Yes! For copy editing and line editing, I offer free sample edits of the first 2,000 words of your manuscript, so that you can get a sense of my editing style and see if we’re a good fit.

For developmental editing, I will perform a sample edit of the first chapter.

Request a free sample edit here.

If you aren’t sure what type of editing or reading you need, send me a message or schedule a free calland let’s talk about it!

In the meantime, think about what you find most difficult when you write, what aspects of your manuscript need support, and what stage your project is in.

• To work through big picture ideas and themes: developmental editing.

• For an overall assessment, without in-depth recommendations: manuscript evaluation.

• For a reader’s experience of your story: beta reading.

• For correcting mechanical errors in spelling, grammar, punctuation, word choice, and usage: light copy editing.

• For flagging of issues with clarity or awkward language: medium copy editing.

• For a deep assessment of how your words communicate your message: heavy copy editing (AKA line editing).

• For an assessment of how your manuscript handles the portrayal of groups and experiences outside the realm of your own experience: authenticity reading.

• For an assessment of how well and how accurately your manuscript incorporates historical details in order to create an immersive experience for the reader: historical authenticity evaluation.

Whether you are self-publishing or preparing a manuscript to query agents or traditional publishers, editing and reading are completed in a generally set order:

1. Developmental editing and manuscript evaluations can be helpful at the beginning of the project, either while writing is still in progress, or after the framework of your manuscript in place but you’re still open to significant revision.

2. Historical authenticity and sensitivity reading are helpful after self-editing, but before your project is sent to beta readers.

3. Beta reading is helpful after self-editing is complete, but before line and copy editing, in case revisions are needed.

4. Line editing and copy editing should happen toward the end of the process, after the structure is set, to catch mechanical errors and anything else that may have slipped through.

Timelines vary depending upon editor availability and the scope and depth of the work requested.

For an exact estimate, send in your manuscript for a free sample edit via the contact page or email me at rachel@authenticvoiceeditorial.com.

Fiction, particularly historical fiction, romance (historical, contemporary, LGBTQ+, comedy, adventure, explicit, cozy), erotica, literary fiction (especially weird girl lit), cozy literature, mystery and cozy mystery, and detective/crime.

Non-fiction, including personal websites and bios; narrative non-fiction, history, food and cooking, crafts and hobbies, travel, popular science, social science, and true crime; memoir and personal history, family history and genealogy; and academic writing.

Any and all: books, novels, manuscripts, blogs, thesis statements, newsletters, websites, etc.

I am a native speaker of American English and I edit works in the English language. I am well-versed in the minutiae of Global English.

I have also formally studied Spanish, French, Italian, German, and Dutch, and I am familiar with the language and communication patterns of English as a Foreign Language.

I am set up to work with clients from throughout the English-speaking world, including the EU, USA, UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.

Following a dream can be expensive, and many ND folks face financial hardship. As such, my services are highly competitive with industry rates, per the Editorial Freelancers Association.

Rates are indicated below each service.

Services are priced per word in US Dollars unless otherwise noted. Rates for other currencies are based on the daily conversion rate.

Rates are exclusive of a 3% processing fee, per transaction (subject to change).

Custom packages are available for multiple services.

Services are payable in 2 installments: the first 50% upon signing the contract, before services commence, and the remaining 50% upon completion of services, before edited documents and/or final reports are returned.

With the standard payment plan, services are payable in 2 installments: the first 50% upon signing the contract, before services commence, and the remaining 50% upon completion of services, before edited documents and/or final reports are returned.

If you are facing financial limitations and you need to spread the payments into 3 or 4 installments, please ask and we’ll work out a modified payment schedule.

Custom packages are available for multiple services. Contact me to build a personalized custom package to suit your editing needs.

1. After you’ve contacted me to inquire about a service, I’ll ask you some questions to get a sense of your needs. Then, I’ll perform a sample edit if requested, and I’ll send you my timeline and rate for your individual project.

2. Once you’ve agreed to my project proposal, I’ll draft up a contract of services. This ensures that we both understand which services are and are not being provided. You’ll receive an invoice and payment link for the first 50% of the project total. My work cannot commence until both the contract and first payment are received.

3. Then, I’ll get to work! Whatever our agreed timeline, I’ll check in with you at the halfway point—or weekly, if requested.

4. On or before our agreed deadline, I’ll contact you to let you know that my work is complete, and I’ll send an invoice and payment link for the remaining 50% of the project total.

5. Once the final payment has been received, I will send you an email with your edited documents and/or my written reports.

6. For copy editing, I’ll send one version with edits visible and one with edits accepted (a ‘clean copy’).

7. If you’ve purchased developmental editing, this is the time when we can schedule our final 45-minute conversation, if desired.

8. If you’ve purchased developmental editing or copy editing, you can then review my edits and comments, make changes, and return your document to me for one final review of your updates.

When I review a document, my aim is to ensure that its message is as clear as possible while still preserving the author’s unique voice.

This means that I not only make corrections, but also suggestions that will clarify, simplify, and enhance your words while still maintaining the tone, approach, and integrity of your voice.

When you trust me to be your editor, I honor that trust by communicating clearly and directly and with kindness and compassion.

My approach is conversational, and collabrative; I am an ally to the author. My goal is to help you express your authentic voice so that you can confidently share your writing with the world.

To that end, I act as an advocate for your reader to ensure that your words are free of confusion or distractions—but always with an eye to preserving your unique voice.

I completed the Certificate in Copyediting through UC San Diego-Extended Studies in 2020, but my journey to editing didn’t start there.

I volunteered as an editor in high school and at university. In the 15 years between my first job and when I completed my copyediting education, I found myself drawn to the duties of an editor, despite that not being my job title. In this time, I conceptualized, wrote, edited, and formatted 12+ separate operations manuals, training guides, customer service scripts, and work flows.

After I decided to pursue copy editing, I found a position as an acquisitions assistant for a New Harbinger Publications, an independent publisher based in Oakland, California. This role gave me immense insight into what is required to publish a successful book. Since 2018, I have worked with New Harbinger’s Acquisitions department on their twice yearly book launch.

In the 6 years since I completed the copyediting certificate, I have opened two businesses (Rachel Porter Editing and Authentic Voice Editorial), and have worked with clients on everything from novels to websites, and memoirs to newsletters.

No. I do not use generative AI to read, assess, or edit your words. The use of AI is antithetical to my process and to my beliefs, and I include a “No-AI” clause in my client contracts.