There are so many editors online. What makes me any different from the rest? Why choose me? Well, I’ve got seven reasons:
1. Price
My hourly rates are industry standard, but because I’m faster than most editors and proofreaders (retaining the same level of accuracy), you pay a fraction of the price per word, without sacrificing quality. Transparency is important to me, so I give my average prices on my services page, and I give you a sample edit when I calculate a quote custom to your project.
…if you need a freelance editor, I can definitely recommend @larathelark—I’ve pubbed 11 books and she is SCHOOLING ME. 😉
—Mandy Hubbard, Literary Agent and Author
2. Expertise
I graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of Northwestern—St. Paul with a bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary studies, concentrating on writing, literature, and graphic design, with plenty of editing and art classes thrown in. I’m a member of Sigma Tau Delta, the English honors society, and I was in the Eagle Scholars Honors Program at Northwestern. I’ve aced the same literature and writing classes as the editors you’re trying to impress at publishing houses. I know the kind of writing they’re looking for.
Most novelist-turned-editors you’ll find online did not have classical or collegiate training in writing. Even if you like their writing, you might actually just like their editors! Always ask for an editing sample before hiring a freelancer.
3. Experience
I’ve edited for literary agents, graphic novelists, children’s authors, fiction and nonfiction authors, poets, pastors, and professionals. See #7 for some of their responses to my work.
Timeline:
The Evolution of an Editor
I’m a champion of voice and writing style. You can have a great plot, but does your story have a strong voice? I can help with that. Better, I can help you develop your OWN voice, rather than turning you into a clone of [Insert Famous Author Here]. Of course, I can help with plot, theme, and character development, too! I only spent six years studying literature. I’ve spent many more years reading genre fiction and learning story theory from Hollywood’s greatest teachers.
The title of my interdisciplinary major was “Visual Communication.” As a graphic designer, I am uniquely equipped to edit graphic novels and other visual narratives. When I proofread Lora Innes’ The Dreamer Vol. 3* (IDW), I looked for typos, formatting issues, consistency in speech bubbles, and grammar errors. Depending on the needs of my clients, I’ll also look for issues with story, voice, perspective or foreshortening, color consistency, and visual flow.
*Proceeds from this affiliate link go to the author, not to me.
In 2015, I completed a mentorship under Nicole Boose, a comics editor who formerly worked for Marvel Comics and now freelances from home. Here’s her recommendation:
“She did a terrific job, offering insights that I had overlooked, as well as picking up quickly on some of the considerations that are specific to comics. Lara proved to be especially adept at clarifying dialogue, and had a skillful eye for visual storytelling – identifying potential problems and making valuable suggestions to clarify readers’ understanding.”—Nicole Boose, comics editor
I’m also experienced in comedic timing. I appreciate witty, ridiculous, or dry humor. If you’re more of the Judd Apatow school of funny, I won’t be so amused. But if you think Sherlock has moments of hilarity, then we’d probably mesh well together. To give you a sense of what I find funny: see this blog.
4. Empathy
I’m not one of those editors that’s never been published and takes out my bitterness on unsuspecting writers. I am a writer, too. I get that writing is both exhilarating and exhausting, phenomenal and frustrating. My critiques are honest and encouraging, never harsh. (Though if you don’t appreciate the occasional snark, I might not be the editor for you.)
5. Coaching
“I’ve had over 30 critique partners go through this, but you were able to shed light on it in
a new and fresh way!”
—Recipient of a First-Five
editing giveaway.
I am insanely thorough with my edits. I’ll show you both objective changes (things that are non-negotiable, like misspellings and confusing sentences) and subjective changes (things that you can decide whether to change or not). The end goal isn’t just to make your current WIP amazing, it’s also to teach you how to craft stunning sentences, now and in the future.
6. Insight
I have the taste of a commercial reader with the eye of a literary editor. I’ll help you appeal to both.
I cannot guarantee that your novel will sell after receiving my services. Publishing is a complex beast, timing is everything, and finding the right agent is tougher than finding a soulmate. But there are still readers out there! Don’t discredit self-publishing or hybrid publishers. Just beware of scammers. Search for independent reviews of their work and ask for references.
“You’ve gone above & beyond on this. I feel so much more confident sending my book off to print!”
—Lora Innes, Author and Artist of The Dreamer
7. Success
Here are some unedited comments straight from clients’ fingers:
- Your comments are awesome!!! You’re worth your weight in gold!!!
- I’ve made it through everything you sent me thus far and I especially liked all of your suggestions re: rearranging sentences or paragraphs to make the narrative flow more logically. I really like reading the questions that come to your mind as you read, too. You have such great insights!
- Lara, I LOVE your edits and suggestions—this is bringing the manuscript to a higher level and hopefully, a publishable one!
- Very thorough, very fast, very in-depth. @larathelark is an awesome editor 🙂 My query is 100% better thanks to her.
- I glanced through and was floored by how thorough and detailed they were and how much attention you paid to my writing.
- You are a GODDESS! You were spot on. I made a ton of changes with your notes—thank you.
- Tears of joy! I can not thank you enough for this opportunity. Your suggestions are the best I’ve received.
- Oh my goodness your comments are amazing!! Thank you so very much. I adore your idea for the opening 🙂
- Thank you for your detailed comments! All the suggestions are so helpful. I can tell you put a lot of thought and expertise into them.
- I can’t express how valuable your input was to me. And thank you for all your praise and words of encouragement.
- ha ha, having too much fun reading all your comments.
- Thanks so much for all the work you put into this! My goodness, that was a detailed edit! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! 🙂
- Thank you so much for all your wonderful feedback! I can’t wait to work on this.
- Thanks a lot for the feedback! I had to stop on page two because you gave me so much to think about.
- The report is very good, you really put a lot of work into this.
- All of the information you gave me was really inspiring and I was busy writing away!!!
- Laughing so hard at some of your notes. Thank you! You’re making me smile.
- Thank you so much for taking the time to do this critique. Seriously. Your ideas and insight into my story are incredibly helpful. You are the first person to suggest not only using comps, but you are the first person who gave me some titles to consider using.
- I really appreciate all of your comments. You’ve given me a lot to think about and great specific ideas on how to make my story better.
- Your notes are so helpful and I can’t wait to work on revising the rest based on your line edits. I so appreciate all of your help and insight.