What I Offer

I'm Ethan, and my job is to make your manuscript ready for the agent's desk. I like to think I'm quite good at it. So, without further ado, the rates:

• Query consultation ($100): For $100, I will review your project with you and then write a query letter suitable for professional submission. I will also explain to you in depth the query-writing process and why certain choices were appropriate for your query. This can be a standalone service but is included for free in both the reader's report and the line editing options (see below). 
• Read and Report ($500): For $500 I will read your entire project and provide a report in which I highlight the book's strengths, point out areas that I feel could be improved, and offer advice on how to implement the suggested improvements. This report is a broad overview of the manuscript. Manuscripts in excess of roughly 60,000 words, depending on the overall quality of the work, will merit a rate of $600.
• Page-by-Page Notes ($100): For $100 I will provide the report and detailed notes in which each and every positive and negative aspect of the project is discussed.
  
  
• Line Editing, Including Read and Report, Page-by-Page Notes, and Query Consultation ($1,000): Line editing and ghostwriting, if needed, can be negotiated. Generally speaking line editing will cost $1,000. I charge more than that only for projects that are exceptionally long (in excess of 90,000 words, though this is a flexible point) or that need extensive developmental work.

 But, you know, I could be a total quack just making all this up. So take their word:

• Kyoko Leaman: "I have always struggled while editing my writing, often procrastinating for weeks and even months. I was so relieved to send my manuscript off to someone else, meaning that (for the time being) I wouldn't have to worry about it. But Ethan Vaughan's detailed notes, suggestions, and helpful reader's report far exceeded expectations. He pinpointed areas that needed work and found parts that could be shortened or cut. His editing was exactly what I needed to start actively working on improving my manuscript, and it's already looking a lot better. His ability to see and understand your voice and style of writing, as well as preserve that voice throughout the editing process, is amazing. I highly recommend his editing services."

• Katy Kerrey:  "After months of rejections and vague critiques from agents, I was beginning to wonder if my first novel would ever make it out of the proverbial drawer.  I happened across Ethan’s blog and I liked his sense of humor so I took a chance and sent money to a complete stranger.  It was worth every penny.  His report highlighted the strengths of the manuscript then outlined aspects that needed improvement, such as unrealistic dialogue and gaps in the plot.  His detailed page-by-page notes ran the gamut from broad mechanics (e.g., chapter structure) to minute details (e.g., a word not commonly used by teenagers).  Ethan’s comments and suggestions were specific, well written, and displayed keen perception of the characters, plot and, subject matter.  He has a knack for recognizing the handicaps that are crippling the manuscript while also providing the right prescription to fix them.  Ethan’s insight and enthusiasm gave me confidence that my book actually does have potential.  I highly recommend Ethan’s services and would definitely work with him again."

• Yvonne Osborne: "If you are looking for a manuscript editor, I would highly recommend Ethan Vaughan. His uncanny ability to sift through the superfluous passages to expose your literary gem is nothing short of amazing. From a line of uncharacteristic dialogue, to an unlikely turn of events, Ethan will unearth the mistakes you cannot see for yourself and a less obtuse editor would miss. He points out the strengths of the story at the same time he identifies the encumbrances. He did a “reader’s report” for me that in itself is a pleasure to read. His command of language combined with a nose for fraudulent, redundant details makes for colorful reporting and is a skill not always found in the league of editors. Ethan is professional and perceptive and a pleasure to work with." 

• Gerry Dodge:  "In early spring of 2011, I sent a query to the Kimberley Cameron agency about a novel I’d just completed. Within a few days she responded. We talked at length and she loved the novel, but she felt it needed some editing—some major editing. She had just the person in mind who would help me tighten the novel to so it could be sent out to publishers. That person was Ethan Vaughan, who was then an intern. I sent him the manuscript and soon afterward he sent me an email discussing what needed to be done. Ethan is very detailed, very meticulous and just what I needed! After our first correspondence, I knew the ideas he had for improving the novel, both overarching and copy editing, would help make my novel more powerful.
  
  
  "We spent the summer working on the manuscript and now my novel is soon to go out to publishers. I am fully confident my novel will be published, and I can’t give enough credit to the assiduous work Ethan put in to help make my novel publishable. Frankly, it wouldn't be the novel it is today without his help. If you need an editor to make your work better, and you probably do, you have no need to look any further than Ethan Vaughan. He is the best!"
  
  
• S.E. Smith: "Working with Ethan on a book-length project has been a pleasure. Good editing is astute and unobtrusive while providing guidance for future work, and Ethan provides all three; far from being just about sharp-eyed copy editing (although he is quite good at that!), editing is about recognizing the voice in a piece and making it stronger while addressing issues of pacing, word choice, and other flaws that keep the work from achieving its full potential. To do so with a light hand that maintains the spirit of the piece and the author's voice requires walking a fine line, which Ethan does with aplomb. We have a great author-editor relationship which makes my work overall much stronger, though much to everyone's dismay I'm unlikely to ever fully grasp who versus whom."

Interested? Want to join the rarefied club? Contact me at evaughanmail@gmail.com and I will do my best to be awesome for you.