Summit Editing
We turn “I guess I’ll keep reading” into “one more chapter!”
Hi there!
As an author, I think it’s easy to be blinded by our writing and to get stuck in an endless loop of ‘what if it’s not good enough’ or ‘what if I’m not telling the story well?’ But as editors, we’re here to help you break that cycle. To see the heart behind your story and help you bring it out in a way that will make readers laugh or cry, smile or reach for the tissues - whatever your goal is, we want to help you reach it. To help you capture a reader’s heart so that they’ll love your story and your characters as much as you do.
I’m sure you know how hard it can be to find quality edits for your manuscript when you’re living on a tight budget. That’s why we offer a variety of editing services to young and aspiring authors at a discounted rate so you can get quality feedback on your work without breaking the bank.
A few things about our business:
We carefully researched our prices so you can get good edits without worrying about the cost.
We are fellow authors with years of experience and training so we understand both story structure and what it’s like to work with editors from an author’s perspective.
We provide encouragement as well as feedback so you always know that your story is well worth the effort, even when edits need to be made.
We always schedule calls before and after edits so you can ask questions and feel comfortable leaving your story in our hands.
We do our best to offer flexible deadlines so you don’t have to stress when the chaos of life hits.
Meet our editors:
Hannah R. Smith
Hannah despised researching, writing, and even proofreading throughout her high school years. It wasn’t until graduating from The Author Conservatory that she finally unlocked the value behind editing. With her love of history, she’s been able to assist several authors in crafting believable stories with many logistical aspects. She has five-plus years of experience giving honest and encouraging feedback on full-length novels and short stories – and knows what it’s like to receive feedback. In addition, she has a passion for connecting with authors, being a fellow author herself, and she may or may not get so hooked into a story she’s editing that she raves about the characters on a regular basis. In her very minimal spare time, Hannah can be found touring historical battlefields or sites, or curling up reading an epic novel beside her cats.
Hannah specializes in young adult fantasy and historical fiction
Jael Breeze
Jael has always loved stories. As a graduate of the Author Conservatory, she has three years of training and experience in crafting high-level stories that are fun, magical, and take readers through a whirlwind of laughter and tears. Being an author herself, Jael understands the gut-punch that receiving edits can be and makes it a priority to craft edits that not only help the author improve their story, but also get them excited about it all over again. She’s had the opportunity to work with many authors in creating stories - whether it’s a high-stakes epic fantasy or a cozy magical realism. Most days, Jael can be found working away at a story with a smoothie in hand, or watching a new TV show because episode one got her hooked on the funny side character and now she has to know what happens next.
Jael specializes in young adult and middle grade fantasy and magical realism
Manuscript Assessment
A overview of the plot and characters, digging into the pieces that aren’t working as well as they could be and a chance to see the parts that are flowing and doing exactly what we want them to! This is a good place to bring a manuscript that’s newer or only had a few sets of eyes on it. We’ll build up the plot, characters, and world, make sure there aren’t any plot holes, and really strengthen your story.
$0.015/word
Line Edits
A read-through to make sure that everything is sounding smooth and makes sense. Really digging into dialogue to make sure it sounds natural and flows well. Finding areas to show instead of tell and drawing out the prose of the story to really make the character voice shine. This is good for stories that have already gone through a few manuscript assessments. We’re not looking for plot or character development at this stage, just adding depth to what’s already there.
$0.01/word
Proof Read
A final read-through to find any misspelled words, grammar mistakes, or formatting problems before you submit your manuscript to agents, publishers, or self-publishing platforms. This is the last stage, after line edits have been completed. A final check for typos before you take the next step into publishing your novel.
$0.005/word
Got questions before booking a call? Fill out the contact form here :)
Frequently Asked Questions
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We take all forms of speculative fiction, contemporary, and historical (this includes epic fantasy, kingdom fantasy, magical realism, cozy fantasy, and historical fantasy). At this time, we also aren’t accepting dark fantasy, as it is a subset of horror and contains themes that we won’t be editing.
At this time, we aren’t accepting horror, mystery, or romance. Manuscripts containing a romantic subplot are okay, so long as the plot isn’t revolving around the romantic element.
Jael specializes in middle grade and young adult speculative fiction of all kinds.
Hannah specializes in young adult speculative and historical fiction.
We don’t accept picture books at this time.
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We ask that all manuscripts be submitted via email before the communicated deadline. All manuscripts should be in Google Docs, Times New Roman font, 12pt, double spaced, with page breaks between chapters.
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Not currently! Although that is subject to change and we may request a sample if we are unsure if your manuscript will be a good fit for us.
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No. We will not be making any changes to your story. For a manuscript assessment, we’ll be reading your story and then sending you a separate document with our thoughts and recommended action based on what we found. In line edits and proofreading, we ask that you send your document with suggesting permissions ONLY. We’ll leave comments or suggestions with our thoughts or grammar corrections, but it is your choice to accept them or not.
In no situation will we be confirming or making any changes to your document.
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A manuscript assessment is a deep-dive into plot and characters. It’s developmental, meaning it focuses on strengthening the pieces of the story and making sure there aren’t any plot holes or inconsistencies in the characters. Manuscript assessments don’t dig into prose or grammar, focusing on the core of the story and building it up.
Line edits are focused on strengthening the prose of the story. Adding variety to sentence structure, improving dialogue or descriptions, and finding places where the prose is confusing or lengthy. The goal of line edits is to help your story sound more polished.
Proofreading is a final read through of your manuscript. We’re not looking at characters, plot, or prose. Just checking for misspelled words, grammar mistakes, and formatting issues.
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We do not accept any manuscripts containing explicit sexual content. Closed-door romance is okay. Because we aren’t trained in it, we do not accept any manuscripts containing LGBTQ+ themes.
We want to do our best to help you. However, if we accept a manuscript and find that it contains themes stated in our content guidelines, we reserve the right to terminate the contract.
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Manuscript assessments take approximately 4 weeks. Line edits are about 3 weeks and proof reading is around 2.
These timelines are approximations and can vary depending on the manuscript length, genre, and structure. We will make sure to communicate deadlines or potential changes to clients quickly and clearly
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We ask all clients to book a call so that we get a chance to know you before we start working on your story. This gives us a chance to ask you about your story - what edits you’ve done so far, what you’re looking for, and what the heart is behind the story. This also gives us more ability to talk over deadlines and expectations and make sure we’re all on the same page going in.
Reviews
“I would highly recommend Jael for your editor! The advice was very insightful and helpful. The letter got me excited to edit (instead of dreading the work) and Jael was really great to interact with. You can tell she loves her craft. She gets invested in your story, even though it’s not hers, and brings in a new outlook that is straightforward yet kind. She has a unique ability as an editor, being a writer herself, and has the experience to sympathize with the changes you don’t feel like making, but know have to be done. In the end, she is a great editor whose advice gets you excited to do the work!”
“I really enjoy working with Hannah. She does a fantastic job of pushing your imagination and problem solving for your story while ensuring that you keep the core of your story, world, and characters exactly how you want it. She’s encouraging, patient, and she loves stories as much as I do”
“Jael and I swapped stories to critique as a part of our training in the Author Conservatory. She was both encouraging and excellent at pointing out places where the story and prose could be strengthened. Best of all, she was enthusiastic about my story in a way that gave me inspiration to keep working on it. I highly recommend her services!”
“Hannah’s eye for detail and knowledge of story speaks for itself. Her editing has helped my work become stronger (and much more punctuated), and I’m so thankful I’ve been able to work with her. ”
“Jael alpha-read an early draft of my fantasy novel for me. She never failed to let me know how invested in the story she was, pointed out what I did well and the parts that moved her, and also gave kind suggestions on the parts that were lacking. She pays attention to little details and how they work with the character growth and overall story, while giving such heartfelt encouragement all along on the way. At the end of the document she even wrote a note about how honored she was to have read it and expressed her hopes and encouragement that she’d see it in print one day, which strengthened my resolve to keep writing. I’d definitely ask for her help again!”
“Jael gave me valuable feedback on my manuscript during our time in a critique group. Thanks to her time in the Author Conservatory, she has a good understanding of story structure and the flow of a character arc, which helped me hone my story. She also had a knack for finding and pointing out the little things in the story that she loved, which was encouraging and helped prepare me for the tougher pieces of feedback that I needed.”