​10k-word agent teaser

You’ve nailed your story and are happy with the structure. Now you want to focus on sentence-level readability.

A full line- and copyedit feels like a stretch too far because you've yet to secure representation. Polishing the first 10,000 words will increase your chances of getting an agent's attention.

I'll correct and smooth your prose while respecting style and narrative voice.

PRICE: £450 for 10,000 words
FORMAT: Microsoft Word doc

​What you get

1. A line-by-line edit of the first 10K words

I'll edit 10,000 words of your novel. Front of my mind will be clarity and flow. I'll address the following:
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  • Chapter sequencing
  • Character-trait consistency
  • Cliché and awkward metaphor
  • Dialogue expression: particularly authenticity of phrasing and word choice in relation to character voice, mood and intention
  • Effectiveness of sentence-level narration, including an assessment of word choice, repetition and overwriting, especially in action and suspense scenes
  • Effectiveness of suspense and thrill points
  • Layout guidance
  • Letter, word, line and paragraph spacing​
  • Problematic representation, stereotyping and othering
  • Sentence pace, rhythm and flow, and whether it reflects the setting and mood of a scene 
  • Speech tagging and punctuation
  • Spelling, grammar, syntax, punctuation, hyphenation and capitalization
  • Standard document formatting using Word’s styles palette: indentation, paragraph style, section breaks
  • Told versus shown prose
  • Use of tenses
  • Verb use, especially to create tension and suspense
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2. An editorial report

My extensive report details my observations while editing your book. I'll focus on where your strengths and weaknesses lie in relation to the topics listed above.

Andy Maslen, bestselling crime author

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I’ve worked hard on those opening eight chapters. They’ve been adapted in accordance with your suggestions and edits, and the impact on the beta reading team has been explosive. The raw voice of both the narrator and characters was preserved despite such powerful changes.

Daniel Garrett, mystery author

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Andy Maslen, bestselling crime author

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Deft and precise in her edit, she enhances what is written so at once it is crisper and more elegant, revealing the writer's voice by making it stronger, clearer and more eloquent.

In short – if you want your writing to be better, then you need to get Louise to edit it. I can't recommend working with her highly enough.

Kess Goldland, thriller author

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Andy Maslen, bestselling crime author

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I saw the art of skilful editing at its best. What I received back is the novel at its best ­– it’s my story, how I wrote it, but masterfully and brilliantly edited to become a work I can truly be proud of.

Ayshe Gemedzhy, independent author

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Guidance on inclusive and respectful writing
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This service includes a free booklet featuring resources that help writers work to actively consider whether the words in a novel are driving story forward and enriching readers, or causing unintended harm. 

​The tools linked to in this booklet aim to help you apply good judgement to your fiction from a conscious language perspective.

​Fancy working with me?

If you'd like to discuss a line editing, copyediting or proofreading project, get in touch so we can have a chat.​