Transform your book with bespoke human developmental editing

Why BubbleCow?

Though Bubblecow was established in 2007, I (Gary Smailes) have been providing editorial support for publishers, writers and agents for more that twenty years.

Over this time, I have developed a high-end, bespoke editing service designed to give writers what they need to make their books the best they can be.

My focus is not only on providing top-tier editorial feedback but also on enhancing the overall editing experience. My aim to offer as much support and as many benefits as possible, ensuring my writers receive unparalleled service.

The Process

My process is designed to be straightforward and supportive from start to finish.

Here’s how it works:

1. Initial Contact: You can reach out to me via a simple form on our website, through a WhatsApp chat, providing your name and a brief description of your book or by emailing gary@bubblecow.com.

2. Follow-Up Email: After the initial contact, you'll receive an email containing detailed information about the next steps.

3. Sample Developmental Edit: I will complete and return a sample developmental edit. Following this, you can opt for a second meeting to discuss the sample edit or decide to proceed with a full edit.

4. First Invoice and Full Edit: Once you decide to proceed with a full edit, the first invoice will be sent. This is half the amount due. Upon payment, I will begin the editing process. You'll receive an email outlining what to expect and a delivery date for the completed edit.

5. Progress Updates: Throughout the editing process, I will provide regular updates via email or WhatsApp to keep you informed of the progress.

6. Completion and Second Invoice: Once the edit is complete, the second invoice will be issued.

7. Post-Edit Meeting and Ongoing Support: A post-edit meeting will be set up to discuss the final edits. Additionally, I offer ongoing support and follow-up tasks to assist you over the next year, ensuring you have the guidance you need even after the edit is complete.

What You get

My service has been designed to give writers everything they need for success. It has evolved over the years to meet the needs of authors in a way that is beyond what is provided by other editors.

These are the key aspects of what I offer as standard:

• Developmental Editing
• Line Editing
• Communication
• Unlimited Revisions
• Free sample Edit
• Transparent Pricing
• Contract, NDA, AI and More
• Lifelong Support

Developmental Editing

Traditionally published authors benefit from the editorial support of their agent and publisher. However, for self-publishing authors, this critical feedback loop must be sought independently.

Once friends and family, beta readers and other trusted voices have given feedback on your book, its time to seek a professional.

Though my service was initially based on my work with traditional publishers and agents, it has grown over the years to address the unique needs of a self-publishing author.

It does more than just highlight technical issues; it provides you with a clear road map to improve your book and your writing skills.

Not only do I want to make your book better, I want to make you a better writer.

Editorial Approach

The role of the developmental editor is to ensure your book is of a publishable standard. Unlike other types of editing, developmental editing relies heavily on the editor's education, experience, and intuitive understanding of what makes a story work.

This means the developmental editor's skill is critical. However, to ensure a consistent approach, I apply a series of questions to each book I edit.

These questions vary greatly and change based on book, genre and writing style. However, they will, typically include the following:

• Structure and Presentation:
  • Does the structure of the book make sense?
  • Is the presentation logical?
  • Is there a wider story arc that engages the reader and pulls them through the narrative?
• Viewpoint and Consistency:
  • Has a coherent viewpoint been applied? Is it consistent and suitable for the story?
  • Does the chapter structure make sense? Does the writer understand scene structure?
  • Are narrative techniques correctly applied?
  • Is the tense consistent throughout the book?
• Description and Characterization:
  • Does each scene contain sufficient description?
  • Are new characters adequately described?
  • Is the characterization believable and consistent? Are the characters sufficiently developed?
• Plot and Voice:
  • Are there any obvious plot holes?
  • If the novel is set in the past, are there inconsistencies in the use of objects, etc.?
  • Does the book's voice, style, and format match genre expectations?
• Accuracy and Format:
  • Are the facts accurate?
  • Does the book's word count meet genre expectations? If it's too short, how can it be extended? If too long, what approach should be taken?
  • Has the writer correctly formatted paragraphs? Would shorter or longer paragraphs better suit the style or genre of the book?
• Additional Content:
  • If a prologue is used, does it match the genre and make sense within the wider narrative?
  • Does the book need an introduction?
  • Does the book need additional end material, such as a bibliography or epilogue?
  • Should the writer include information about themselves?
  • If relevant, is the book correctly referenced?
  • If images, tables, and diagrams are used, has the copyright been correctly attributed?
  • If included, are all footnotes or endnotes correctly presented and formatted?
• Theme and Message:
  • Is the central theme clearly defined and consistently explored throughout the book?
  • Does the book effectively communicate its intended message to the reader?
• Pacing:
  • Is the pacing of the story appropriate for the genre and content?
  • Are there any sections that drag or move too quickly?
• Dialogue:
  • Is the dialogue natural and believable?
  • Does it serve to develop characters and advance the plot?
• Audience Engagement:
  • Does the book effectively engage the target audience?
  • Are there elements that could alienate or confuse readers?
• Conflict and Resolution:
  • Are the conflicts in the story well-developed and compelling?
  • Is the resolution satisfying and does it tie up the major plot points?
• Setting and World-Building:
  • Is the setting vividly described and integral to the story?
  • For fantasy or sci-fi, is the world-building consistent and immersive?
• Emotional Impact:
  • Does the book evoke the intended emotional responses in readers?
  • Are there opportunities to deepen the emotional impact?

Line Editing

In addition to the developmental editing, I will also carry out a line edit for your book.

In its simplest terms, line editing involves reading each line of your manuscript and applying the rules from the appropriate style manual.

Edits will use one style manuals to handle errors and inconsistencies within a manuscript:

American English:

• The Chicago Manual of Style (default).
• The Associated Press Style Guide (if specified).

British English:

• The Oxford Style Guide.

For example, The Chicago Manual of Style suggests:

Spell out whole numbers up to (and including) one hundred (e.g., zero, one, ten, ninety-six, 104).

Spell out numbers that begin a sentence unless it begins with a year (e.g., "Twelve drummers," "The 10 lords a-leaping," "2011's quota for off-season holiday references has been filled.").

Therefore, if we encounter the sentence:

‘The shepherd counted 45 sheep before falling asleep.’

We would change it to:

'The shepherd counted forty-five sheep before falling asleep.’

BubbleCow also has an internal style guide consulted for certain issues. You can read the guide here...

These errors will be fixed using tracked changes, meaning you remain in control. If you wish to ‘reject’ the change, you can easily revert to the original text. If I see errors that are consistently made (perhaps incorrect capitalization of a word), I may apply a global find and replace. This process involves asking Word to ‘find’ each occurrence of the error and replace it with the correct version. Find and replace is used with caution but can be very effective in adding consistency to a manuscript.

The line editing I apply to your prose can be described as ‘light’ line editing. This means that while I aim to find and correct every error, it is not an exhaustive process. Developmental editing remains the primary focus, with line editing complementing it. Although I work hard to catch all errors, it is not 100%. I always suggest that writers view the line edit as guidance rather than a replacement for copy editing.

The main focus during line editing will be to ensure the correct application of grammar and punctuation. However, they will also address the following:

• Abbreviations and acronyms.
• Additional elements, such as charts, tables, and graphs.
• Capitalization.
• Footnotes and endnotes.
• Hyphenation.
• Italicization and boldfaced type.
• Numbers and numerals.
• Punctuation.
• Quotations.
• Spelling.

Embedded Comments

When editing your book, I will constantly apply the questions and considerations discussed earlier, collecting thoughts and suggestions that will enhance your manuscript.

One of the primary ways I communicate my thoughts and feedback is through embedded comments within your manuscript.

These comments are part of Word's editing tools and will automatically appear when you open the edited document. If they do not appear immediately, it’s a simple matter of adjusting your settings in Word (I can help you with this).

While there are no strict rules for what I include in these comments, and the specifics change with each author and each book, I see these comments as a dialogue. They allow me to highlight sections of the manuscript and suggest contextual improvements.

Here are some common types of comments you might find:

• Sentence-Level Issues:
  • Highlighting sections of text that need more description or where sentence structure could be improved.
• Wider Issues:
  • Addressing broader concerns that also discussed in the editor's report, such as instances where you might be telling rather than showing. I provide detailed explanations in the report and use comments to highlight specific sections where these issues occur.
• Word or Phrase Choices:
  • Pointing out words or phrases that may not be effective or that could be improved.
• Structural Suggestions:
  • Indicating sections that might benefit from being removed or moved to a different part of the book.

Comments are a granular way for me to show you where and how you can improve your book. However, they should not be considered in isolation. Along with embedded comments, you will also receive a detailed, multi-page editor’s report that addresses broader themes and issues within your manuscript.

Comminication

Providing clear actionable feedback is an essential part of the editorial process. With this in mind, I have developed several methods to provide clear and actionable communication throughout the process.

Editor's Report

A key part of the developmental editing process is the editor's report.

This document contains my comprehensive thoughts on your book, offering a broad overview of key issues and serving as a 'jumping-off point' for the changes you may want to apply to your manuscript.

Since 2007, I have developed a detailed structure for my reports, ensuring consistency and thoroughness. I have constantly sought feedback from writers and used this to improve the reports in a step-wise process.

The report currently consists of the following parts:

• Summary.
• Genre and trope information.
• General thoughts.
• Chapter feedback.

The summary section will provide an overview for the feedback outlining the elements that I think really worked and help the book to stand out. It will also give a concise list of the main issues that need to be addressed. This will allow you to see at a glance what needs to be fixed.

The genre and trope information section provides a summary of your book's main genre, and will also suggest a sub-genre. This will help you to clearly place your book into the wider publishing landscape. I will also provide an outline of the key aspects of both the genre and the sub-genre.

In addition, you will also receive a list of the key tropes within the genre and sub-genre. This will allow you to assess how clearly you are meeting the genre and reader's expectations.

In the general thoughts section, I will highlight all the major issues that have surfaced during the edit. I will explain why these issues need addressing, provide examples of where the issues occur (often in conjunction with the embedded comments), and offer at least one actionable solution for each problem.

For instance, if I find that your book has a slow start, I will identify the root causes. It might be due to excessive setup that, while essential to the plot, slows the narrative pace. Alternatively, it could be a lack of defined structure, resulting in no inciting incident to drive the story forward. Or perhaps the story simply begins at the wrong point in the plot.

A slow start can disengage readers, risking their interest in the book. In my editor's report, I would examine this issue thoroughly and suggest solutions.

Possible solutions might include:

• Reducing Excessive Setup:
  • I might suggest reexamining the opening section and removing non-essential setup details, reintroducing them later through dialogue or new scenes.
• Enforcing Structure:
  • If the structure is the problem, I may recommend implementing a loose three-act structure to create a natural inciting incident, providing a clearer narrative arc.
• Restructuring the Opening:
  • If the story starts in the wrong place, I would suggest relocating the beginning to a more significant event, ensuring nothing crucial to the plot is lost in the process.

In addition to general thoughts, the report includes detailed chapter feedback. This provides specific feedback on each chapter. It starts with a summary of the chapter and then provides a list of the key events that occur in the chapter. This gives you a 'map' for each chapter making revision easier. I will also highlight strengths and areas for improvement. This feedback is in addition to the general feedback and is designed to address any chapter specific issues.

Overall, the aim of the editor's report is to help you understand the issues within your book and how to fix them. I never simply say 'fix this'; I explain why it is an issue and provide actionable steps to correct it.

The report is complex and detailed. It will be delivered in a PDF format and can easily run over 100 pages in length. It can feel overwhelming but it is written in a way that makes it easy to read and, most importantly, easy to action.

Post-edit Video Call

Once you have your feedback in the form of the edited manuscript and detailed report, the next step is the face-to-face video call.

I will allow you the time you need to process the feedback and then, when you are ready, we will set up a call using Google Meet.

These calls typically last about an hour, but can run longer. They allow me to provide some nuance to the feedback I have provided, since speaking face-to-face gives me the chance to explain my thoughts in more detail. It also gives you a chance to raise any issues and ask any questions.

The meeting is also a chance to hash out next steps and refine the route to publication.

Unlimited Revisions

I understand that writing is a process, and perfecting a manuscript often requires multiple rounds of feedback and revision.

If following the traditional publishing route, a manuscript will undergo multiple revisions. However, for self-publishing authors cost restraints mean that this is often impossible.

This is why I decided to offer unlimited revisions.

This means you can continuously refine your manuscript, addressing all feedback until it reaches its best possible version.

My goal is to support you in creating a book that truly resonates with your vision.

My unlimited revisions policy allows you to address specific feedback and make adjustments based on my editorial recommendations; this includes clarifications, minor adjustments, and refinements to the manuscript. However, to be clear from the start, it does not cover substantial rewrites, significant structural changes, or the addition of huge amounts of new content.

To find out more about my policy, you can read my terms and conditions.

Free Sample Edit

I provide a free sample edit as standard.

In fact, if you have not used my services previously I will insist that we start with a free edit. I don't want any money to change hands until you are happy with what I can offer and you are convinced that my service is right for you and your book.

The sample will consist of a full developmental and line edit of the first 2000 words of your book. I require you to submit this in Word format. The feedback will mirror that you will get for the full edit, including report and embedded tracked changes.

Transparent Pricing

I charge a flat fee of $30.00 per 1,000 words.

There's a price calculator at the top of this page that will show you the cost of an edit if you add your word count.

This price is fully inclusive — there are no extras, add-ons, or hidden costs. The amount you see is the final price.

The total cost is split into two equal payments: half due on submission and the remainder on completion. I can offer additional payment plans if that helps spread the cost.

Payment is made securely by card. You’ll receive an invoice by email with a link to complete payment.

Contract, NDA, AI, and more

My aim is to build trust at every step and provide the transparent framework you need to lift your book to the next level.

The first thing to understand is that I provide a detailed contract for my service as standard. This clearly sets out the expectations for both parties and gives us a clear direction for the edit.

I also have detailed terms and conditions listed on my website so that you have an understanding of what is and is not included in the service.

Also note that a Non-disclosure Agreement (NDA) is part of the process and details will be provided on submission of the manuscript. If you want to alter this agreement, or have your own agreement you would prefer to use, then let me know in advance.

I would also like to draw your attention to the following pages on the website. These have been created to ensure that I am providing the best possible service.

• Privacy policy.
• AI policy.
• File safety.

Lifelong Support

My support begins the moment you submit your book and continues indefinitely.

I believe in building a long-term relationship and you will have lifelong support for all questions related to editing, publishing, and writing. Having worked with thousands of writers, I have the experience and knowledge to help you navigate any challenges you may encounter.

I understand the importance of personalized feedback and direct communication. That's why I provide hour-long post-edit meeting to discuss your manuscript in detail. If additional face-to-face meetings are required, I am more than happy to accommodate.

In addition, email support is available for any questions you may have about editing, the process, publishing, or writing in general. I aim to provide timely and comprehensive answers to ensure you feel supported throughout your journey.

You will have access to my personal WhatsApp number, allowing you to receive support throughout the editing process. This direct line of communication ensures that any concerns or questions are promptly addressed.