Let’s be real: You might not need me to edit your query letter or first page. That seems like an odd—perhaps even detrimental—thing to say on my query letter editing packages page, but let me explain.
Your query letter and first page (and beyond) should be polished and clear, free of grammatical errors and typos. They both should grab an agent’s attention and make them want to read more.
But you don’t have to pay an editor to accomplish that.
Ask your critique partners and beta readers to read through your query and first page. Ask a friend to proofread for you. Read your query and first page out loud by yourself to catch awkward sentences and missing words.
Let’s say you’ve done all that you can do, but you’re still not confident in your query or think your first page could use another round of proofreading. Or beta readers commented that your manuscript is rough on a sentence level. Or you’ve sent out your query and haven’t had any requests.
At that point, it may be time to have a professional editor review your query and first page and help you polish the text.
I am professionally trained in editing through the University of Chicago’s editing certificate program, and I’ve completed a course on editing query letters through the Editorial Freelancers Association. I know the elements of a good query and can help you pitch your story effectively to agents. And I know how to edit your first page so agents are drawn into the story immediately and want to keep reading.
Below are my standard query letter editing packages for querying authors and what each package includes. Let’s chat about which package fits your needs—contact me here to start a conversation.
Query Letter Package, $58
In the query letter package, I’ll provide two rounds of edits on your query letter.
The first round of editing focuses on the content of your query letter to ensure it provides the necessary information agents are looking for and to explain the plot of your story as clearly and simply as possible. The second round of editing is a detailed proofread to clean up the query letter so grammatical, stylistic, and punctuation errors don’t trip up an agent.
Query Letter and First Page Package, $98
In the query letter and first page package, I’ll provide two rounds of edits on your query letter and first page.
The first round of editing for the query letter focuses on the content of your query letter to ensure it provides the necessary information agents are looking for and to explain the plot of your story as clearly and simply as possible. The first round of editing for the first page focuses on the style, creative content, and language of your first page at a paragraph and sentence level so that it reads smoothly and the pacing keeps agents intrigued.
The second round of editing on both the query letter and first page is a detailed proofread for technical errors, such as missing punctuation marks, incorrect spelling, and typos so nothing distracts from the content of your query or the story on your first page.
Query Letter and First 50 Pages Package, Starting at $348
In the query letter and first 50 pages package, I’ll provide two rounds of edits to your query letter and one round of copyediting to your first 50 pages.
The first round of editing the query letter focuses on the content to ensure it provides the necessary information agents are looking for and to explain the plot of your story as clearly and simply as possible. The second round of editing is a detailed proofread to clean up the query letter so grammatical, stylistic, and punctuation errors don’t trip up an agent.
I’ll also do one round of copyediting to your first 50 pages to clean up your prose by editing your manuscript for internal consistency and correcting errors in spelling, grammar, and writing mechanics.
This package starts at $258 for a standard-length query letter and 50 pages equalling around 12,500 words. I will provide a custom quote based on the word count of your first 50 pages.