Polish & Publish
Focused line-level editing for clean, professional prose.
Polish & Publish is a lighter-touch editing service designed to refine your manuscript at sentence level, without addressing structural or developmental issues.
This service focuses on clarity, flow and correctness, to help ensure your writing reads smoothly and professionally for your readers, while preserving your voice and style. It’s an intentional, focused edit for manuscripts which are already structurally sound and ready for final refinement.
What's Included:
Polish & Prose provides a focused line-level edit of your manuscript. Depending on your needs, this may include:
- Light line-level edits to improve clarity, flow, and readability;
- Light refinement of word choice and sentence structure;
- Reduction of unnecessary repetition;
- Corrections to grammar, spelling and punctuation;
- Light consistency checks at sentence level.
All edits are made using Track Changes, so you remain fully in control of what you accept or reject.
What's Not Included:
This service does not include:
- Structural or developmental feedback on plot, pacing, or character;
- In-depth consistency checks across timelines, worldbuilding, or series;
- Rewriting or ghostwriting;
- Formatting or proofreading.
If your manuscript would benefit more from a developmental edit or a complete line and copy edit, I’ll let you know before we proceed and recommend a more suitable service.
Who This Service is Best For:
Polish & Publish is ideal if you:
- Are confident in the structure and content of your manuscript;
- Want a professional editorial check of clarity, flow, and correctness;
- Are working to a publishing schedule and need a focused, efficient edit;
- Want your prose to read cleanly and professionally for readers.
This service is particularly suited for independent authors publishing romance, crime and thriller fiction, where pacing and readability are key to reader engagement.
What You'll Receive:
When the edit is complete, you’ll receive:
- Your edited manuscript with tracked changes;
- Clear, concise editorial comments where relevant;
- A style guide documenting key editorial decisions, spelling preferences, and consistency choices to support future revisions or books in a series.
You’re welcome to ask follow-up questions once you’ve had time to review the edits.
Timescales & Booking:
Turnaround time depends on word count and availability, but most Polish & Publish edits are completed within two to four weeks.
Because this service is often booked close to publication dates, early booking is recommended where possible.
Pricing:
Prices start from $0.008 / £0.006 per word
Pricing is based on word count and the level of editing required, and a tailored quote will always be provided before any work begins. A discounted rate may be available for authors booking editing across multiple books in a series. Please get in touch to discuss options.
Payment plans are available for most projects and can be discussed at the quotation stage.
FAQs
Is Polish & Publish the same as a proofread?
No. Polish & Publish goes beyond proofreading by addressing clarity, flow and sentence-level readability, not just surface errors.
Proofreading is a final-stage check and should only be done once all editing is complete.
Will you fix structural or story issues if you notice them?
This service does not include structural or developmental editing.
If I notice significant issues that would affect reader experience then I will flag them and recommend a more suitable service, but detailed feedback and revision guidance are outside the scope of this edit.
Is this suitable for first drafts?
No. Polish & Publish works best on manuscripts that are structurally sound and ready for final refinement.
If you’re unsure whether your manuscript is ready, I’m happy to advise on the most appropriate next step.
Next Steps
If you want a focused, professional edit to refine your novel before publication, Polish & Publish may be the right choice for your manuscript.