Aimée Hill – Fantasy Editor
On your team to craft stories and sentences.
It goes without saying that you are looking for high-quality editing services for your fantasy manuscript. But deeper than that, you are looking for a collaborative relationship with a book editor where your voice feels heard and where you are encouraged to consider all input and be involved in each step.
Do you need book editing?
A bit about me.
The mystical force behind tracked changes.
I work with authors like you to strengthen the shape and voice of stories. You've spent long hours crafting your manuscript. Let me join your team to sharpen it. Are you an overwriter or an underwriter? Perhaps you're so close to your words that the 351 instances of the phrase "and then" has slipped your attention and you need an editor to reframe things. That's okay, your trusty freelancer editor has your back.
I'm here to be your fresh pair of eyes.
When I'm not poring over your words, I can be found in my sewing room or tangled up in lengths of yarn. My dream is to own a field with some sheep and chickens.
Want to work together? Get in touch today.
What is AJ Editorial Services?
AJ Editorial Services is me! I'm a book editor passionate about fantasy and excited to help you see the absolute best in your manuscript. I want to make revisions a delightful and smooth experience for fantasy and science fiction authors. Writing and editing should be as joyful as each other!
Revisions you can cope with
Track changes and clearly explained edits will make the process of editing a motivating and positive experience.
Accessible editing
Editing a book is a personal experience. That's why I adjust the way I give edits and revisions to suit the needs of each author and each manuscript.
Positive critique
Critique doesn't have to be soul destroying. My feedback gives you the tools you need to make corrections and develop your stylistic voice.
What editorial services do you need?
With three core editorial services and four bundled services to choose from, your manuscript will get all the care it needs. Leap straight into the level of editing you need here or scroll for services specific to you fantasy novels and short stories. I can support you through a big rewrite or some late stage tidying.
This bundle is for you if you're a career self-publisher and have a manuscript you want to pull into shape ready for publishing. A developmental edit followed by a copyedit with all the time you need to work through suggestions and ask questions will set you on your way. Your manuscript will get all of the correcting and coaxing it needs.
For when you have a short story written and a magazine submissions deadline looming. Each and every sentence of a short story counts for so much. It is a stylistic edit that will place heavy emphasis on your reader's experience. Workshop each word and dust away the typos with a line edit followed by a copyedit.
Testing the waters with your first book? Or is your dream to just get this one story out there? Or maybe you're a pro at book publishing but need a little guidance. A manuscript report to get feedback on your story as a whole followed by a copyedit might be the cost-effective bundle for you.
Need it all? This will have you set. A developmental edit or manuscript report, followed by a line edit, all topped off by a copy edit. And don't worry, you will have support through all stages of rewriting and revision. There's no need to find an editor for each; it's all here. Your manuscript will shine!
The Editorial Process
Editorial services are elusive and seem hard to pin down. I believe that communication is the most important part of editing your book. And that starts with telling you how I edit! You've got to know what your freelance editor is doing in your manuscript. As an editor specialising in science fiction and fantasy, I want to be sure that your manuscript is as free from tangled magic systems as it is grammatical errors. My process thoroughly tracks all the edits I make to your manuscript so you can make an informed decision as to which you accept. I don't just edit copy, I help you craft stories.
A fantasy editor's journey through your book
The developmental edit
When I conduct developmental edits on your fantasy book I'm looking at all the macro components of your writing. This process is often referred to as substantive editing. Largely, I'm ignoring typos at this stage. What I'm interested in is characterisation, plot, story, pace, tension, worldbuilding. All the big juicy elements that make for an excellent fantasy novel! I workshop your book leaving queries in the file (unless you've requested a manuscript assessment) and a detailed report analysing how you've used all the writing theory components and how your writing can be improved. You don't have to revise alone.
The line edit
Line editing is where I hold a magnifying glass up to your sentence craft. Really, this can be seen as a completely tailored course on developing your authorial voice in your manuscript. We will look at which particular words are conveying the exact meaning that you intend, how paragraphs should be ordered and presented, how changing sentence structure will impact your reader's experience of your novel. It is heavy editing, and by the end of it your edited copy will be telling exactly the story you set out to write. Fantasy editors work hard with you to amplify your voice. This level of editing sharpens your writing skills.
The copyedit
Down to the nitty-gritty! Copyediting is the level of editing that hides complexity the best! Maybe you've noticed even looking for a copyeditor that we can't agree on whether it is copyediting, copy editing or copy-editing. Never mind the serial comma or where punctuation should be placed in dialogue! But that's okay, in the careful hands of a professional editor, the appropriate style will be applied to your manuscript. Whether you're expecting English spelling with -ize endings or a manuscript so true to CMOS that it could stand as example text, there is one thing for certain: consistency is key! Copy editing fantasy needs a specialist editor. What is the capitalisation rules for all your original creatures, locations and creations? Should we be tracking potions on the style-sheet? This is where the technical editing happens.
Am I the right fantasy book editor for you?
If you're ready to hire a book editor, get in touch today. Tell me all about your manuscript and what kind of editing you like. This might depend on your publishing goals. Let me know if you're looking to self publish or query in hopes of traditional publishing. Be sure to say if you've got a tight turnaround. And most importantly, I want to hear about your story and what you love most about it! This is more than just content editing. This is refining and celebrating your art.