• Apply for editing

    Welcome! By making an application for editing, you are showing you take your book project seriously. You're treating it professionally as you explore your options in seeking expert advice. I'm Ruth, an experienced editor, book coach, and indexer. This is your chance to tell me everything you want for your book so that I can give you my best advice on your next steps. I will be in touch as soon as possible after you press "Submit" with my suggested course of action to help you continue your project.

  • You want to find out what's possible

    I want to save you time in the long run, so please take a look at my explanation of all the different types of editing, and start thinking about which one fits the stage of writing you have reached. If we decide to work together, I will help you decide which stage of editing your book needs at present. Take a look: ruthbullivant.com/editing-different-types/

  • Type of books I work with

    I copyedit fiction and nonfiction works. I line edit, and assess manuscripts of nonfiction books (not fiction). I edit only manuscripts in MS Word (not in pdf). Writers who love to work with me understand the importance of rational thought, scientific knowledge, and historical fact. They also value nuance, humility, compassion, and have more than a dash of humour. But I don't edit books about spirituality or religion, or work that springs from unfiltered pain, anger, or a sense of injustice. I do not work with sexual or violent content. If you recognise your book in this, don't hesitate to stop working through this form. You may be able to find another book coach who can help you on this link to a register of certified book coaches: www.authoraccelerator.com/matchme

  • I work with writers who have modest goals

    It may also save you a lot of time to know that I offer no guarantee at all of your book's commercial success. There can never be any guarantees in publishing and I give no guarantees at all: there is only a small chance of securing the interest of a traditional publisher; expensive marketing campaigns rarely result in significant book sales and while I can share with you everything I know about how to create realistic marketing plans to spread the word about your book as widely as you can, there is very little chance of your book gaining "#1 bestseller status" (whatever that means.) None of these facts are any reason not to write and market the best book you possibly can.

  • Take a breath

    So much information, but it all matters. How are you doing? Honestly, if this is becoming a drag, that shows it's time to stop. Close the form and don't worry about it. But if you are feeling energised by starting to talk about your book - great! Keep going.

  • When you press "Submit"...

    ... your answers come straight to my inbox. I treat everything you tell me with the utmost confidence. I review your answers and sample pages (more on that below). I will email you to let you know if I am available to work on your project.

  • So dive right in!

    Tell me about your book and what you want from editing.
  • What sort of book are you writing? (tick wherever you recognise your book))*
  • What would you like to achieve from this round of editing?

  • Editing has to be done systematically: a professional beta read (Structural, Developmental editing) is done separately to Line editing (style, word choice, tone) and both are done before Copy editing (grammar, punctuation, spelling, typology, factual correctness). Indexing comes after all these, and Proofreading is done at the formatting stage, last of all.

    It is not possible to do any of these types of editing simultaneously: so I cannnot do a professional beta read and a copy edit in the same piece of work. This is because after a beta read, you take the manusript back and decide which of my recommendations to implement. (There is no point in doing a Copy edit if you will be rewriting passages.)

    You may choose to skip a Line edit if you are confident in your use of words and go straight to a Copy edit.

    Everyone should have a Copy edit before publishing, because it is a function of being human that everyone needs a second pair of eyes to check for blind spots and finger fumbles.

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  • Does your manuscript presently contain:*
  • Would you like an Index to your edited nonfiction manuscript? (I quote a separate timetable and cost for this.)*
  • I can edit variants of the English language. Which market are you writing for, and so, which type of English do you want your book to be edited in?*
  • Do you have a preference for a particular editorial style?*
  • If your book is somewhat scholarly, and contains references, do you have a preference for a particular referencing style?*
  • Have you written a book before?*
  • Do you enjoy writing?*
  • This one is super-important. Is this statement true? "My book is written in MS Word (not in Pages, or Google Doc) and consists of one file. There is nothing more I want to write or to add to it."*

  • I do not guarantee your book will be published.

    Editing will make your book look more polished and professional. But even though I am a great editor (and modest with it), my editing will not guarantee you success in publishing of any nature. I can't guarantee your book will secure the interest of a traditional publisher. Nor can I guarantee you will make any money on your book, let alone enough money to cover the cost of my editing service. For 99% of authors, there is very little money to be made. The purpose of writing your book is to write the book you feel you HAVE to get out into the world, and not to achieve #1 bestseller status or to swell your bank balance.
  • What are your goals for your book? I want...*
  • How do you hope to publish?*
  • Do you have a publishing contract with a publisher?*
  • If you have signed a contract, what's the deadline for submitting your manuscript?
     - -
    2 digit month, 2 digit day, 4 digit year
  • (Nonfiction books only, seeking traditional publication) Have you written a book proposal?
  • Have you worked with another book coach, literary agent, or editor, on this book?*
  • Do you have any particular concerns about your writing, such as:*
  • Do you use:*
  • I use Zoom for all client calls. If we find we need to speak face-to-face and arrange a date and time, I will send you the link.
  • How familiar are you with MS Word's Tracked Changes feature?*
  • Do you know the date on which your manuscript will be ready to email to me?*
  • If you know when you can send me your manuscript, tell me when:
     - -
    2 digit month, 2 digit day, 4 digit year

  • Let's talk about money

    If you got this far, you've already demonstrated significant commitment to your book. And you will have got a feeling for the amount of care I put into our working relationship. You are also exploring the possibility of making a substantial investment to secure my editorial input. I'm going to make a wild guess that questions about how much this is going to cost you are pushing their way to the front of the queue.

  • To give you a rough idea

    I will give you an accurate quote if I have capacity to take your job on (I will let you know, by email, shortly) but it may help to know that to copyedit a straightforward text-based manuscript (without images and footnotes) I charge upwards of £0.02 (two pence) per word + VAT. The price increases if a particular manuscript requires more work to make it design-ready before publication. I provide tailored quotes for every manuscript, so don't be put off from reaching out.

  • Analyse the benefit

    If you are worried about how much it is going to cost you to work with me to finish your book, ask yourself these questions: 1. "Do I believe in my book's worth to the extent I am prepared to invest in it, by hiring a professional to work with me?" 2. "What is it, exactly, I risk by not taking professional advice on my book project?" If, on reflection, you decide my editing service is not for you, close the form with a light heart and walk away.

  • Ready money

    If you are feeling excited about the possibilities offered by my editing, please, please, please don't borrow money to pay for my services. And know that I never, EVER, enter into contingent fee arrangements dependent on your royalties, nor do I agree to wait for funds to be raised by crowd-sourcing or sponsorship. 

  • Payment in advance

    If you decide to hire me to edit your manuscript, I might require payment of a 50% deposit in advance of any editing job so that you can secure the time in my schedule for your job. The deposit is non-refundable and payable by credit card before your slot is secured.

  • Tax. One of the two certainties of Life

    I am based in the UK and being registered for UK VAT (GB239376182) I'm required by law to collect it from my clients. VAT is a sales tax of 20%.
  • If you have used existing material to write your book, such as an article or thesis, are you the sole holder of copyright in that material, and can you confirm that you have not granted someone else an exclusive right to publish that material?*
  • While I am being super-boring and Lawyer Me, we need to talk about AI. Any of these tools, Co-Pilot, ChatGPT, etc, are great for prompts and brainstorming and so on, but it's not healthy to write your actual book with them. If you have used generative predictive text (GPT), I just need to understand the extent to which you have done so. Which of these statements is true?*
  • Please confirm you have read and accept my legal terms: ruthbullivant.com/legal*

  • Thank you for answering all these questions. You have saved yourself a lot of work, and possibly frustration and disappointment, in the long run. Your answers will come straight to my inbox. I'll read them carefully and email you to let you know if and how I might be able to serve you.

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