Posts

Rates

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Rates  Effective October 2020 Copy editing: $50.00/hr Substantive editing: $60.00/hr Developmental editing: $70.00/hr   Writing: $75.00/hr   Graphic design and layout: $50.00/hr For all long-term projects and for new clients, I will require a non-refundable retainer fee of 40% of estimated cost, as well as a signed contract.  All services will be charged against the retainer at the agreed-upon rate. Any services performed on holidays or on a rush basis will also be charged at an additional rate of $20/hr. I typically bill by the hour. On occasion, however, I am willing to bid on a project with an established client. Any services performed, including client-initiated changes and revisions, after initial project is completed will be billed by the hour, in addition to the project fee. A retainer fee may apply.   If you would like, I can perform a sample edit of 10-20 pages to provide an estimate of a timeline and hours required. I keep meticulous records of the...
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Services

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Copy editing (mechanical editing): consistency in capitalization, spelling, hyphenation, abbreviations; correctness of punctuation; consistency between text, tables, and illustrations; citation format; basic grammar, usage, and syntax; and other stylistic elements.   Substantive editing: rewording for clarity, readability, smoothness, impact, etc.; reorganizing or tightening; adjusting/tweaking layout. (Precedes copyediting, if necessary.)   Developmental editing: content, documentation, outline/structure, thesis, etc. (Precedes substantive editing if necessary.)   Graphic Design & Layout: business cards, logos, children's themes, illustrations and graphics, brochures, books, manuals, presentation, cover, table of contents, index, consistent layout, headings and subheadings, headers and footers, etc. (See my graphic design blog at AlanaLeeDesigns.blogspot.com .) Client provides me with a statement that details the requirements of your project: deadline, preferre...
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Experience: Quick List

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I have been an editor since 2002, and I've been a graphic designer since 1999. I have 8 years of experience teaching college-level writing in both Utah and New Mexico.  I'm also an author. Find my books on Amazon: Starlight Legend (YA Fantasy Romance) Mrs. Lee's Color Code Revision (Reference > Writing Skills) I have created numerous logos, brochures, training manuals, and I have edited manuscripts, business school essays, web sites, and workbooks.  Some of my projects have included:   Editing Quick List: • Flying the Coop manuscript (2003) • Making A Difference (six-module) online training course (2003) • Making a Difference at Work manuscript (2004) • Beyond Job Sastisfaction book cover (2004) • 6 Conversations for Performance Management training manuals (2005) • Targeted Learning's web site (2005) • Personal Development Guide workbook (2007)   Graphic Design Quick List: • Marriott School's Executive Education Logo (2002) • Master of Organizati...
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Writing Tip #2

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Most all of us have used the abbreviation "P.S." before. And I know a lot of people who use "P.S.S." if they want to add an additional thought to their P.S. P.S. actually stands for postscript . So an additional thought after a postscript makes it a post-postscript , or P.P.S. (My seventh-grade English teacher taught me this.) Here's the proof . Use it in your next Valentine or love letter. Wow someone.
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Writing Tip #1

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Un-learning what they taught you in grade school regarding starting a sentence with a conjunction and ending one with a preposition... This is taken directly from my editing handbook, The Chicago Manual of Style --it's "The" authority on print media (with over 950 pages). 5.191 (p. 193) There is a widespread belief—one with no historical or grammatical foundation—that it is an error to begin a sentence with a conjunction such as and, but, or so . In fact, a substantial percentage (often as many as 10 percent) of the sentences in first-rate writing begin with conjunctions. It has been so for centuries, and even the most conservative grammarians have followed this practice. Charles Allen Lloyd's 1938 words fairly sum up the situation as it stands even today: "Next to the groundless notion that it is incorrect to end an English sentence with a preposition, perhaps the most wide-spread of the many false beliefs about the use of of our language is the equally groundl...
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