subvertebral edits
Thank you for your interest in working with me!For information on my work and whether we might be a good fit, choose About Me. (I suggest starting here.)
For service rates, condensed terms of service, and contact information, choose Rates & Contact.
For an explanation of what each of those services entails, choose Editing Types.I recommend viewing this site on a computer or a tablet.
about
Hello! Call me Subvertebra, Vert, or the thing crawling under your spine. I’m a disabled queer Native creative, former veterinary professional, [folk]lore enthusiast, and certified weirdo. I would love to help polish your story.I love working with authors who have distinct voices and perspectives to share. I am committed to understanding each author’s vision and goals so we can bring them to fruition and successfully maintain them throughout a project. If you’ve ever hesitated because you feel your ideas are too unconventional, easily misconstrued, or altogether just hard to execute, we might be a good fit for each other.None of the below information is meant as a wish list; it’s designed to give you an overview of my experience. If you’re interested in working together on something outside my usual scope, I would love to hear from you. I am more invested in whether we mesh as people and how our creative processes suit each other than strictly committing to a genre.About me & my usual work:
I’ve worked as a fiction editor intermittently since 2018, and consistently since 2020. I work with adult fiction, and particularly love speculative fiction (sci-fi, fantasy, horror; anything outside the realm of strict realism).
I love moral ambiguity, unusual science and magic, and straight-up bad people. Anything playing with grey areas and blurring the lines of black-and-white thinking is my jam. Is it difficult to gauge whether your antagonist deserves more sympathy than scorn? What about your protagonist? Come closer.
NSFW / R18 work is great and encouraged, including violence, gore, sexual content, and kink.
I am open to working on novels, novellas, short stories, anthologies, comic and graphic novel scripts, and game writing (such as text-heavy visual novels or narrative games). If you have a project type not listed here you’d like to inquire about, please feel free!
I am happy to edit partial manuscripts. If you are interested in this, I ask that you also provide me an outline for the remainder of the story, so I don’t make a suggestion contradicting something important later, or which goes against your overall intent.
Currently, I am most equipped to work on projects around or over 10,000 words, though I am happy to be flexible with shorter works—please don't let this stop you from reaching out! Length “caps” vary based on your deadline, if applicable.
My one “wish list” item is getting to work with other BIPOC creators, but all my white folks out there should still hit me up.
What you can expect from me:
For line and copy edits, I will provide a 1000 word sample edit free of charge to see if we’ll work well together. If you feel a longer edit is needed, either in addition to or in place of the initial 1000 words, I’m happy to discuss specifics with you.
As execution goes, I am super flexible. If you like passing documents back and forth via email, that’s great. If you prefer a real-time collaborative workspace (like Dropbox or Google docs), we can do that, too.
Things I've worked on:
Portfolio (overall site is a WIP)
editing rates
| Type | Cost / 250 words |
|---|---|
| Developmental edit | $7.50 (3¢ / word) |
| Line edit | $7.50 (3¢ / word) |
| Copy edit | $6.25 (2.5¢ / word) |
| Format + proofread | $4.00 (1.16¢ / word)* |
*Most accurately based on overall project length, format(s) needed, whether images are included, etc., which is poorly represented by a per-word price. Please reach out for details!
“terms of service”
Original work only. No fandom work.
I will not edit AI- or machine-generated text. My work will not be used for or in any AI- or machine-generated content of any kind.
If, after a sample edit, we move forward together, I will issue you a contract based on details we will have discussed by that point (such as scope, deadlines, and payment). You may decline at that time with no penalty.
All contracts will include cancellation details for both parties. I reserve the right to partial payment if an author must cancel a project.
bundles
10% discount on 2 services
20% discount on 3+ services
e.g. line edit + copy edit = $12.38 / 250 words
line + copy + formatting = $14.20 / 250 words
If developmental editing is included, discount will be calculated separately to account for manuscript length differences.
Click here for a basic pricing table by project length!
Click here for an interactive rate calculator!May open in the same window, right-click to open in a new tab.
contact
If you are interested in working with me, please email [email protected] with the following information:
Project length
Project genre (and/or a plot summary)
Deadline (if applicable)
Service(s) wanted (tentative is OK!)
If you’d like to work together but the listed prices are beyond your means, I would still love to hear from you. Please email me with the above information and let me know your budget.After I receive your email, I will follow up within 2–3 business days with any further questions, and provide a quote tailored to your project, with no obligation and at no cost to you.
editing types
Please refer to the below descriptions for how I approach each kind of edit. Each service can be rendered individually, save for formatting & proofreading, which are always bundled as part of how I work.Developmental editing: The largest scope. This is where we look at the big picture, reviewing the manuscript from top to bottom and finding ways to improve the story on a whole. I’ll read over the whole thing to ensure it makes sense and flows the best it can from beat to beat. Once complete, you’ll receive feedback (in line with a manuscript evaluation or an editorial letter—whatever format works best for you) reviewing its strengths, its weaknesses, and some ideas on where to go from there.Line editing: One step down. Once your manuscript is structurally tidy, line edits come in to keep the sentences and paragraphs flowing well. For me, line edits focus on readability and style. They are tailored to the context, so your sexy fight scenes don’t have the exact same cadence as your pensive, broody moments, while keeping the voice distinctly yours. We’ll also make sure you don’t have five sentences in a row all starting the same way.Copyediting: The final stretch! (Sort of.) This is the nitty-gritty: checking spelling, grammar, punctuation, syntax, word usage; fact-checking and/or cross-referencing to keep things both accurate and consistent; and adjusting or preparing style sheets, again for consistency. Do you like style sheets? I like style sheets. If you have strong thoughts on what gets to be a proper noun and when, or if you’re intentionally playing fast and loose with grammar, this is where we note it.Formatting: Largely self-explanatory. You tell me if this is digital, physical, or both. If it’s physical, you tell me what printer you are using so we can find out if they have any specific requirements. Then, we pick a size! We pick fonts! We put the text (and images, where applicable) on the page! It’s beautiful!Proofreading: The very last step. Proofreading involves going over everything with a fine-tooth comb, checking for any last text errors, formatting issues and inconsistencies, or incorrect changes from earlier versions. Because this generally the final step in the process, meant to point out anything that’s just plain wrong, some people prefer to have entirely fresh eyes for proofreading. I include this in my formatting service because I will automatically keep an eye out for it anyway, but please don’t think I am telling you I am the be-all and end-all if you want those other eyeballs! This is yours; do what’s right for you.
prices by project length
Does not include discounts; please see the interactive rate calculator for more tailored estimates.
| Type | 10k (short story) | 30k (novella) | 80k (novel) | 120k (novel) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Developmental edit (3¢ / word) | $300 | $900 | $2,400 | $3,600 |
| Line edit (3¢ / word) | $300 | $900 | $2,400 | $3,600 |
| Copy edit (2.5¢ / word) | $250 | $750 | $2,000 | $3,000 |
Okay, back to the previous page, please!