Celestian Rince

I am Celestian Rince, a freelance copy editor / proofreader.

If you’ve made it here, you’re likely thinking about hiring me to edit your book. The following is an FAQ about my editing services. Have a question that wasn’t answered? Feel free to drop me a line at celestian.rince @ gmail .com

What kind of editing services do you provide?

I do copy editing/proofreading. This includes not just grammatical issues and typos, but also:

Consistency issues: Making sure rules are applied consistently throughout the book. For example, British versus American spelling, or whether to say Chris’ or Chris’s.
Continuity errors: I keep an eye out to ensure that things stated earlier in the book are not contradicted in later chapters, or even in later books (for multi-book series).
Factual errors: If your book references real-world places or things, I do basic fact-checking. For example, if a specific town or place is mentioned, I’ll make sure the name is spelled correctly. This does not extend to say, verifying complex astrophysics.
If I see them, I will also flag sentences that I think are unclear or do not flow well, and point out any plot holes. However, my services are primarily copy editing—that is, fixing objective errors. If you feel your book needs editing to improve the subjective quality of the writing, I do not provide those services.

How can I tell if you—or any other editor—will do a good job or not?

That’s a great question. Finding a good editor is something a lot of authors struggle with. Please see this post I wrote as an answer to that question:

Tips for finding a good editor.

What is your turnaround time like?

As a full-time editor, I have a relatively quick turnaround time. An 80-100K word book would usually take 3-4 business days (Monday-Friday).

What kind of books do you edit?

I will work with most genres and types of books, though my experience is mainly with sci-fi and fantasy. I am particularly familiar with the LitRPG/GameLit subgenre.

What are your rates, and what payment methods do you accept?

My rates are currently around $6.00 USD per 1000 words, so a 100K word book would be around $600. However, I would need to see a sample of the book before giving a firm quote.

I accept Interac e-Transfer (only available to Canadians), Wise (formerly TransferWise), and PayPal. Canadian clients will need to pay sales tax (GST or HST) depending on their province/territory.

How does your editing process work, exactly?

Typically, you would send me a 1,000-2,000 word sample of the book that you want edited. I prefer using Microsoft Word documents, though I am open to other alternatives. Some of my clients use Google Docs, for example.

If I think I would be a good fit for your book, I will edit the sample and send it back so you can get an idea of my style. I use a combination of “Track Changes” and inserting comments for my editing. If the reason is self-evident (such as a typo), I’ll simply make the change. If it is not obvious, I will also include a comment explaining why I made the change.

Should you decide to hire me, we then schedule a date for editing. I ask for half the payment as a deposit before I start, and the remainder after I send the finished manuscript back to you.

What books have you worked on previously? Do you have any references?

Please go to my Testimonials page for testimonials from some of my clients.

And my Portfolio page has a non-exhaustive list of books that I have worked on.