THE INDY AUTHOR
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    • 061 - Google Play
    • 060 - Mastering Action Sequences
    • 059 - Newsletter Swaps and StoryOrigin
    • 058 - Author Newsletters
    • 057 - The Pros and Cons of Pre-orders
    • 056 - Crowdfunding for Authors
    • 055 - Costs of Self-publishing a Book
    • 054 - Futurist Trends We Can Prepare for Now
    • 053 - Learn from TV and Movies
    • 052 - Building a Resilient Indy Business
    • 051 - Podcasting as Content Marketing
    • 050 - First Responders
    • 049 - Ruminations on Book Launches
    • 048 - Protagonist and Antagonist Voices
    • 047 - Backstory and Flashbacks
    • 046 - Writing Coroners
    • 045 - Exercise
    • 044 - Using Aggregators versus Direct
    • 043 - Killing Suspense
    • 042 - The Importance of Metadata
    • 041 - Writing Convincing Villains
    • 040 - Storytelling Lessons from Investigative Reporting
    • 039 Building a Writer Community
    • 038 - Graphic Novels
    • 037 - How Cozy is Cozy?
    • 036 - Frugal Tips for Writers
    • 035 - Police Procedures
    • 034 - Connecting through Video
    • 033 - Barriers to Creativity
    • 032 - Hybrid Publishing
    • 031 - ebook Pricing
    • 030 - Common Writer Wisdom: Is it Right for You?
    • 029 - Fostering Creativity through Digital Minimalism
    • 028 - Writing the Killer Query
    • 027 - Why to Stop Blogging
    • 026 - Weaving Your Day Job into Your Books
    • 025 - Mastering Book Descriptions
    • 024 - Three Hard Truths
    • 023 - Reaching New Readers through Translations
    • 022 - SEO for Authors
    • 021 - Building Communities in Podcasts and In Person
    • 020 - Working with Libraries & Bookstores
    • 019 - Judging a Book by Its Cover
    • 018 - The Importance of Masterworks
    • 017 - Story a Day
    • 016 - Drawing Back the Publishing Curtain
    • 015 - Five Things I Wish I Knew Before I Was Published
    • 014 - Collaborating on "Taking the Short Tack"
    • 013 - Writing in Time
    • 012 - Top Firearms Mistakes Writers Make ...
    • 011 - Making the Move to Full-Time Writer
    • 010 - Update from The Indy Author
    • 009 - Craft and Business of Short Fiction
    • 008 - Screenwriting
    • 007 - Faster Fiction
    • 006 - Importance of Storytelling
    • 005 - Image-intensive Books
    • 004 - Using Media Outlets
    • 003 - Small Press Publishing
    • 002 - Creativity Tips
    • 001 - Introducing The Indy Author
    • For Guests of The Indy Author Podcast
  • Podcasting for Authors
    • Podcasting Resources
    • Descript >
      • The Anatomy of Descript
      • Best Practices | Tips | Tricks
      • Descript Q&A
  • The Short Tack
  • Resources
  • Tools
  • The Craft
    • Getting Past the Fear of (First Draft) Commitment
    • Scalability
    • Professionalism
    • From Dead in the Water to Favorable Winds
  • The Voyage
    • Reading Your Work Aloud
    • Preparing to Request an Author Blurb
    • Navigating Indy
  • For the Armchair Sailor
  • Editing Services
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Editing Services

Overview

Effective plot-driven fiction relies on the excellence of many elements, including compelling characters, an engaging story arc, an effective ebb and flow of the story’s rhythm, internal storyline consistency, and clean copy. I have developed methods for ensuring these are in place in my own work.

For example, I create an analysis inspired by Shawn Coyne’s The Story Grid to track story elements, character development, and logistics such as timelines. I listen to manuscripts via a text-to-speech app to catch grammatical issues, stylistic awkwardness, and typos.

I am enthusiastic about bringing these same methods, and my experience as the author of five well-received suspense and thriller novels and a number of short stories, to support the work of my fellow authors.

Types of Edits

Price for edits can be reduced if the author combines more than one type of edit into one engagement.
Sample Edit
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​
This mini edit enables editor and author to assess compatibility and to determine author’s next steps and amount of editorial assistance needed.
​

Price: $50 for up to 5,000 words
Substantive Edit
​This type of edit considers a work’s organization and presentation, tightening and clarifying at a chapter, scene, paragraph, and sentence level.
​

Price: $15 per 1,000 words
Developmental Edit
This type of edit assesses all the aspects of a manuscript that will draw your readers into your story: structure, flow, pacing, consistency, characters, point of view, tense, plot, subplots, and dialogue.
​
Price: $20 per 1,000 words
Copy / Line Edit
This type of edit examines the manuscript line-by-line, analyzes each sentence, assessing word choice, and trimming and tightening as needed.
​

Price: $10 per 1,000 words
Beta Read
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A beta read provide an analysis of your readers’ reaction to the work and assesses the readiness of the author to move on to subsequent steps in the editing process.
Price: $5 per 1,000 words
MS Office for Authors
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This service includes consulting on use of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint to support author efforts (e.g., accommodating submission document format requirements, tracking character timelines, creating book trailers) as well as editing of PowerPoint presentations.
​

Price: Quoted on request
Prices subject to change

Deliverables

Chapter-by-Chapter Analysis
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A summary of each chapter, identifying issues, questions, or potential challenges as the story is unfolding.
Characters-by-Chapter AnalysisEspecially valuable for mysteries, tracks chapters on one axis and characters on another, indicating what each character does / knows / believes at that point in the story.
Action & Intensity Analysis
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A graph reflecting a chapter-by-chapter rating of (physical) action and (emotional) intensity, identifying areas were the reader’s interest and engagement may fall off.
In-line Copy / Line Editing
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In-line corrections and notes related to writing style, point of view issues, and stylistic consistency and accuracy

What Matty's clients have to say ...

"In the stew that is this book, you have given me many ingredients and helped define the recipe."

Kudos for Matty's Books

The Sense of Death
​
“Airtight. Crucial plot details lock into place in the denouement like the tumblers of a Diebold safe. The characters are clever, real, and enjoyable, but also organic, their emotional genuinely wrought; there is no formula for brilliant writing like this.”
—Robert Blake Whitehill, Screenwriter and Best-selling Author of The Ben Blackshaw Series

The Sense of Reckoning
“A book that proves just as keen and charming as its characters.”
—Kirkus Reviews

Rock Paper Scissors
“Dalrymple has written a fast-paced, complex thriller that can keep a reader engaged and off-kilter until its foreboding conclusion.”
—Kirkus Reviews

Snakes & Ladders
“Dalrymple’s writing is fast-paced and compelling, and her characters are human and easy to relate to.”
—Golden State Media Concepts Book Review Podcast

The Iron Ring
​
“Dalrymple gives a master class in how to raise the stakes for her complex, well-drawn characters as they fight to disentangle themselves from impossible situations.”
—Lisa Regan, USA Today and Wall Street Journal Bestselling Crime Fiction Author

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  • Home
  • About & Contact
  • Podcast
    • 061 - Google Play
    • 060 - Mastering Action Sequences
    • 059 - Newsletter Swaps and StoryOrigin
    • 058 - Author Newsletters
    • 057 - The Pros and Cons of Pre-orders
    • 056 - Crowdfunding for Authors
    • 055 - Costs of Self-publishing a Book
    • 054 - Futurist Trends We Can Prepare for Now
    • 053 - Learn from TV and Movies
    • 052 - Building a Resilient Indy Business
    • 051 - Podcasting as Content Marketing
    • 050 - First Responders
    • 049 - Ruminations on Book Launches
    • 048 - Protagonist and Antagonist Voices
    • 047 - Backstory and Flashbacks
    • 046 - Writing Coroners
    • 045 - Exercise
    • 044 - Using Aggregators versus Direct
    • 043 - Killing Suspense
    • 042 - The Importance of Metadata
    • 041 - Writing Convincing Villains
    • 040 - Storytelling Lessons from Investigative Reporting
    • 039 Building a Writer Community
    • 038 - Graphic Novels
    • 037 - How Cozy is Cozy?
    • 036 - Frugal Tips for Writers
    • 035 - Police Procedures
    • 034 - Connecting through Video
    • 033 - Barriers to Creativity
    • 032 - Hybrid Publishing
    • 031 - ebook Pricing
    • 030 - Common Writer Wisdom: Is it Right for You?
    • 029 - Fostering Creativity through Digital Minimalism
    • 028 - Writing the Killer Query
    • 027 - Why to Stop Blogging
    • 026 - Weaving Your Day Job into Your Books
    • 025 - Mastering Book Descriptions
    • 024 - Three Hard Truths
    • 023 - Reaching New Readers through Translations
    • 022 - SEO for Authors
    • 021 - Building Communities in Podcasts and In Person
    • 020 - Working with Libraries & Bookstores
    • 019 - Judging a Book by Its Cover
    • 018 - The Importance of Masterworks
    • 017 - Story a Day
    • 016 - Drawing Back the Publishing Curtain
    • 015 - Five Things I Wish I Knew Before I Was Published
    • 014 - Collaborating on "Taking the Short Tack"
    • 013 - Writing in Time
    • 012 - Top Firearms Mistakes Writers Make ...
    • 011 - Making the Move to Full-Time Writer
    • 010 - Update from The Indy Author
    • 009 - Craft and Business of Short Fiction
    • 008 - Screenwriting
    • 007 - Faster Fiction
    • 006 - Importance of Storytelling
    • 005 - Image-intensive Books
    • 004 - Using Media Outlets
    • 003 - Small Press Publishing
    • 002 - Creativity Tips
    • 001 - Introducing The Indy Author
    • For Guests of The Indy Author Podcast
  • Podcasting for Authors
    • Podcasting Resources
    • Descript >
      • The Anatomy of Descript
      • Best Practices | Tips | Tricks
      • Descript Q&A
  • The Short Tack
  • Resources
  • Tools
  • The Craft
    • Getting Past the Fear of (First Draft) Commitment
    • Scalability
    • Professionalism
    • From Dead in the Water to Favorable Winds
  • The Voyage
    • Reading Your Work Aloud
    • Preparing to Request an Author Blurb
    • Navigating Indy
  • For the Armchair Sailor
  • Editing Services
  • Events
  • For Libraries
  • Blog
  • William Kingsfield Publishers
  • Online Store
  • Press Kit