Among the published authors who have employed my evaluation services for their mss. are:
Christine Sunderland (Pilgrimage, Capstone Publishing, 2007);

Frances Bries Wojnar (Eliza, An Iowa Pioneer, Lulu Press, 2007);

Richard C. Brown, Ph.D. in Arizona (When Ministry is Messy, St. Anthony Messenger Press, 2006, and A Practical Guide for Starting a Faith Formation Program, Resource Publications, 2003);

Aline P'Nina Tayar (How Shall We Sing?, Picador Press Australia, 2000) in Great Britain;

and the writing team of Tom Pollock and Jack Seybold (The Rising, 2004), who write in California and Oregon respectively. 

The magic of digital communication has made these authors my "next door neighbors" here in California, USA.

My Editing Philosophy

I understand the business of writing and see it from both the publisher's and the author's viewpoints. Your work is always sacred and primary. I will respect your feelings and your sense of pride and accomplishment.

My personal value system demands that I deal with my clients in an honest, direct manner. I am not out for a fast buck at the expense of inexperienced writers with stars in their eyes. Rather, I am a professional who wants a trusting, long-term relationship with each client (I have a number of repeat clients whom I value).

All work is done personally. I do not "farm out" my clients' projects to other editors.

If you choose to work with me, I will draw up a "Statement of Understanding," so that we will have in writing what you can expect from me and what I expect of you.

What I cannot guarantee is that your manuscript will ever be accepted by an agent or publisher after I've evaluated and/or edited it. The publishing world is highly competitive and sometimes unfair, even to accomplished writers with great manuscripts.

What You Can Expect

After reading your ms., I will provide you with a written evaluation that covers all the standard areas. For fiction these include plot, character, narrative arc, place, style, etc. For nonfiction, I will let you know if your presentation is clearly written, understandable, well-organized, suitable for its intended audience, etc.

I offer my clients a reasonable turnaround time (generally not exceeding 3 weeks).

Fees

Each project is unique and needs to be discussed before a final fee is set. The following schedule will help you estimate the cost of having your work professionally evaluated.

Reading and Evaluation Only
I will  read your manuscript and provide a professional evaluation of your work, covering the major areas of plot, character development, writing style, voice, grammar, spelling, etc. I will also address the marketability of your work and offer suggestions along that line.
Fee: $75 per 100 ms./pgs. (8.5" x 11" sheet, double spaced, 23-25 lines per page).
Partial manuscripts accepted, but there is a minimum $75 charge. [Single-spaced pages count as 2 pages.]
SASE required for return of ms.

Payment

Normally, payment is made on an as-we-go basis, with a down payment of 50 percent of the estimated total; the balance due on completion. Payment can be made by personal check, money order, or cash. I do not accept credit card payment. (Special payment requests will depend on our mutually agreed upon terms.)

How to Submit

Some clients prefer to (snail) mail their entire mss. I also welcome e-mail submissions, either in toto or on a chapter-by-chapter basis.