I have worked on hundreds of books during my 25+ year career. Books of all kinds. Both fiction and non-fiction; narrative non-fiction, memoir, health, psychology, science and neuroscience, history, parenting, business, lifestyle.
I love helping people use their voices to tell a story, to offer information to others, and to be authentic on the page. I am extremely well-versed in keeping the author’s tone and cadence true while enabling the prose to read smoothly, with the appropriate pacing, resulting in writing that will capture the reader’s attention and keep him or her engaged. Whether fiction or not fiction, these assets are invaluable to making a book successful.
In short, I help writers write better, and structure their material better, so they can become published authors if that is their goal. Or simply so that they can have a beautifully polished piece of work for their own purposes.
Here is how I can be of service:
Private consulting:
I am happy to have a discussion with you if you simply want to talk about the industry as a whole- or a specific piece of it-contemplating what you want to write and what options you have to do with it. Also, listen to my podcast ( more to come)!
Book proposal writing:
After over 25 years working on both sides of the fence, I know what sells. I know what top editors and agents look for. I write these proposals, a number of which have sold for six figure advances. I know every element necessary to be in them, and how they must be presented.
Book proposal editing:
I will make sure your book proposal reads as professionally as possible. I will work with you to make sure you include each necessary element, and that each element is represented properly in terms of content, clarity, style, length and voice. I will apply the process of manuscript editing ( see below) for the sample chapters(s) which should accompany the book proposal.
Manuscript editing:
This service consists of 2 stages.
- Contextual editing:
I will read your manuscript and write you an editorial letter. For fiction, this will discuss the plot, the pacing, the character development, the voices and the dialogue. For non-fiction this includes discussing development of your topic or thesis, its tone, its structure, its length, what elements need to be added, clarified, or deleted, plus the coherence and impact of the chapters. Whether fiction or non-fiction, we can then discuss my editorial letter and determine what your next steps should be, working with revising the manuscript. I will re-read the manuscript and will write a new editorial letter to discuss with you. We will repeat this process until the manuscript is ready for Step 2.
- Line-editing:
I will go through the manuscript line by line and edit it for cadence, tone, overuse of language, and note what still needs to be added as well as delete any unnecessary/extraneous phrasing.
College admission essay development:
Well, I have just finished enduring the process of my second child’s applying to college- 16 of them….Believe me, I know what a stressful period this is. I am here to help your child find his or her voice, and discover what he or she truly wants to write about. And then we’ll make that essay come alive with engaging prose. Hopefully my help will alleviate some of your stress!
Payment Information:
Fees are determined project by project. I will ask for a retainer fee and then I will email you an invoice of services rendered at the end of each month, checks payable to Laura Yorke. I will provide you with an address for the retainer and ongoing invoices.