Tutin Editing
Speculative Fiction Editor
Traditional or Indie Publishing?
If you are planning on the traditional publishing route, then you will more than likely be assigned to an editor, unlike the indie route. However, if you want to strengthen your MS before submission, then a professional edit is an option.
Are You Ready for a Professional Edit?
Have you edited your MS yourself? Have you received feedback from critique partners or beta readers? These are usually the first ports of call before seeking out a professional editor to save time, effort, and money for both parties.
Can You Commit to the Work?
Professional editing can be an expensive and consuming process, especially if you need different types of services. We editors are here to support and accommodate as best we can, but make sure you are prepared to head down the road with us!
Editor, Writer, Reader
About
My aim as an author has always been ensuring my stories are the best they can be. Whether that means fleshing out the narrative or filling plot holes, tightening sentences or finding the right word to encapsulate the mood. All so that the reader can envision the scene, feel the emotion, and, most of all, remember your story long after they have finished reading.As an editor, you can expect me to strive for the same with your stories. New or established, we artists could use that little extra help with identifying issues or maintaining style consistency. Most importantly, we want to achieve this through mutual collaboration, honesty, and trust. You can be rest assured that you will receive this from me.
Training
Intermediate Copyediting for Fiction (Club Ed Freelancers, 2025)
Beginning Copyediting for Fiction (Club Ed Freelancers, 2025)
Developmental Editing: In Practice (Liminal Pages, 2021)
Developmental Editing: Fiction Theory (Liminal Pages, 2020)
BA (Hons) Creative Writing (The Open College of the Arts, 2013–2020)
Directories & Communities
Editors Tea Club; 2026
LGBTQ Editors Association; 2026
ALLi (Alliance of Independent Authors); Partner; 2025–present
EFA (Editorial Freelancers Association); Emerging Professional Member; 2025–present
Codex Writers' Group; 2023–present
Online Writing Workshop; 2022–2023
Publications
“What We Gather,” Nocturne Magazine, October 2024
“Sandman’s Loam,” Ethereal Nightmares: An Anthology of Twisted Tales from Dark Holme Publishing, May 2024
“Keep Calm and Smile,” Creepy Podcast, narrated by Megan McDuffee [13m], May 2024
“To Wander Until the Mountain Ends,” Kaleidotrope, July 2022
Head on over to my portfolio for a full bibliography.
Fantasy
Dark fantasy
Science fantasy
Mythic, folklore, or fairy tale retellings
Epic/high/secondary fantasy
Sword and sorcery
Supernatural and/or paranormal
Romantasy
Magical realism
Contemporary or historical fantasy
LitRPG
Horror
Lovecraftian/cosmic horror
Gothic
Psychological
Supernatural and/or paranormal
Body horror
Monsters
Parody or comedy horror
Science fiction
Apocalyptic or dystopian
Steam/bio/nano/solarpunk
Space opera
Time travel
Soft science fiction
Alternative history
Parallel or alternative universe
Hard or military science fiction
01
Negotiation
Publishing can be an expensive business, especially for independent authors. Rest assured we can discuss budgets and payment plans to accommodate your needs.
02
Transparency
My process guarantees clarity, honesty, and professionalism throughout. From the moment we enter initial discussions, to the continued correspondence after project completion, and everything in between.
03
Understanding
You want an editor who understands the vision, message, and meaning of your work, so we would not move forward with proceedings unless you are completely confident we are on the same page.
04
Support
Even once the project has been completed, correspondence will continue to discuss the feedback or questions you might have.
Developmental Editing
Once you have completed your own revisions and edits, you may decide to have someone else dive deep into your manuscript.That would be a developmental edit, which examines the overall content and structure of your story with three components: explanations on issues raised, highlighting specific examples, and suggesting possible solutions.
Worldbuilding: history and backstory, setting
Pacing
Dialogue
Theme(s)
Devices (epistolary formats, narrative distance, metaphors, etc.)
Point of view
Characters
Voice, style, tone, and mood
Plot and sub-plots
Sensitivity reading for queer identity, mental health, and PCOS
This service does not include edits on paragraphs or sentence; those fall under line editing.
Detailed editorial report of up to 30 pages
Manuscript annotated with comments
Heavy Manuscript Assessment
Manuscript evaluation covers the same as developmental editing but with the editorial report only.While this service also follows the three components, and as many as possible, they are likely to be fewer than what you would receive as part of developmental editing due to the constraint of having the report only.
Detailed editorial report of up to 30 pages
Light Manuscript Assessment
A trimmed version of developmental editing and heavy manuscript assessment aimed at rougher or partial drafts, a particular area (or areas) you are having trouble with, or authors who prefer less extensive feedback.Quantity of the three components varies depending on which type of advice you want. E.g. requesting feedback on specific areas may feature more than the overall impression of a partial or whole manuscript.
Editorial report of up to 15 pages
Line Editing
After developmental edits, you might consider moving onto the next stage. And that would be line editing, sometimes referred to as stylistic editing.
Readability (splices/fragments, passive vs active voice, dangling modifiers)
Voice, style, tone, and mood
Pacing
Clarity
Flow
Consistency and continuity
Word choice, showing vs telling, repetition, redundancies, ambiguities, and filter words
Point of view, such as head hopping
Tense
Narrative distance
Sensitivity issues, e.g. offensive or stereotypical language
Light copy editing (missing punctuation, double spaces removed, straight to curly quotation marks, correcting obvious spelling mistakes)
Heavier edits for punctuation, grammar, and spelling fall under copy editing. They are not included in this service.
Free sample (first 1,000 words)
Manuscript annotated with comments and tracked changes
Query sheet (if applicable) to reference the same edits without repeating their explanations in the manuscript itself
Second pass
Copy Editing
Once you have completed your developmental and line edits, next comes copy editing. This service primarily focuses on the technical elements.
Punctuation
Grammar
Spelling
Typography
Usage (e.g. misused phrases)
Indexing of characters, places, and timelines
Fact-checking
Legality
Minor formatting adjustments (paragraph indents, scene/page breaks, ensuring chapter headings are the same size)
Tense
Point of view
Consistency and continuity
Readability (sentence splices/fragments, passive vs active voice, dangling modifiers)
Final checks for typesetting, layout, and formatting are not included in this service. Those fall under proofreading.
Free sample (first 1,000 words)
Manuscript annotated with comments and tracked changes
Clean copy (tracked changes accepted, leaving only comment markup)
Query sheet (if applicable) to reference the same edits without repeating their explanations in the manuscript itself
Style sheet
Second pass
Line and Copy Editing
Two services contracted as one project, performed simultaneously, at a slightly cheaper price.
Free sample (first 1,000 words)
Manuscript annotated with comments and tracked changes
Clean copy (tracked changes accepted, leaving only comment markup)
Query sheet (if applicable) to reference the same edits without repeating their explanations in the manuscript itself
Style sheet
Second pass
How Much?
Rates
All clients receive a one-off 10% discount on a project/service of their choice.
Samples are free and deducted from the overall price, calculated by the rate per word.
Payment plans available.
If, for some reason, the rates calculator does not work or show, see below for the breakdown of rates (not including discounts or sample deductions):
Developmental Editing: £0.02/word
Light Manuscript Assessment: £0.0135/word
Copy Editing: £0.014/word
Heavy Manuscript Assessment: £0.0175/word
Line Editing: £0.016/word
Line and Copy Editing: £0.024/word
“I’ve worked with several editors on my story, but Kat has been my greatest asset by far. I initially hired her for line editing on the first book of my ongoing series, and she consistently went above and beyond my expectations. Her feedback didn’t just improve the prose, she also helped me identify where the story was falling short, and has helped me shape the book I was truly trying to write. Her insight, clarity, and attention to detail were invaluable to the whole process. I fully intend to work with her again as the series continues, and I highly recommend her to any writer seeking constructive feedback delivered with precision and care.” — S. A. Perchez/Auren Vale
“Working with Kat was such a gift. She didn’t just read my manuscript — she sat with it, observed it carefully, and treated it with genuine attention. Her feedback was thoughtful, clear, and incredibly useful without ever feeling discouraging or rushed. As a writer, you always hope the person reading your work will truly understand what you’re trying to create, and she did. She pointed out strengths and highlighted areas needing refinement in a way that felt encouraging rather than overwhelming. I’m deeply grateful for her time, her insight, and the care she put into my story. I highly recommend her to any author who wants honest, meaningful feedback that helps elevate their work.” — Candace M. Ellowen
“Kat was an asset when it came to editing my stories. Her concise and thoughtful feedback and edits helped me see the places where my story was lacking, and made the narrative of my story stronger as a whole. Not only do I recommend her work, but I plan to use her services again in the future as well.” — C. E. Clayton
Confirmation
We have a chat, some back and forth via email or Discord (this might involve filling out my questionnaire or trading samples depending on the service) for as long as necessary before making any commitments to ensure we are compatible.
Contract
If we are in agreement, we must both sign a contract, which outlines clauses such as price (termination, refunds), schedule, confidentiality, copyright, and my stance against the use of artificial intelligence.
Credit
Once contracts have been signed, an invoice will be sent, detailing payment plans. The standard usually follows an upfront 50% deposit with the final 50% upon the delivery of completed work. However, this can be adjusted if there are other factors, such as combined services or having a budget.
Commencement
Work commences once the deposit (or deposits depending on what is decided during the Credit step) has been paid. Documents should be Word (.doc/.docx) or PDFs. Note that the latter is suitable only for reading purposes, not annotations.
Completion
All relevant documents will be delivered to you, wherein you will send the final payment.
Correspondence
We can, if you so wish, continue correspondence via email or Discord should you have any questions regarding my feedback until you are satisfied that your needs have been met.
Your Questions Answered
FAQ
What do you edit?
Only fiction at this time. I do not edit poetry, screenplays, or non-fiction.Be aware that reports might have fewer pages for shorter word counts, including short fiction and novelettes.
Which editing service should I choose?
While there may be some overlap with the elements each service focuses on, it mainly depends on the scale. Where developmental editing essentially zooms out to assess the overall content and structure, line editing narrows the lens to concentrate on paragraphs and sentences, and so forth.
What's your position on AI?
I will not edit anything that has been created with or processed through generative AI, such as ChatGPT or other LLMs (Large Language Models).I am fine with assistive tools and software such as PerfectIt, Harper, or Word, and others that do not use generative AI in any way.Personally, I will only use Word and PerfectIt on your manuscript as an aid, not a replacement, to check and record consistency, spelling, and grammar.
What style guides and/or dictionaries do you use?
Unless an alternative is requested, The Chicago Manual of Style is the standard for fiction. However, it is used as a guide, not a rulebook.For dictionaries, Merriam-Webster for the US, and Oxford and Cambridge for the UK. Collins may be used as a secondary dictionary for either region.Let me know if you have an alternative preference for a style guide or dictionary.
Do you offer samples?
I provide free sample edits (first 1,000 words) for line and copy editing, which are then deducted from the overall cost.Developmental edits are trickier to sample due to examining a snippet for a whole manuscript. What could be presumed as a plot hole in one chapter becomes resolved several chapters down the line, rendering that note useless. If you understand this, but you would still like to get a sense of my editing practices, then I can provide some brief notes on the first few chapters. This type of sample is not deducted from the overall cost.
Do you offer discounts?
Aside from the one-off 10% discount, not at this time. However, if you have a budget, I'm open to negotiating prices and/or payment plans.
How Do I Pay You?
I use Wise, which allows payments to be made via their platform, card, or bank transfer.
How long will the editing take?
Turnaround times can vary from two weeks to two months. It all depends on word count, service, and if you have a deadline.
How Does the Second Pass Work?
You can have a second pass of your MS once you have either accepted or rejected my edits, made your own changes, and/or responded to my comments. Scheduling (in terms of your making changes and my extra revision) are usually to be determined after completion of the initial edit.This applies only to copy and/or line editing. If you want another revision or pass for developmental editing or manuscript assessment, then this would be a separate contracted project.
Get in Touch
Contact
You can either use the standard contact form or the intake form. The latter option includes a questionnaire about your manuscript and your needs. In either case, you can expect a response within 48 hours.
© 2025–2026. All rights reserved.
Software and Applications
Planning
Scapple | MacOS, Windows | Paid
Obsidian | MacOS, iOS, Windows, Android, Linux | Free/Paid
World Anvil | Desktop | Free/Paid
Aeon Timeline | MacOS, iOS, Windows | Paid
Writing
Scrivener | MacOS, iOS, Windows | Paid
Ulysses | MacOS, iOS | Paid
LibreOffice | MacOS, Windows, Linux, Android | Free
Recommended Materials
Books
On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King
The Chicago Guide to Copyediting Fiction by Amy J. Schneider
Magazines
Clarkesworld | Science Fiction and Fantasy
Beneath Ceaseless Skies | Literary Adventure Fantasy
Strange Horizons | Speculative Fiction
Escape Artists: Podcastle | Fantasy Fiction; Escape Pod | Science Fiction; Pseudopod | Horror
Uncanny | Science Fiction and Fantasy
Websites
Behind the Name | The Meaning and History of First Names; Behind the Name l The Meaning and History of Surnames
Conscious Language for Writers, Editors, Students, Professionals | Conscious Style Guide
Writing Diversely | Inclusive Writing & Editing Resources
Salt and Sage Books | Changing the World through Story
CMOS Shop Talk | From the Chicago Manual of Style
Organisations
Critique Groups
Podcasts