Garry Breland
Editing & Consulting
Do you have a manuscript for a book, dissertation, article, or perhaps an accreditation report that is ready for editing? Or, you might be in an earlier stage of your project. Then this is the right place for you!
ABOUT ME
Hi, I’m Garry.
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Since I first learned to read I have known there was something special about the written word. Through writing you can reach across space and time to join your thoughts with the thoughts of others—your readers. I consider it a privilege as an editor to work with authors on behalf of readers for the benefit of both.
I have worked with writers from countries around the world on both academic and non-academic texts. Whether English is your first language or not, my goal is to help your writing be correct, clear, and convincing so it will have the intended effect on your readers.
My work falls into three categories:
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Consulting with colleges and universities in the preparation of accreditation documents;
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Editing academic texts including dissertations, theses, and articles for publication; and
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Editing fiction and non-fiction books.
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SERVICES
Accreditation Consulting & Review
Editing Dissertations, Theses, & Articles for Publication
Editing Fiction and Nonfiction Books
Accreditation
Colleges and universities devote considerable resources to complying with accreditation demands. Having worked on both sides of this process, leading institutions in preparing accreditation reports and serving as a peer reviewer for the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC), I can help in these ways:
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Consult with administrators and accreditation team leaders at any stage of the preparation of reports;
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Review accreditation reports to assess whether they address requirements for the accreditation submission;
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Review and advise concerning documentary evidence cited in accreditation reports; and
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Copyedit reports to address mechanics and style of writing.
Fees for accreditation consulting depend on the type, scope, and scale of the project.
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Testimonial:
No matter how much work you put into an accreditation report, it always helps to get an outside look to catch unstated assumptions and inconsistencies that sneak through. We engaged with Garry for a review of our draft Fifth-Year Interim Report for SACSCOC, and it was well worth it. Garry’s quick and thorough assessment of strengths and weaknesses of the draft led to a number of improvements. I've served on about a dozen review teams myself, but Garry picked up on policy nuances that I wasn't aware of. His understanding of the requirements and attention to detail were a great benefit to us.
David Eubanks
Assistant VP for Assessment and Institutional Effectiveness
Furman University
Dissertations and Theses
I have edited nearly 500 dissertations, for students at 30+ universities, in a dozen or so countries, mostly in education and nursing but also in psychology, theology, business, and political science. Consistent with those disciplines, I am familiar with APA, Turabian, and CMOS. Most doctoral programs have their own guidelines, with additional specifications, and I make sure I have those in hand so the dissertation or thesis will conform to that program’s expectations. The fee for editing a completed dissertation or thesis is $0.06/word.
Articles for Publication
I have edited articles for publication by scholars in the United States and several other countries, mostly in psychology but in other disciplines as well. I consult journal guidelines and follow whatever instructions the author gives me. Especially when working with writers for whom English is not their first language (but by no means limited to them), I communicate to clarify any meanings and go through additional revisions of select passages as needed. The fee for editing an article is $0.06/word.
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Fiction and Nonfiction Books
Writing is full of choices. The right subject, the right words, the right voice, the right structure, the right . . . you get it. Finally, you have a rough draft. Then you revise and revise and get friends and family to read it. Now it's time to let an editor have a go at it.
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​The novels I am most interested in editing include contemporary, literary, mystery, historical fiction, action and adventure, thriller and suspense, and westerns.
For nonfiction, my interests range across memoir and biography, history, religion and spirituality, self-help, and inspirational.
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I provide four types of book editing services: manuscript review, developmental editing, copyediting, and proofreading.
Book Editing Services
Manuscript Review
For the Manuscript Review I will read your manuscript, analyze it, and write an evaluation of its strengths and where it could be stronger. For fiction, I pay attention to such matters as plot, narrative arc, character development, and point of view; for nonfiction, I pay attention to organization, clarity and coherence of message, and readability. I will give suggestions for moving forward with your book—evaluating whether it’s ready for editing and what kind of editing would be beneficial. The manuscript review also includes an editorial consultation (via videoconference) to discuss the book and explore what to do next .
The manuscript review takes 2 to 3 weeks, after which we can schedule the consultation. The manuscript review is necessary to build a foundation for editing and to find out whether we are a good fit as an author/editor team before you decide to make any further investment in your book.
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The fee for this service is $500.00, which I will credit toward additional fees on the same project if you choose to continue working with me.​
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Developmental Editing
Sometimes called a structural or content edit, the developmental edit is a "big picture" edit. It is concerned with the bones that make up the book, how they fit together, and whether they work together to create a sound, working narrative. A developmental edit focuses on narrative structure, point of view, narrative tense, organization, smooth transitions between scenes, character development, and world-building. A thorough grasp of the manuscript is necessary to estimate the amount of work needed for a developmental edit. This is one of the reasons the manuscript review phase is the required beginning point for editing a book. Once the amount of work is understood, the time frame and fee can be determined. Although not all manuscripts require this level of editing, for those that do it is important to address these big picture issues before continuing on to the next level—copyediting. The fee for developmental editing is determined by word count, at $0.03/word.
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Copyediting
Once a narrative is structurally sound, it is ready for copyediting, which also includes what is sometimes classed separately as line editing. The focus with copyediting is more detailed than developmental editing, looking at the text at the paragraph and sentence level to be sure language is used in ways that are correct, clear, and consistent. This is where both the choices of words and how they are used—as well as the mechanics of grammar, spelling, punctuation, and so on—are addressed, After copyediting, the text should be free of distractions and barriers that could interfere with smooth reading. This phase is the most detailed and work intensive. The fee is determined by the word count, at $0.04 per word.
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Proofreading
Proofreading is a final check of the text for errors including typographical errors and problems, page makeup, and formatting of the MS Word document. The fee for proofreading is $0.015/word.
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Putting It All Together
Writing a book is a significant undertaking, and while people write books from various motivations, most want to share their book with others, which means publishing it. Whether you are planning to submit your manuscript to a traditional publisher or agent or to pursue a self-publishing option, editing is a key phase in preparing your book to share it with the world. The chart below illustrates the kind of financial investment that could be involved in editing a 60,000 word manuscript. The actual amount would depend on the word count of the manuscript and the specific types of editing services required.
Service Type Word Count Page Count Fee/Word Fee
250 words/page
Manuscript Review $500.00
Developmental Edit 60,000 240 $0.03 $1,800.00
Copyedit 60,000 240 $0.04 $2,400.00
Proofread 60,000 240 $0.015 $900.00
Total (with $500 credit) $4,600.00
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Author Testimonials
I was very pleased with Garry's thoroughness in editing my 80,000-word debut novel, The Last Man. He made an editorial assessment and then I contracted with him for a developmental edit. I incorporated most of his suggestions in the final draft.
Tom Goodman https://www.amazon.in/Last-Man-Novel-Santa-Robbery-ebook/dp/B0CC6GNXSP
No matter how careful an author is, and despite the tools an author can use to check spelling and grammar, line editing and proofreading by an actual person are essential to publishing. I was very pleased with Garry's line edit of the books in my Bible Portals series.
Tom Goodman
Thank-you for an outstanding job! I have read through the manuscript with your suggested changes, and for the most part have accepted all of them.
I was pleasantly surprised by the prologue and epilogue. I actually had both in my manuscript, but removed them before sending it to you. The epilogue is almost identical to yours, but my frustration was with the prologue which was turning into its own chapter as I tried to position the story. I sought advice from another author who told me the story didn't need it. However, I really like how you captured my intentions, and brought Irenaeus into the storyline. I have chosen to keep it in the book as it is. Thank-you for the detail and professionalism you brought to the work.
Rick Lambert
https://www.amazon.in/Polycarp-destroyer-gods-Grow-grace-ebook/dp/B00TR75RPK/ref
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