Our Services
The Sharper Quill is a full service writing consultancy. We offer professional assistance from planning the first word all the way through the writing, editing, and publishing process.
If you are self-publishing, you are the CEO of a one-book publishing house. You are responsible for making sure that your book is properly edited and formatted so the reader has the experience that you intend. This usually means that your book needs developmental editing to make sure that the content is focused and organized, line editing to correct grammar, copyediting to ensure consistency, formatting so it is readable by a professional printer, and proofreading to catch any errors.
If you plan to look for a traditional publisher or literary agent, you still have many of the same needs. You want to make sure that you are putting your best foot forward, presenting a polished manuscript rather than an unrevised draft. We can help you refine your manuscript to attract the best contract.
Developmental Editing
Your book needs a developmental edit if you have a manuscript that has too few or too many words. This editing process brings discipline and focus to your writing by developing an outline that organizes your thinking to feature your voice and argument.
Line Editing
Every book requires a line edit to make sure that grammar, syntax, and word choice are correct. At the Sharper Quill, we don't just correct grammar and syntax, we work to make sure that the reader has the experience that the author intends. Every line edit includes a thorough fact and plagiarism check. We use tracked changes in Word to suggest revisions and insert comments based on our work with more than 1,000 bestselling books.
Copyediting
The purpose of a copyedit is to establish consistency in language, capitalization, and word choice. We go through every word of your manuscript to make sure that every time you use a word, you use it the same way from beginning to end. A copyedit will also review grammar and syntax, but the process is strictly mechanical: it does not rewrite or recast sentences to ensure that the reader has the experience that the author intends. Fact checking is limited to questions related to capitalization and spelling, and does not include a plagiarism check.
Formatting and Book Design
After the book is finished, we format it for print and ebook with all major book distributors for self-publishing. We can also format the book according to industry standards for submission to traditional publishers and literary agents. Formatting includes a PDF that can be published by Amazon or Barnes and Noble or an independent printer and an ebook format that can be published by all major distributors.
Proofreading
We provide a final proofread of the formatted manuscript to catch any errors introduced in the process of editing, revising, and formatting.
To begin the editing process with The Sharper Quill, we need to know something about your book. We offer a 1,000 word free sample edit. Please fill out the contact form below and we will respond with a brief manuscript assessment, a sample edit, and a proposal that includes a description of what we can do to help, our fee structure, and turnaround time.