Services I Offer Fiction and Non-Fiction Manuscripts

• Book Coaching
  When the process of writing a manuscript becomes daunting, I help you work through your challenges so you can complete your manuscript, find an agent and publisher or self-publish if that is your preference.

• Authenticity/Sensitivity Reading

  In authenticity reads for mental health, ADHD, and Indigenous content, I look for everything that could cause harm to readers. It is not possible for me to know every aspect of every Indigenous culture, so if your manuscript has a lot of elements about ceremonies, protocols, or oral histories, I recommend that authors look for a reader from that culture (you can post a job with the Indigenous Editors Association). If there are fewer culturally specific elements, I do a sensitivity read on the entire book and pinpoint spots where authors may need to consult a Knowledge Keeper. I work on articles, manuscripts, website copy, and land acknowledgements.

• Developmental/Substantial Editing

  When you need help understanding how to take your manuscript from partially done to complete, developmental editing is your best option. This type of editing assesses the basic elements of your genre and helps you organize the content, add what is missing, and eliminate what isn’t needed so the framework takes shape and you can finish your manuscript.  

• Stylistic/Line Editing

  Often done with developmental editing, stylistic editing looks at the flow of your words and refines your language choices. Among other things, this may mean suggesting rewrites to sentences and paragraphs to improve clarity, create transitions, and maintain the tone and style of your manuscript.

• Copyediting

  In a copyedit, I focus on the technical details of your manuscript. For example, I look at subject-verb agreement, punctuation, spelling, whether slang is used correctly, captions, citations, etc. I also fact-check your content, flag potential usage issues, and ensure that your manuscript follows your publisher’s style guide (when applicable) and create a style sheet for your book.

• Proofreading

  Usually the final step before your manuscript goes to print, during a proofread I look for errors in both the text and formatting. Spelling, punctuation, and grammar are carefully examined as are word and page breaks. This is where the final tweaks are made to your book.

• As for authors
• Pre-acquisition and Reading Reports
  Review the suitability of a manuscript for a Canadian audience, especially in the context of Indigenous experiences in Canada.
• In-house Indigenous Style Guide Development and Review
  Indigenous content requires unique style considerations. I work with you to develop a style guide that includes the most common style choices that need to be made when editing Indigenous content.
• Workshops and Webinars
  My workshops and webinars help ensure that your systems and processes make the publishing industry more accessible for all under-represented voices, but especially those from Indigenous communities. 

Guest Lectures
Often the best way to make important changes in the publishing industry is to teach new ways of thinking about publishing at the university level. Guest lectures can include information on the history of the Indigenous Editors Association, examples of past publishing practices that were harmful, guidance on how to effectively use Elements of Indigenous Style by Greg Younging, and related topics. These lectures help new publishing professionals understand how they can contribute to improving the accessibility of the publishing industry for traditionally underrepresented voices, especially those from Indigenous communities.