Services for Nonfiction Authors
Congrats! You’ve written a nonfiction book, which is a big accomplishment! The time and effort you invested to put your thoughts into words means they are ready for others to benefit from your expertise—almost ready. Sentences and paragraphs that are clear to you may not be easily understood by readers who have not been immersed in these ideas for the months or years you have.
It’s time for a fresh pair of eyes to help you bridge the gap between yourself and your readers. I work (1) for you, to make sure the words you’ve written accurately represent your meaning; (2) on behalf of readers, to make sure they can easily understand your message; and (3) in the interest of the book itself, to make sure it’s putting its best foot forward when it goes out into the world.
Whether you need assistance with clarity and consistency, spelling and grammar, technical details such as formatting of tables and references, laying out the text and other elements for print and/or ebook publication, a final proofreading pass, or all of these, I can help.
My Services for Nonfiction Writers
I work with indie and self-publishing authors as well as traditional publishers to provide editing services for nonfiction books. I can provide line and copyediting, citation checks, book layout, and proofreading for books with topics in the food and cooking, education, Christian nonfiction, business, how-to, and self-help genres. Here is how my services work for nonfiction authors.
Line Editing and Copyediting
Line editing and copyediting take place after the structure and content of your book are in place and before it is formatted for publication.
Line editing is sentence- and paragraph-level editing with a focus on readability, style, and tone, so your message is clear, engaging, and powerful. Copyediting is sentence-level editing with comprehensive, detailed attention to clarity, consistency, and correctness, so readers can easily understand your message without pausing to reread a tangled sentence or even closing the book because they’re confused.
Because there is some overlap between line editing and copyediting, if you want me to line edit your nonfiction book, I’ll combine the two services into one stage of editing. You can also opt for copyediting only.
I use Microsoft Word’s Track Changes feature so you can see exactly what changes I’ve made and decide if there are any you don’t want to implement. I also use comments to explain why certain changes were made, make additional suggestions, present multiple options, and ask for clarification when needed. Editing of citations and references is included in copyediting but can also be a separate service if that’s all you need.
How long it takes to edit a particular nonfiction book depends on several factors, including length, complexity, and the level of intervention wanted or needed. In general, a combined line and copyedit for a nonfiction book typically includes two to five weeks for the first round of editing. Then you will have one week for your author review. Finally, it will return to me for one week for a second round of editing or the final cleanup. For a copyedit only, the first round will be closer to two to four weeks, your review will be one week, and my cleanup will be one week.
I will provide a custom proposal with a flat fee for your nonfiction line or copyediting project. My pricing aligns closely with the median rates documented by the Editorial Freelancers Association.
Citations and References
Citation and reference editing includes checking that in-text citations, footnotes or endnotes, and bibliography or reference list entries conform to your chosen style guide. My attention will be focused on the following:
Ensuring all elements are present and in the correct order for that source type
Confirming that all elements are correctly styled and punctuated according to your chosen style guide
Checking that all sources cited in the text are listed in the bibliography or reference list and all sources listed in the bibliography or reference list are cited in the text
Flagging issues for you to address, such as missing or conflicting information
Providing more in-depth verification and correction of reference information if needed
The Chicago Manual of Style, either notes and bibliography or author-date, is the most commonly used reference style for nonfiction trade books, but I can implement APA or your custom style if you prefer.
The timeline needed for nonfiction book citation and references services varies by the complexity of the manuscript and the volume of entries. In general, nonfiction authors can expect a timeframe of one to two weeks for citation and references editing. This service starts at $5 per reference list entry ($100 minimum)and can go higher depending on your specific needs.
Book Layout
After your manuscript has been copyedited and all the changes have been incorporated, I’ll lay out the main text and other elements into pages for the interior of your print book and format them as a reflowable ebook. I use Vellum software to create template-based layouts that are appropriate for most nonfiction books.*
To get started, you’ll answer a few questions about your publication plans and formatting preferences. Then I’ll need the text of your book in a DOCX file, and image files containing any photos, illustrations, or customizations to be included (such as backgrounds for chapter-opening pages, a custom title page created by your cover designer, or a custom graphic for section breaks or blank pages). If you want me to produce ebook files for you, you'll need to provide a cover image for that as well.
You’ll have the opportunity to choose among a few styling options for various elements. Then, when the layout is complete, you’ll get a PDF of the preliminary print interior. The next step is either professional proofreading or doing your own careful check of the text and layout. I'll then incorporate any changes identified by the proofreader and produce your final files: a PDF of the print interior, EPUB reflowable ebook files optimized for Apple, Google, Kindle, Kobo, and Nook, and a generic EPUB file for other platforms.
For most nonfiction books, layout is a straightforward process. The initial layout takes approximately two weeks. You will then have approximately one week to review it, or we can work with your proofreader’s schedule. After any edits are requested, it will take up to one additional week to finalize the formatting and produce the ebook files.
Nonfiction book layout starts at $250, but it can go higher based on length and complexity. You’ll know the price for your project before scheduling.
*If your book requires a more complex layout—such as multiple columns of text on a page, images that appear next to text, rotated text, or colored text (color photos/drawings/graphs are okay)—I can refer you to a typesetter or book designer who can do a fully customized layout for you.
Proofreading
Once your edited manuscript has been laid out for print and formatted as an ebook, it’s time for the final check for errors and inconsistencies before the book is published. This ensures readers aren’t pulled away from your ideas by a punctuation error, misspelling, typo, or layout issue.
Proofreading includes a careful, thorough review of your print-ready PDF using markup to indicate where changes need to be made. Your text should already be formatted for print or ebook publication. You can accomplish this by working with a professional book designer or using a do-it-yourself formatting program, or we can discuss my book layout services. After the changes are made in the source file (by you, your book designer, or me if I did the layout for your nonfiction book), the PDF is generated again.
Reflowable ebooks don’t have all the same elements as print books, but proofreading is still the final review, even if you’re only publishing a digital version. Like for print books, any necessary changes are made to the source file, then a new EPUB file is generated.
While nonfiction proofreading addresses some of the same issues as copyediting, changes are minimized at this stage because adding or deleting a line of text (or even a few words) can affect the layout of not just that page but also several following pages. It also involves checking elements that are not present until after the manuscript is typeset, such as page numbers, headers and footers, widow and orphan lines, word stacks, and end-of-line hyphenation.
The timeline needed for proofreading a nonfiction book varies with the length and complexity of the manuscript. In general, nonfiction authors can expect two to four weeks for the proofreading to be completed. If I am also providing the layout, the full service will include an additional week to apply changes once they have been approved by you.
I will provide a custom proposal with a flat fee for your proofreading project. My pricing aligns closely with the median rates documented by the Editorial Freelancers Association.
My Clients Say
“I have worked with Angie on a number of projects now . . . She communicates clearly, meets every deadline, and does impeccable editing. Having worked with a number of editors, and being a trained editor myself, I can say that Angie’s work is really top-notch.”
—Laura Kaiser, Word Haven Editorial
“As this was a business book, it's very nuanced content but the team was able to get a good grasp of it and provide the necessary assistance . . . pointing out issues with my footnotes and ensuring I had the proper permissions for my images.”
—Chad Horenfeldt, author of The Strategic Customer Success Manager
“Couldn’t be more impressed . . . maintained the voice and tone of my work while enhancing clarity and engagement.”
—Kristin Kemison, author of Navigating Non-Linear Careers
“After seeing [Angie’s] work, I was convinced she would not only help make my book read better, but that I would learn to be a better and clearer writer. That has proved to be true.”
—Brandon Spun, author of On the Spiritual Disciplines
Ready for Nonfiction Book Editorial Services?
I would love to hear about your nonfiction editing and publishing goals, then we can discuss how I can help you reach them with one of the services above. Use one of the buttons below to get started—or just to ask for more information. I can’t wait to read what you’ve written and help you get it ready for its readers!
