Every sentence, doing its job.
Line editing works through your prose line by line for clarity, rhythm and voice — tightening what drags and sharpening what’s vague, without making you sound like anybody else.
Good line editing is invisible. You just sound like yourself on a good day.
Repeated words, three sentences in a row that start the same way, a paragraph that says one thing twice — each is small on its own. Together they are the difference between a book that reads easily and one that reads like work.
We edit to your voice, not ours. If your style breaks a rule on purpose, it stays broken. Every change comes back as a tracked suggestion, so nothing lands on the page without your approval.
What your Line Edit includes
Quoted from your word count before we start. One rate, the whole manuscript, nothing added halfway through.
Clarity
- Ambiguous or overloaded sentences
- Redundancy and repetition
- Word choice and precision
- Logic from one sentence to the next
Rhythm
- Sentence length and variety
- Paragraph pacing
- Dialogue flow and tags
- How scenes open and close
Voice
- Consistency of tone
- Distinct voices in dialogue
- Deliberate stylistic choices protected
- Every change tracked for your approval
One rate. Worked out in advance.
No packages, no tiers, no surcharges appearing halfway through. Your word count divided by 1,000, multiplied by the rate, is the number on your invoice.
Charged on the manuscript you send. Line editing assumes the structure is settled; if it isn’t, we will say so before you spend the money.
| Example | Words | Line Editing |
|---|---|---|
| 60k-word manuscript | 60,000 | $1,200 |
| 80k-word manuscript | 80,000 | $1,600 |
| 100k-word manuscript | 100,000 | $2,000 |
Prices in US dollars. We confirm your exact word count and send a written quote before any work begins — the quote is the number you pay.
What a line edit looks like.
Changes are made directly in your text as tracked suggestions, with a short note wherever the reason isn’t obvious. Accept, reject or rewrite — each one is your call.
The rain had been coming down hard and had not let up for three days, and it showed no signs of stopping. The gutters gave up first. Ellis watched the street slowly fill up from the window of the upstairs flat, thinking about how certain the van was probably not going to would never make it up the hill.
She was very tired. She had stopped counting the hours.
Illustrative sample. Your edit is returned as tracked changes in your own Word file.
What we need from you
Line editing goes fastest — and furthest — when the story itself has stopped changing.
Three edits, in this order.
Most manuscripts don’t need all three. We will tell you which ones yours does — and which ones it doesn’t.
Developmental Editing
The whole book at once: structure, pacing, character and narrative flow.
- Story structure and shape
- Pacing across chapters
- Character arcs and motivation
Line Editing
Sentence by sentence: clarity, rhythm and voice, without changing who you sound like.
- Clarity and precision
- Rhythm and sentence variety
- Your voice, protected
Proofreading
The final read for the errors every earlier pass missed.
- Spelling, grammar, punctuation
- Names and terms consistent
- Doubled and missing words
Let’s tighten every line.
A free, no-obligation conversation. Bring the manuscript and we will tell you whether it is ready for a line edit — or needs something else first.