Editorial

Keep scrolling for information about the genres and formats of stories I work on, testimonials, and why you should (or shouldn’t) hire me, but here are my rates, upfront:

Outline Critique: $95 first pass up to 15 pages, using my outline form (found under resources); $35 for second pass
Full Manuscript Critique: $0.015 per word (=$750 for a 50,000-word novel)
Sample Critique: $40 for first ten pages (required to see if we are a good fit for a full manuscript critique; if we continue, this fee will be deducted from your full manuscript critique)
Line, Copy Editing, or Formatting: rates determined on a case-by-case basis, typically only available after a full manuscript critique service

Outlines are my jam. The form I designed is the same form I use for my own projects. It is specifically designed not only to help you plan your story, but to show someone else the heart and bones of your story at an early stage. The form is free to use with your own critique partners, but if you’d like feedback from me, I will leave comments on your document where I have questions as well as highlighting which things I love. Additionally, I will compile around 1/2 to 1 page of overall thoughts at the end of the document. I put a lot of thought into my outline critiques, reading the form once in full, then mulling it over for several hours before I return to reread it and leave feedback. A second pass, after you have made edits to your outline form, is optional; for this pass I will focus on cheerleading and motivating you to go forth and draft. For outlines, I accept all fiction genres and formats from chapter book to adult.

Full Manuscript Critique: This compares to a developmental edit, with the addition of in-line comments. You will receive a 2-5 page edit letter with big-picture thoughts on plot structure, character development, pacing, setting, theme, and overall cohesion of your story, and I will also leave comments in-text to show you exactly where I have questions, see room for improvement, or just want to tell you where you are doing everything right and should please not cut this line in edits. While this service does not include a full copy edit, I will also correct some errors and explain recurring errors, such as tense changes or dialogue punctuation, with the goal of helping you grow as a writer for this story and many more to come. For full manuscript critiques, I am open to the following:

Genres:
- All Chapter Books and Middle Grade fiction.
- Most Young Adult fiction except horror and thriller, subject to the content exclusions below.
- Adult: select romcom, book club, women’s fiction, contemporary to low fantasy, subject to the content exclusions below.
Formats: I only edit standard prose fiction novels, not mixed media or verse. For middle grade verse novels, I recommend Christiana Doucette.
Content: I love books that make me think, make me feel, make me laugh, and introduce me to something new, whether it’s a new hobby, new country, or a fantastical exploration of what could be if, say, our world had magic or if we could change history. No matter which genre, I want to finish the story feeling hopeful about our world and the people within it. I am not a good fit for religious themes, erotica, thrillers, horror, or anything particularly dark and scary. Any sexual content must be consensual. I can handle some tough topics like abuse as long as the point of the book is to call it out à la It Ends With Us, not romanticize it or sell its shock value. For historical fiction, I can only critique the plot and character elements, not the accuracy of your setting, language, and everything that goes with it. If in doubt, please don’t hesitate to contact me, and we’ll discuss whether I’m the right person for your story.
I do not critique picture books, nonfiction, or query letters. There are many editors out there who are better at these. I recommend Allison Lau for query letters and nonfiction, including memoirs.
My stance on generative A.I.: I do not brainstorm, write, or revise my stories with generative A.I. It is not my job to police which tools you use to create, nor to inform you which publishers, distributors, or retailers will police you on whether you used A.I. However, you should know that my feedback is designed to help human writers perfect the story they spent a significant amount of time creating. If you hire me to critique something written by ChatGPT, I have no idea whether you or ChatGPT will be able to incorporate my feedback.

In a moment, I’ll hand the keyboard over to people I’ve edited for to provide testimonials for why you should hire me, but I want to add a quick note on why you should (potentially) not hire me or any other editor. The worlds of publishing—both traditional and self-publishing—are extremely competitive and are not getting any easier to break into. Success often requires luck, timing, and/or fame in addition to excellent writing. Here are some stats. At the same time, the industry can feel predatory, filled with scams and lofty claims of success formulas. I can make no promises that you will get an agent, a traditional deal, or beat Amazon’s algorithm, no matter how good your book is, no matter how much we improve it together. In other words, your book may never recoup what you pay me.

However, there is still value in our art. Reading a broad variety of perspectives and experiences, both fiction and nonfiction, grows our minds, increases our creativity, and fosters a deeper level of empathy for others. Writing fiction elevates all these things to another level. If you have a story to tell, and you want to grow in your craft, and you can afford to hire an editor, by all means, I’d love your business, and I hope you will boldly put your story out into the world, and that it will find the reader who needs to hear it.

Testimonials:

“Working with Grace has truly elevated my writing. She doesn’t just offer feedback, she gives you a framework that helps you understand your own story on a deeper level. The outline format she created is one of the most effective tools I’ve ever used. Beyond being a template, it’s a guided excavation of character, motivation, theme, and purpose. The questions she built into it pushed me to think beyond plot points and really examine why I was telling this story, who it was for, and what emotional truth I wanted the reader to walk away with. When it comes to editing, Grace’s eye for detail is astonishing. Nothing escapes her. She’s incredibly thorough, without being overwhelming. Instead of handing easy fixes, she asks thoughtful, strategic questions that make you stop and think in all the right ways. By the time I worked through her editorial notes, my draft felt cohesive, intentional, and truly ready for an agent or editor. More importantly, I understood my book better. Grace has a rare gift for seeing the heart of a story and helping you uncover its strongest, truest form. If you want feedback that’s insightful, precise, and rooted in a deep understanding of character and craft, I can’t recommend Grace enough.” (Sarah Elynn, Supernatural Oracle: A Hunter’s Deck and Guidebook)

“I cannot recommend Grace’s editing services enough! She has helped me along the arduous path from outline to line edits for a number of my projects (which include historical, contemporary, and fantasy, both MG and YA). I’ve appreciated her keen understanding of what works, what doesn’t, and her thoughts on how to make a story shine. No matter what stage I’m at in my work, Grace always manages to elevate it.” (Malia Maunakea, Lei and the Legends, The Shark Prince)

“I am grateful to Grace for the time she took to provide thoughtful feedback that helped strengthen my manuscript and allowed me to look at my story in a different way. Her critiques demonstrate her knowledge in the craft of writing, providing encouragement along with insightful ways to improve the manuscript. Her constructive criticism, consisting of both suggestions and questions, zero in on novel structure and character development but ultimately show respect for the writer and their vision for their story. If you are looking for someone to take your writing to the next level, I highly recommend Grace as a developmental editor.” (Miriam Spitzer Franklin, Extraordinary, Call Me Sunflower, Emily out of Focus)

“Grace Harrington is an incredible resource for authors at all stages of the publishing journey. Whether you’re hoping to query your first manuscript or polishing up your sixth story for publication, Grace’s expertise with story structure, pacing, and writing craft are the secret sauce you need to take your manuscript to the next level.” (Jenny Mattern, Where The Light Shines In)

“Grace has a deep knowledge of the craft of story writing, which is evident in her meticulous and detailed feedback. She has a unique talent to identify what works and what doesn’t in a story. By asking all the right questions, she helps us identify the problems and the solutions to fix them. Her critiques are insightful, meaningful, and spot-on. What I found most helpful was that by the end of it, I knew my story way better than when I started, giving me the clarity and confidence to query my novel widely. I highly recommend Grace to writers at any stage in their journey.” (Ranjeeta Raam, If Elephants Could Talk)

“I have had the pleasure of taking Grace’s outlining workshop and I’ve used the templates she developed several times to help me plan fiction projects. I’ve also had the benefit of her editing skills. Grace has a knowledge of structure and an understanding of overall craft that would be beneficial to anyone who works with her.” (Carolyn Ziegler)

“Grace is a critique whiz, with an innate talent at recognizing what is working—and what isn’t—in a story. Not only is her feedback on story structure, theme, and plot meticulous and insightful, she asks all the right questions that will have you delving deeper into truly understanding your story. I highly recommend Grace!” (Rebecca J. Chaney, The Sketcher Series)