christmas presents!”

Nicole Kuruszko

Young Adult Author

Make Sure Your Book Is Ready.

Many manuscripts I see are early drafts. The authors could have turned in stronger, more polished submissions if they knew how to:

  • Think like an editor so they could identify weaknesses.
  • Do the rewrites and revisions in a streamlined way without getting overwhelmed.

Since these writers don’t know what to do next, they hire an editor to tell them. The thing is, editors are expensive. Your money should go toward high-level feedback, not a list of obvious issues you could have caught on your own.

That’s why I created my online program Book Editing Blueprint: A Step-By-Step Plan to Making Your Novels Publishable as an affordable steppingstone to hiring an editor.

editing courses for writers

But wait, you might be thinking. Isn’t it better to pay for feedback? Isn’t a course too generic?

Here’s what you need to understand. The real editing starts once the draft is strong enough.

Otherwise, you’ll hear the same information you’d learn in the Book Editing Blueprint course, but in much less detail and without all the checklists and worksheets to break it down into manageable chunks. Plus, the course is much cheaper than the price of a manuscript edit. 

The lessons came straight from my editorial letters, both the ones I’ve written and those I’ve received as an author. In case you’re worried it will take you months to go through Book Editing Blueprint, many authors finish it in a couple of weeks.

Your rewrites may take you quite a bit longer, though. And that’s okay, because in the long-run, you’d be saving time and money.  If your book needs work, I’d be sending you back to the drawing board, anyway.

Do yourself a favor and follow the link below so you can learn more about my Book Editing Blueprint program and see whether it would be a good fit. Because students are guided step-by-step on how to evaluate their book and do their rewrites, they tend to submit drafts much further along than most manuscripts that cross my desk.

As a result, course members get a discount on my editing services. It’s a big one⁠—$2 less per page than my regular rate. And remember, the stronger your book is, the more line editing I can do along with the developmental edits.

Don’t worry. I’ll wait while you check out the course!

body language cues writers

Book Editing Blueprint: A Step-By-Step Plan To Making Your Novels Publishable

Discover my signature editing framework, a complete, step-by-step system that teaches you how to spot the flaws in your novel and fix them so that you can ditch the overwhelm, save time and money, and better your chances of impressing readers, agents, and publishers.

Freelance book editing rates

It takes more time to work with new authors and writers who submit rough drafts than it does to edit books by seasoned, polished authors. Rather than charge everyone the same price per word or per page, I offer a lower rate in two cases.

1. For writers who have gone through my Book Editing Blueprint course, as even if they’re new writers, they have a solid foundation. If they did the workbook and followed the 26-page checklist during their rewrites, the manuscript should be in pretty good shape. Not perfect, of course, but they’ve caught a lot of issues on their own. That clears the path for me to do more editing and less teaching.

2. For experienced authors familiar with the editing process and who have a proven track record. A self-published or small press author with two books on Amazon and a handful of reviews isn’t necessarily going to qualify. Anyone can self-publish a book or call themselves a small press, and many indie authors publish their books too early without realizing they still need work. Some writers hire a copyeditor when they should have started with a developmental editor. Or perhaps they worked with a developmental editor, but weren’t able to pay for as many rounds as the manuscript needed. Therefore, I’ve set some guidelines below.

If you have had at least 2 books published by an established traditional publisher, then you would qualify for the discounted rate. If you just have one book traditionally published, or if you have a strong track record as an indie author with multiple books and lots of positive reviews, I’m happy to look at a sample and quote you a price.

If you’re interested in booking an edit, send an email to stacy@stacyjuba.com.

Have More Questions? I’ve Got Answers.

How do I get the discount for Book Editing Blueprint students?

When you contact me about scheduling an edit, tell me the name and email address associated with your class enrollment. The price difference will be reflected in your invoice for the editing project. Be sure to go through the lessons and revise your manuscript using the blueprint before scheduling an edit.

How does the payment work?

A $50 deposit is required for me to hold a date unless the manuscript is being submitted immediately. I am available to schedule several months ahead with a deposit. Before I start reading, the project must be paid in full. I accept PayPal, checks, and money orders for authors in the U.S. I require PayPal for authors outside the U.S. A small charge will be added for PayPal transactions to cover the PayPal fee, typically a few dollars.

How should I format the manuscript for submission?

Please note that the above rates are for double-spaced manuscripts based on a 250 words per page estimate. If you double-space with a 12 point Times New Roman font and have margins of 1 inch, that comes out to about 250 words per page. Indent the first line of each paragraph by 0.5″.  It is okay to have a chapter ending and a chapter beginning on the same page.

Do you do free sample edits?

I do not offer free sample edits, due to my experience, time constraints, and the fact that short sample edits lend themselves more to line edits than developmental edits. However, I am happy to edit partials (such as 50 pages) at the above per page rates.

If you have some publishing experience (as defined in the rates section) and are querying about the lower rates, I will read a sample of your pages to verify the best price option, but this won’t include any editing. 

Do you offer any repeat client discounts or perks?

Yes! Repeat clients for my editorial services receive 10 percent off the first edit of each new manuscript, both hard copy and Word files.

In addition, I offer a voucher for a 5 percent discount each time a client books a manuscript edit or enrolls in the Book Editing Blueprint course using your name. Referral discounts cap at 25 percent for each project, but can be saved and applied to future projects.

Shortcuts for Writers students and clients also get access to a form where they can share their latest news so that I can promote their accomplishments on social media.  

 

How do I book an edit?

Contact me at stacy@stacyjuba.com. Include a blurb, genre, word count, and how many pages you’d like me to read. If you’ve taken the Book Editing Blueprint course, let me know. If it’s a project that I feel will be a good fit for me, then I will send you an invoice and further instructions. A $50 deposit is required for me to hold a date, unless the manuscript is being submitted immediately. I am available to schedule several months ahead with a deposit.

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Madison Michael

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Stacy has provided me with resources to grow as an author and complete a manuscript that is ready for print.

“On the verge of self-publishing, I submitted my manuscript to Stacy Juba.  She gave supportive and encouraging feedback in addition to honest critique of my plot and characters.  Stacy has provided me with resources to grow as an author and complete a manuscript that is ready for print.  I look forward to working with her on future projects.” Anna Machova

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Stacy is truly an incredible person and editor.

“Stacy is truly an incredible person and editor. I am so pleased to have found her. Her feedback and attention to detail have greatly helped me spot errors, flaws and inconsistencies in my first manuscript. Stacy is very prompt with her response answers to questions that I had, and helped me understand and improve my writing.

I look forward to continuing to work with Stacy on future manuscripts because of her professionalism, understanding, and compassion. If you are thinking about hiring Stacy for your manuscript, I highly recommend her! She is awesome, and you will not be disappointed.” Devin Devonne

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The feedback you offered was everything I’d hoped for and more.

“You’re a pleasure to work with, and the feedback you offered was everything I’d hoped for and more. You zeroed in on errors, omissions, inconsistencies, and other flaws I hadn’t noticed. Better still, you offered suggestions for alternative solutions, even graciously offered to discuss any questions I might have. What more could I ask for? I took a leap of faith on hiring an editor I found via social media, and you delivered beyond my expectations. I plan to book your editing services early for my next book.” Maureen Fisher

My students and clients get results!

To read more testimonials, visit my Results page. 

Visit my Press page to see podcasts, summits, writing groups, and review publications where I have been featured. 

Ready to book an edit? Drop me a note at stacy@stacyjuba.com.

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