Your story is unique and deserves to be treated with the utmost care throughout the publishing journey. It takes a great deal of courage to entrust your story to another person, particularly in its early stages. This is why we strive to provide an encouraging and collaborative editing experience. 

Our utmost concern is for your story, which is why we provide a free sample edit and consultation call to every inquiring author to ensure that your story & authorial voice and our editing style are a good fit. If you choose to move forward with hiring Mendell Studios, you will receive a contract for services and invoice for the $200 nonrefundable deposit, which reserves your place on our editing calendar.

If our styles are not a good match, we will gladly connect you with other professional editors whom we know and trust.

Please note: Editing services are typically reserved 6-9 months in advance. If, after you’ve signed your contract, you need to delay your editing service(s), we will do our best to accommodate your request but we cannot guarantee availability.

Mendell Studios does not accept manuscripts that include any AI-generated text. If we discover that generative AI was used at any stage in the compilation of the manuscript, the service contract will be immediately terminated and the unedited manuscript will be returned. No refunds will be issued. 

Request Your Free Sample Edit

Editing Services

Developmental Edits ($0.026/word)

This is the most comprehensive stage of editing, recommended for authors who have finished with their drafting phase and are looking for an in-depth review of their manuscript that will provide creative solutions and suggestions for character, plot, and world-building development. You will receive:

  • An in-depth editorial letter that addresses character development, world-building, plot, pacing, etc. (min. 15 pages, depending on the manuscript’s word count)
  • Inline comments in the manuscript
  • A post-edit review call to review the editorial letter and brainstorm revisions
Line Edits ($0.026/word)

In this round, we’ll make sure your story is told exactly as you intended. This line-by-line intensive editing phase addresses syntax, story structure, and overall clarity & readability of the manuscript to make sure that your story reflects your unique authorial voice. 

Copy Edits ($0.023/word)

Or as we like to call it, the nitty-gritty round! With meticulous attention to detail, we will comb through your manuscript to check grammar, punctuation, syntax, and overall consistency. You’ll also receive a comprehensive style sheet, composed according to publishing standards.

Indie Author Special: Line & Copy Editing Bundle ($0.028)

Due to time and budget constraints, some indie authors prefer to have line and copy edits completed during the same editing phase. We are pleased to offer a dual editing phase for an affordable rate. 

Note: Due to the combining of the editing passes, this will likely result in an increased number of corrections necessary during proofreading. 

Manuscript Evaluations

Is a full developmental edit outside of your budget? The manuscript evaluation is great alternative for authors on a budget, or for those who’ve either received professional structural feedback. We will read through your manuscript and provide you with a 5-7 page editorial letter assessing world-building, character development, and plot. We will also provide a 60-minute post-edit call to review the evaluation and brainstorm solutions to any areas addressed in the editorial letter.

  • $750 flat rate (manuscripts up to 120k words)
    • Pricing adjusted for longer manuscripts

Samantha Mendell is a Poynter ACES-certified editor and a member of the Editorial Freelancers Association (EFA) and the ACES Society for Editing. With over a decade of professional, academic, and fiction writing experience, she is pleased to offer her expertise to fellow authors. Samantha specializes in speculative fiction; the more whimsical and intricate the world-building, the better!

Her favorite authors include Rebecca Ross, Brandon Sanderson, Elizabeth Lim, Sara Ella, J.K. Rowling, C.S. Lewis, and J.R.R. Tolkien.