Book Editing & Proofreading
Your story deserves a second set of expert eyes.
- Developmental, line & proofreading passes
- Tracked changes, never a black box
- A real editor reads a sample before we quote
You’ve spent months, maybe years, getting your manuscript onto the page. That’s the hard part, and you’ve already done it. What comes next is the editing, and that is what turns a solid draft into a book you’re proud to put your name on. It’s also the step most first-time authors underestimate, and the one that separates books readers finish (and recommend) from books that get a few chapters in and set aside.
At The Authors Portal, editing isn’t a single pass with a red pen. We break it into three distinct stages, because a manuscript needs different kinds of attention at different points, and no one editor does all three equally well.
Three passes, done right
Developmental editing comes first, while the big pieces are still movable. Your editor reads the whole manuscript for structure, pacing, and clarity: does the story or argument build in the right order, and for nonfiction, does each chapter deliver on what the reader was promised? You get a detailed editorial letter plus notes throughout, honest and specific, always aimed at making your book stronger, never at making it sound like someone else’s.
Line editing comes next, once the structure is settled: tightening wordy passages, fixing awkward phrasing, smoothing transitions, and making sure your own voice, not a generic "author voice", carries consistently from the first page to the last.
Proofreading is the final pass before formatting or print: grammar, punctuation, spelling, and consistency, catching the small errors that are nearly impossible to spot in your own writing no matter how many times you’ve read it.
What our process looks like
- A real read, first: an editor reads a sample before we ever quote a price, so you know upfront what your book needs.
- A plan you approve, with a clear timeline and a fixed price. No surprise add-ons partway through.
- Editing, with you in the loop: tracked changes and margin comments throughout.
- A final review call once editing wraps, walking you through the key changes.
- A clean handoff, delivered in the file format you need for formatting or publishing.
We work with authors across genres and experience levels: first-time memoirists, retired professionals writing the business book they always meant to write, novelists on their fifth manuscript. What stays constant is our respect for your time, your voice, and your investment in this project.
What is included
An editorial letter
Several pages on what is working, what is not, and what to do about it. Written about your manuscript, not assembled from a checklist.
Tracked changes throughout
Every edit visible and reversible in the document, with margin notes explaining the reasoning wherever a change is more than mechanical.
A style sheet
The spellings, hyphenations and character details your book has settled on, so the proofread and the formatting stage agree with each other.
A clean final file
Changes accepted and the document tidied, in the format your formatter or publisher needs to pick up next.
How this one runs
- A sample read. An editor reads a portion of the real manuscript and tells you what it needs. This happens before any quote, because quoting a price for editing a book nobody has read is guesswork.
- A written plan. Which passes your book needs, who is doing them, what it costs and when it lands, all agreed in writing before anyone starts.
- The passes themselves. Developmental first while structure is still movable, then line, then proofreading last. You see each stage as it completes rather than at the end.
- A handover call. Your editor walks you through the substantial changes and the reasoning, and you decide what to keep. The final call on your book is always yours.
About book editing & proofreading
Will editing change my voice?
No. That is the line we work hardest not to cross. A line edit fixes what obscures your voice: a sentence that doubles back, a paragraph that buries its own point. If an edit would make the book sound like someone else wrote it, it does not belong in the file, and you will see every change as a tracked one so nothing slips in unnoticed.
Do I need all three passes?
Often not. A manuscript that has already been through a writing group and two revisions may only need a line edit and a proofread. The sample read is what settles it, and we will tell you if a pass you asked for is not worth paying for.
What if I disagree with an edit?
Reject it. Tracked changes exist precisely so that every suggestion is a suggestion. Where an editor feels strongly they will say why in a margin note, but the decision is yours and nobody will push back twice.
How long will my manuscript take?
Editing is the longest stage of publishing and the one that varies most: a 40,000-word nonfiction book needing a proofread is a different job from a 120,000-word novel needing structural work. You get a date in writing after the sample read, and if anything threatens it you hear it from us first.
Guides for authors
Ready to see what your manuscript needs?
Request a free sample edit and a clear, no-obligation quote.
Call (786) 735-2958, Mon–Fri, 9am–6pm EST, or request a free quote.