Editing Services

I offer a range of bespoke editorial services to suit your needs. If you’re looking for thoughtful yet constructive feedback on your novel, need advice on how to make your query package shine, or regular support with ongoing writing projects, I’d love to help. With two published novels and others in the drawer, I understand how hard it can be to keep going.

I’ve been a serious writer for the last eight years. In 2023 after many rejections and three novels, I secured agent representation. In 2024 my debut novel was published followed by a second in 2025. I’ve received and given plenty of feedback along the way but it’s my experience working with an agent and a publisher that has taught me so much about how to make a manuscript work.

Full manuscript report – I read through your entire manuscript focusing on plot, structure, pacing, characterisation and setting. I’ll also flag any editorial issues to help polish your writing. If there’s a specific area you’d like feedback on, I’m happy to adapt my report to your needs.

£350 based on a novel of 75,000 words – this will be adjusted according to your wordcount at a rate of 0.005p per word.

Query package critique – A read through and edit of your first three chapters, query letter and synopsis to make them shine with a view to preparing your package for submission to agents/publishers.

£90 based on the first three chapters of your novel with a limit of 15,000 words.

Mentoring – Tailored to your specific needs, ask yourself what you want from a mentoring relationship. It might be a regular read-through and feedback on an agreed section of your work in progress or an in depth look at an aspect of writing craft you’re finding challenging. Perhaps you have a problem with your story and want guidance on how to fix it or you’re struggling to get words down and need accountability. Whatever your requirements, I’d love to help strengthen your writing. We can start with an exploratory initial chat to see if we’d work well together.

For the manuscript report and critique options you can choose to add a thirty minute zoom chat for £25 which offers an opportunity for you to ask questions in response to my feedback.

Mentoring pricing is on a sliding scale tailored to your needs. For example:

£75 per month for a 30 minute zoom chat and a report on 10,000 words.

£50 per month for a 30 minute zoom chat and a report on 5,000 words.

Extra zoom chats are charged at £25 for 30 minutes.

I write in the genres of historical romance and historical crime. Like most writers, I’m an avid reader and work with the following genres: Historical fiction, romance, saga, crime, thriller, literary fiction, upmarket fiction, book club fiction, magical realism, YA.

I’m not able to help with sci-fi, fantasy, horror, erotica, middle grade or picture books. I do not read books generated by AI and I do not use AI in any part of my feedback.

Testimonials

‘My novel was finally written, and I had a first draft which I’d then edited myself a couple of times and which my partner and a friend had given a thumbs-up to. But I knew that I needed a fresh pair of eyes, but more importantly, proper, professional advice from someone who would give me honest, unbiased feedback. I opted for Carryl’s full manuscript report which was very clearly structured, itemising what was working well and what was falling down and needed further work. So, for instance, Carryl reassured me that my novel was engaging and moved at a good pace, but she spotted several issues with the plot that didn’t ring true and identified character traits with my protagonist which were a turn-off and which I’d failed to notice. Once I’d made Carryl’s suggested amends, I felt that my novel was in a much better place and that I was ready to start submitting it to potential agents. Carryl was a pleasure to work with – always responsive and very professional.’ Nick Paul