Professional Big Picture Editing That Will Lift Your Book To A Publishable Standard

We will:

  • Spot plot holes and show you how to fill them.
  • Examine your dialogue and provide the fixes your need.
  • Check the readability and smooth the flow of your book.

Our brutally honest 'big picture' feedback will give you the unbiased advice you need to correct problems, get your book back on track and publish with confidence.

Let's face it, all writers get too close to their work. It is part of the process, but also part of the problem.

How many times have you read over your writing, convinced it was ready to go, only to have a close friend spot a glaring plot hole in what seems like seconds of reading your book?

Now imagine the horror of self-publishing only to have reviewers pick up your mistakes.

We CAN help you to avoid this pain.

Let me keep it simple. Our editors will check over your book and pin point those huge plot holes that, if left unattended, would trip up unwary readers. Not only will we carry out this kind of structural edit, which will help to make your book read better, but we will also check the book flows, assess the readability and look at technical issues such as dialogue.

The single most important aspect of our editing service is that we look at each word of your book, AND then provide the clear and actionable guidance you need to fix your book.

I can't emphasize this enough. We want to make sure that you learn all the extra skills you need to not make the same mistakes twice. We want you to be a better writer.

OK, getting down to the nitty-gritty...

BubbleCow’s editing service has been designed to provide a ‘publisher’ style edit, which leaves your manuscript as close to ‘print ready’ as possible. This sounds a bit like sales blurb, so let me put it into 'real person' speak.

In reality this means that we will be paying attention to the narrative flow, potential plot holes and the overall 'feel' of the book in relation to its genre and readership. We also pay close attention to technical issues such as indenting, formatting and dialogue.

In short our edit will make your book the best it can be.

"Your edit has allowed me to refine the writing of Brilliant Water further than I could have ever imagined. I can only say, "Thank you. I knew you were the guy for me!" Just amazing, all of your points...”

Jennifer Arfa, author of Brilliant Water

“Thank you for your efforts. Having never done anything like this before I didn't know what to expect, but I must say I am pleased with the results. I feel your review was well balanced, offering criticism and suggestions where necessary and praise when you felt it was warranted.”

Grant Williams, author of If At First

Professional Structural Editing Includes...

  • Line-by-line editing that will correct plot, check 'flow' and help with dialogue issues.
  • A multi-page editor's report containing constructive feedback that will explain how to fix structural problems and lift your book to a publishable quality.
  • Advice and guidance on the 'next step'.

Your final report will be made up of two parts.

The first is the Editor's Report. This includes our editor's thoughts on your manuscript, ideas about improving your work and any structural points you should consider. This feedback also includes any points that we feel need particular attention. The aim of this report is to provide a single summary document that you can use as a reference point when applying the feedback. Many writers have told us that they found it very useful to have a summary of the key areas that need attention, especially when the individual comments embedded within the document can number in the high hundreds.

The second part is the in-depth line edit. This is embedded in your original document and can be viewed by opening the document with any good word processing package. Our comments will appear on the right hand side of the text. The editor will have read through your work on a line-by-line basis, and added comments and pointers that will improve your text. Though this is not a proofread, any grammar or spelling mistakes we spot will be corrected. The report is designed to allow you to produce a new and better re-write by systematically working through the comments and implementing their suggestions as you see fit.

Please note that when editing we often use a mixture of tracked changes and comments. The reason for this is that much of the editing process requires the editor to make a judgement call. Our editors will suggest the corrections and changes their experience and training tells them will work best in the context of your book. However, you may wish to overrule their judgement. Tracked changes are only used for minor errors.

It is our belief that the report is as much a teaching aid as it is an assessment of your book. We design our feedback to highlight areas in which you can strengthen your writing. We also structure our comments in such a way that you will be shown how to apply the techniques we are suggesting to improve your book.

“I didn't like the thought of some stranger interfering with my book, I was, I admit, a bit precious. However, the process was massively useful - problems were highlighted that I didn't know existed and insightful and creative solutions were offered. I even got praise for the good bits!”

Nik Jones, author of 9987, published by Tonto Books.

This is perfect for you if...

+ You are looking to lift your book to the next level and make it the best it can be.

+ You are looking for honest and brutal feedback from very experienced book editors.

+ You are considering self-publishing or sending to an agent.

This is NOT perfect for you if...

- You are just looking to fix the grammar and spelling and don't care about editorial feedback. This edit WILL NOT leave your book ready for publication. You will need a proofread to remove all the errors.

- You are at the draft stage and are just looking for someone to say your book is good (use friends and family or beta readers for this stage).

- You are not sure what your next publishing step will be.

Some Books Edited By BubbleCow

More books edited by BubbleCow

Cost Of Editing

We charge just $10 per 1000 words.

  • 10,000 words = $100
  • 50,000 words = $500
  • 100,000 words = $1000

At BubbleCow we understand that each writer's needs are different, and therefore we have a minimum word count of just 5000 words. This means that you can send a short sample to 'try out' our editing service.

“I was very pleased with your edits. I think the following were the biggest pluses for me:

Firstly, the ‘mechanics’; where:

  • A fresh pair of eyes sees what is actually written, rather than what the author thought he had written (and still sees, even though it isn’t there),
  • Things I just didn’t know (formatting, capitalisation, etc.)

Less quantifiable, but equally important (perhaps more so for the ‘story’); the ‘critical’ perspective, which reacts to things that ‘jolt’, eg:

  • Changes of location without adequate explanation (I know what’s happening, but forget that the reader doesn't).
  • Inadequate character description (I have the image in my head, but, as yet, the reader doesn't).
  • Too much explanation (I’ve already said it, so don’t labour the point, or perhaps, as you said several times, trust the reader to ‘get it’, and thereby, become more involved).

As a general comment, may I say that I was gratified that you allowed me to be myself; rather than trying to force me into someone else’s compartment/style/…. This, coupled with the encouragement your provided along the way, made the whole experience rather special.

”

Ian Anderson, author of Knight

What You Do Next...

  • 1. Hit the button below and complete the form,
  • 2. We answer any of your questions and, when you are happy, send out an email invoice to the email you provide,
  • 3. You make payment via our secure PayPal server (you can do this with a card and no PayPal account),
  • 4. We complete your edit,
  • 5. You receive an email with the editor's report and line-by-line edit,
  • 6. You send back any feedback or questions and we answer them,
  • 7. You re-write and move onto the next step.
Hit me to start the editing process

“BubbleCow know the fast-changing literary landscape inside out. The experience and contacts they have will improve any writer’s chances of either a first publication or improved sales and readership.”

PR expert, Chris Rickaby

"BubbleCow’s guidance remains the most helpful of all. They have the ability to read your work and come up with a suggestion that leaves you slapping your forehead, thinking “Of course!” Their thoughts have invariably improved my work and needless to say, I shall be Bubblecowing again very soon.”

Bestselling self-published writer, Matthew Watkinson.

“BubbleCow is an essential service. Every time a writer self-publishes a poorly edited book it furthers the belief that self-published books are simply amateurish, vanity books. We owe it to other members of our community to make sure that our books are the best they can possibly be.”

John Gillum, author of Big Bad Dog

"I have just read through her overview report (haven't looked at the actual notes yet and will do later) and I am really encouraged. The editor tells me where I have parts which detract and which are not strong - but my main voice and, incidentally the one I was more convinced by as a writer, she is full of praise for. I think one of the main things I wanted to check by asking for an edit, was whether what I was writing was actually worth it - and whether there was potential or not. The editor really encouraged me by enthusing about one line of the story and then made the enthusing believable by being honest about the parts that didn't work. That's an insight I would not be able to have as the writer and I appreciate it deeply.

The editor has made me believe my writing is worth taking the time to edit and hone - which I was doubting before. I am already whirling with ideas about how I might address the weaker parts.”

Kate Dibb, author of  Memories of a Lost Thesaurus

I would really like to thank you for the fabulous work that you have done. The report and all the comments were exactly what I needed to improve the book. I dreaded your “absolutely brutal” feedback but to be honest, all your comments were an eye opener for me, they make perfect sense and weren’t that brutal after all. Thanks ever so much and look forward to sending you my next book.

Mike Moreking

Mike Moreking