Hire me to edit for you
What do I know about books and writing?
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I write as S.J. Lomas and Sarah Perry. What you need to know is how much I love books. I earned my BA in English Literature. I've worked in public libraries since high school and earned my Master's in Library and Information Science. I've been a librarian for over 14 years. I also do book reviews for City Book Review. I've been an active member in the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. (SCBWI)
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I've written 3 digital picture books for MeeGenius.com (which, sadly, no longer exists):
Pajama Girl (illus. Ingvard the Terrible)
Pajama Girl Meets Blanket Boy (illus. Ingvard the Terrible)
There Was an Old Woman: An Alphabet Adventure (illus. Lori Taylor)
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YA novels:
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Poetry Collection:
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Nonfiction book for Indie Authors:
Libraries for Writers: Learn How Libraries Work So You Can Work with Libraries
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Short Stories:
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What can I do for your manuscript?
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When I do an edit for you, my goal is to push you to get to the next level. I look for typos, grammar errors, character and plot inconsistencies, awkward wording, and anything else that might create stumbling blocks for your readers. I also point out your strengths. Writing is hard work and filled with self doubt. You deserve to know what positively shines in your work as well as what can be improved. When you hire me, I become a champion for you and your work. I will work hard for you so you can feel confident that your work is ready to query or self publish, whatever your goals are.
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Genres accepted
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I prefer to work with my favorite genres. If I'm passionate about the type of books you write, I can bring that passion and positive energy to the project, rather than try to force myself through something I don't typically enjoy. This doesn't mean there's anything wrong with your work, just that another editor will be a better fit for you. I prefer to work with middle grade through adult fiction. If you're interested in working with me, send me a brief description of your project to help me determine if we'll be a good fit.
I'm not the right editor for erotica, high fantasy, hard science fiction, memoirs, or any book with graphic violence.
Some books I've really enjoyed:
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Middle Grade
Behind the Attic Wall by Sylvia Cassidy
The Jiggy McCue series by Michael Lawrence
Addison Cooke series by Jonathan W. Stokes
The Night Gardener by Jonathan Auxier
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Young Adult
The Withern Rise trilogy by Michael Lawrence
The Across the Universe trilogy by Beth Revis
The Next Together by Lauren James
Nevermore series by Kelly Creagh
The Prophecy of Days duology by Christy Raedeke
My Kind of Crazy by Robin Ruel
Glow by Megan E. Bryant
Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon
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Adult
Letters from Skye by Jessica Brockmole
The Beautiful Strangers by Camille di Maio
Reluctant Royals series by Alyssa Cole
Me Before You trilogy by Jojo Moyes
The Bar Harbor Retirement Home for Famous Writers (and Their Muses) by Terri-Lynne Defino
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Services and Rates
Short Story Full Edit - $40 up to 8k words
Overall feedback on your characters, plot, pacing in an editorial letter, along with line edits for typos, spelling, grammar.
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Developmental Edit - $250 60k words or less
$375 over 60k-90k words
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Overall feedback on your characters, plot, pacing in an editorial letter.
*This does not include typos, spelling, grammar, or line edits.
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The Works Edit - $500 60k words or less
$700 over 60k-90k words
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Get everything in the developmental edit, plus line edits for typos, spelling, grammar, and strengths. You will get detailed commentary on every page (or nearly every page) of your manuscript, plus an editorial letter with overall thoughts.
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Testimonials
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Rest assured, other authors have gone before you to use my services. Here's what they have to say about working with me:
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SJ recently edited my young adult novel, and I couldn’t have asked for a better editor. She was unbelievably thorough and provided amazing feedback. Her insights were spot on for where I wanted my novel to go, and she thought of things I would never have caught being so close to my own work. She went above and beyond what I expected and I’m so grateful. My book is so much better thanks to her edits. I will definitely use her services again. I highly recommend her to anyone looking for an editor.
- Johanna Randle, author of YA novel, The Inevitable Fate of E & J
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I was nervous about giving my work to an editor, but knew it was necessary.
I sent my manuscript to SJ Lomas. Once returned to me (within her allotted time scale), I could immediately see she had treated my work with complete respect. Not a single page was without guidance and most received multiple comments.
With a positive and kind manner, she showed me what I needed to work on. She also praised me for great lines, unique content, humorous and thrilling scenes.
I had a good story, SJ Lomas made it great.
I cannot recommend her editorial services enough.
- Granville Brown, author of Action/Thriller novel, The Dealer's Daughter
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Behind every writer is a great editor. Writers need someone they can trust with their manuscript, someone willing to give it the attention it deserves, someone willing to support a writer’s vision. S.J. is fantastic. She goes above and beyond—thorough, insightful, dependable, and encouraging. Her advice is invaluable and her recommendations are spot on. While working together I quickly discerned her love for helping other writers and was very happy to hear her move into freelance editing. It’s a pleasure to recommend her services to writers of all levels.
-Rae Harding, SFF writer
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As the author of over forty books of various kinds, I have met a lot of people in publishing and the book trade, but I can’t think of one who equals SJ’s commitment to the written word, and to promoting it. She has energy and enthusiasm by the shelf load! As an English author needing to ‘Americanize’ a text from time to time, I have sought her advice and assistance on several books, and she has always excelled expectations, offering suggestions that improved parts that I hadn’t until then realised needed tweaking.
All of the above aside, she is a joy to work with, and to know. One of my very favourite people, in fact. (Don’t tell her I said that. Wouldn’t want her to get a swollen head, would we?)
-Michael Lawrence (www.michaellawrence-writer.uk) award winning author of children's, middle grade, and young adult fiction
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Forthcoming
-Jody Lamb, award winning author of middle grade novel, Easter Ann Peters: Operation Cool
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