Services

Editing

dave is available for developmental editing, line editing, and brief editorial feedback.

Developmental editing refers to the overall structure and organization of the work. It would include notes related to overall pacing, characterization, flow, impact, and plot. It may be helpful if you’re trying to figure out how to improve your narrative on a macro level. Line editing here looks at the sentence-by-sentence construction of your story at the micro level. It will be helpful if your goal is to get your story back with recommendations in track changes. Brief editorial feedback for a speculative short story entails a short summary of the piece’s strengths and weaknesses, an estimation of “readiness” for submission, and a shortlist of markets that might be appropriate for the piece.

Layout & Design

dave is available for freelance print layout & design work, both for small presses and self-publishing.

Layout in this case involves taking completed text and design elements and formatting them for print using inDesign. Please note that this is strictly for print; you would need another designer to format the work for ebook purposes. Design involves using stock photography and design elements to create a cover or promotional graphics. It would typically involve an initial summary and then 1-3 rounds of revision to clarify what you’re looking for. dave especially enjoys cover design, and would be delighted to throw out font choices until you’re happy. Typically you would receive only finished images for design work, but dave can throw the layers into a Photoshop file upon request.

Consulting

dave is open to consulting, either for individuals or organizations, on anything within his wheelhouse. Some possible consulting areas:

Small press publication or the like; he’s happy to coach you through your initial project or as you shift to a different model. He can also support you with a Kickstarter or other crowdfunding effort. Literary event planning and panel organization can be daunting, but dave’s done a fair amount, between OutWrite and Neon Hemlock.

Please note that if you are a nonprofit or individual putting on a free event looking to ensure you have more diverse representation, dave is happy to refer you to potential panelists free of charge.

Please note that any writers contracted through Neon Hemlock would never have to pay for editing services on those manuscripts; if any independent editing work were to somehow lead to publication in a Neon Hemlock-related venue, all fees would be immediately refunded.