Wild Storybones Editing

Developmental editing for fiction. Helping stories emerge.

Let’s be honest.

Writing a book is stressful and chaotic.

Whether you’ve written one book or a few, the process is humbling. But you’ve accomplished something a lot of people give up on, and you should be incredibly proud of yourself. All stories go through revisions. It’s what makes the craft of writing so chaotically beautiful.

Now you’re at the next stressful and chaotic stage: editing.

Let me shoulder that chaos.

Editing Services

Developmental Edit

A full developmental edit has a lot of moving parts. Kind of like an octopus juggling different puzzles at once. And I love puzzles.

With a full developmental edit, I'll read your manuscript twice. Once I've immersed myself in your plot, characters, world, and everything in between, I'll leave extensive annotations throughout your manuscript. My primary focus is identifying opportunities to strengthen your story, whether that's world-building, character development, pacing, plot structure, emotional impact, or other big-picture elements. I'll provide clear suggestions and examples throughout.

Along with marginal comments, you'll receive a comprehensive editorial letter (10+ pages) that summarizes your manuscript's strengths, highlights areas for improvement, and feedback to help you tackle revisions with confidence.

At this time, Developmental Editing does not include revisions.

$.028/word

Editorial rates are in accordance with Editorial Freelance Association pricing guidelines

Manuscript Evaluation

If a developmental edit is an octopus juggling different puzzle pieces, a manuscript evaluation is making sure the pieces are there before the puzzle can be solved. Sometimes writers aren’t ready for a full developmental edit, they’re just wondering if the story works.

A manuscript evaluation is a great starting point to assess your overall story.

I'll read your manuscript, looking at everything from pacing and plot to character development, world-building, and the overall reading experience.

You’ll receive a comprehensive editorial letter (10+ pages) that summarizes your manuscript’s strengths, highlights areas for improvement, and feedback to help you tackle that next draft.

At this time, Manuscript Evaluation does not include marginal comments or revisions.

$.015/ word

Editorial rates are in accordance with Editorial Freelance Association pricing guidelines

Query/Synopsis

Trying to sum up an entire story within a few paragraphs and/or pages is a wild concept. Who came up with this idea? If you've been staring at the same paragraphs for so long that every sentence sounds the same and your eyes are starting to blur, hand them over. Fresh eyes make all the difference.

I’ll evaluate your existing query letter and/or synopsis and provide feedback on clarity and structure and how they can effectively showcase your story. There’s a balancing act between sharing enough to hook a reader without overwhelming them with details, and I’m here to help.

Whether you’re looking for a query letter evaluation, a synopsis evaluation, or both, all services under Query/ Synopsis include one round of revisions.

Query Letter Only: $60

Synopsis Letter Only: $60

Query and Synopsis Combined: $100

The First 5k

The first 5,000 words of a story have one important job: convince the readers to keep going.

Whether you have a finished manuscript or a work in progress, I’ll evaluate your opening with an editor’s eye and provide a brief summary (1-2 pages) covering your opening’s strengths, opportunities for improvement, and my overall impression as a reader and editor.

At this time, The First 5k service does not include marginal comments or revisions.

For a limited time, this service is free!

I’m Lynzee

Indie Author & Developmental Editor

I know how vulnerable it is to share a story that’s been living inside you. As a developmental editor for fiction, my focus isn’t on grammar or sentence-level issues. My focus is on the bones of your story on a big-picture level to help strengthen what’s already there: character arcs, pacing, world-building, setting, plot, dialogue, and more. I won’t change your voice. My role is to make sure your wild author heart is heard.

Ready for Edits?

Honesty is my favorite policy.

As a Developmental Editor, my goal is to provide services that meet my client’s needs, and expectations are important. While I’m certified in Developmental Editing for Fiction, not all genres are edited the same way, and each carries its own conventions.

What I’m not a good fit for right now:

  • Novellas

  • Romance

  • Romantasy

  • Non-fiction

  • Short stories

  • Dark Romance

I welcome all human creativity and do not accept ANY work that’s been created using AI.

If you’d like to get in touch, fill out the form below! I’ll follow up within a few business days.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Absolutely!

    Payment flexibility applies to the Developmental Editing and Manuscript Evaluation services, and I’m happy work with you and your budget.

  • A lot of factors here, the biggest one being: unfortunately, I still have a full-time job (cue tiny violin)

    While transitioning to full-time freelance editing, I do ask for patience. Another factor is word count and the editing service selected, but taking all that into account, here’s a general overview:

    Developmental Edit: 6-8 weeks.

    Manuscript Evaluation: 4-6 weeks

    Query Letter: 1-2 weeks

    Synopsis Letter: 1-2 weeks

    Query and Synopsis: 1-3 weeks

    First 5k: 1-2 weeks

  • I do not.

    In the future, I plan on offering Copy and/or Line Editing services.

  • Filling out the form above will send me an email, but feel free to send me a message on social media if you have any questions:

    TikTok: @lynzeewrites

    IG: lynzeeschott