Mary is Retiring from Academic Editing

This summer I am retiring from Academic editing. I will continue to edit Creative Writing (Fiction and Literary Non-Fiction only).
I want to thank all of my clients who have trusted me with your work over the years. I wish you luck in your writing.

"What will I do without you, Mary?"

• The Writer's Workshop at UIUC maintains a list of editors who work in the UIUC English Department (where I am on faculty). You can find a selection of professional editors here: Editors/Proofreaders

What I Do

When I read your work, I am in partnership with you. I am a reader who wants your story to be the best it can be. I have over ten years' experience in academic editing. Therefore I can proofread and copyedit your work. I have an MFA in fiction writing, and write literary fiction myself. (See my publications list on my author page.)  I can suggest changes that may make your story more fluid and clear. I always use the track changes tool, so that you may accept or reject each change. When I am unsure of what you are trying to express, or when an element may not be serving your story, I will leave you a comment with suggestions for revision. I can also write an analysis based on my experience reading your work.
I want to stress that I am only one reader. Other editors may have different perspectives of your work. I hope that mine is helpful.

FAQs About Our Editing Services

• What do you charge?

Type	Price	What You Get
Proofreading, copyediting, line editing, analysis. Send me a brief description of what type of work you want me to do. I charge by the hour, so the charge for my time is the same regardless of task.	$35/hour	I will read your .doc or .docx file document as soon as my desk is clear during the week. This could be very soon if I have no other editing jobs on my desk and I am between semesters. When I am teaching, and when I have other regular editing jobs before yours, or any Premium jobs, it could take as long as two weeks for me to begin your story.
Premium Editing (Rush)	$45/hour	If you tell me that your deadline is less than a week away per 15 pages (for example a 15 page document due in a week, or a 30 page document due in 2 weeks) then you will automatically get the Premium rate and I will get started right away. In addition, you can request the rush rate if you would like me to work on weekends or put your job ahead of other regular editing jobs. (However, if I am working on other Premium jobs I will need to finish them first, so you should always ask when I can begin a Premium job.)
Pre Pay	$45/hour with a minimum of $50.	Some customers who frequently use my services pre-pay their accounts.
Sample	$35 to $45/hour	See question below for details.

• How do I pay you?

Type	Details	Extra Charge?
Bill Paying Services	Google Wallet venmo PayPal  Ask about other electronic services	Google Wallet: No venmo: No PayPal: $4.00
Check	The address will appear on your bill.	No
Cash	Local clients only. Email for details.	No

• Can I prepay my account?
• Yes. Some regular clients prepay to insure that I always have time to edit their work. Prepaying $50 or more gives you Premium Service. That means your job goes to the front of the regular queue (right behind any other Premium clients). I will deduct $45/hour from your balance and let you know when your balance is running low.
• How long will it take you to edit my work?
• Turnaround time depends on how busy I am with editing and teaching, and how long a project is. Normally I don't like to let work sit on my desk; rather, I like to edit a document as soon as I get it.
• Can you give me an estimate?
• I don't give estimates, since each writer, or even each document, may have very different issues that may take more or less time per page. Instead, I can do a sample of an hour or half an hour (sample rate is $35/hour or $45 an hour if you need it in a hurry). With my sample, you should be able to figure out your own estimate of how much it might cost for me to edit your work, and whether my editing is adequate for your purposes. You could then decide whether you would like to continue with me. If you decide not to, you would only owe me for the sample, and you would still have your job at least partly done. If you do decide to continue with me, just let me know and I will finish the job.
• What is your experience with editing?
• I edited academic writing for many years, including proposals, theses, and dissertations for various fields, including accounting, chemistry, and biochemistry, many types of personal statements and resumes, including those for law school and medical school and various other graduate programs. In addition, I have edited fiction, including a couple of novels. I also taught creative writing and have an MFA in fiction writing where I read my fellow students' work with an eye on helping them improve their stories.
• What is your experience with teaching?
• I have taught Literature and Creative Writing at the university level. In addition, I have taught Freshman Composition to small classes that include tutorials for many international  students. I have also taught Business and Technical Writing (as well as other types of writing at the university level) for many years. In addition, I am developing a course of online lessons for English as a Foreign Language students, or anyone who wants to develop their English Language writing and grammar skills. Please check out my web page: EnVisionRevision.
• Do you need to meet with me personally to edit my work?
• We can do the whole job online, if you like. I could begin editing your work immediately if you send it as an attachment. I generally use the "track changes" option in MS Word for editing, and the "comments" option to give suggestions. This allows the client to make the final decision about the changes.
• What is your background?
• I have a BA in Rhetoric from the University of Illinois, an MA in Creative Writing from The City College of New York, and an MFA in Creative Writing from Murray State University. I teach writing and literature, and love to read. I have had stories, and poems published in literary magazines, and I write a weekly column for the newspaper called "Letter from Birdland."
• What if I don't have MS Word, and can't use the "track changes" tool?
• I can supply the changes and comments in another format, like a web page, in addition to the corrected work. That way you can have the corrections and see the comments.

• What types of document files can you work with?
• I prefer to work with .doc or .docx files. There are some files that I cannot work with, so please be sure to let me know what file types you have when you inquire about my services.

• What if you don't have time to work on my document?
• The Writer's Workshop at UIUC maintains a list of editors who work in the UIUC English Department (where I work). You can find a selection of professional editors here: Editors/Proofreaders

• Can you supply me with an invoice?
• Yes. I send an invoice with your document. When you pay me I can send an updated invoice reflecting payment.

Please let me know if you think of any other questions. You can email me or ask them using the Comments tool below, and I will answer.