EDITING SERVICES

I provide editing services for playwrights and novelists interested in professional feedback on their drafts. Below is a list of sample editing packages for a full-length (approx. 2 hours) play. Please contact me at deborah.d.harbin@gmail.com if you are interested in receiving pricing options specific to your project or in a customized editing package.

$75 – Basic Package

At this price point, you would receive broad notes on what’s working in the play and what isn’t working as well. These would include both overarching notes and chapter notes on plot, flow, character development, etc. At this price point, notes usually focus on pointing out concerns and posing clarifying questions, as well as on letting you know what does work. Here are some examples of the kind of notes you might receive at this level:

- The plotting of the first 1/3 of the novel mostly works well, but I didn't understand the section where Grandma goes to live at the beach. What is the relationship of that section to the rest of the plot? Would you consider cutting that section?

- Your secondary character Gregory seems somewhat contradictory. Your character notations describe him as "brooding and melancholy," yet virtually all of his dialogue seems kind and encouraging. In light of that, when we discover he's attempted to poison Cordelia, it's hard to understand his motivation. Could you clarify?

$100 – Intermediate Package

At this price point, feedback included in the basic package would be enhanced with notations and suggestions. Two important upgrades would be present in your notes:

1) more thorough notation of where issues manifest in the script. For example, the critique of Gregory above might be accompanied by several examples of places the reader observes contradictions in Gregory’s character, as well as the corresponding page numbers.

2) Clarifying questions would still be included but would be augmented with more exploration of possible solutions. The basic package would include very general suggestions about how to solve problems; at the intermediate level, you can expect in-depth explanation of proposed solutions and how they might be implemented in the draft.

$125 – In-Depth Package

At this price point, you would receive page-by-page notes on the script in addition to the overarching notes included in the Basic and Intermediate packages. These kinds of notes include substantially more detail and more fully simulate the experience of the reader, exploring the questions the reader might be asking as they move through the novel and pointing out what is working or not on any given page. This feedback also addresses a wider range of concerns. For example, you might receive feedback on the order of scenes, tone or voice consistency, and other more technical issues that would not typically be addressed at the basic or intermediate level. Line-by-line edits are not included, but some notations on major syntax or word choice issues are typical at this level.

Unlimited Package

The unlimited package includes feedback at every level – line-by-line edits, wording suggestions, paragraph notes, page-by-page notations, and overall notes, including detailed suggestions about how you might tackle problems in the next draft. This package is billed at a rate of $25 per hour. A maximum budget, or check-in caps, can be set for this package (for example, a $200 maximum would provide up to 8 hours of work). If no cap is set, I will provide the maximum amount of useful feedback that I can generate and will bill based on hours logged.