Final Polish

Our Final Polish editing service has been devised for writers wanting to ensure their manuscript is as good as it can possibly be before looking to approach literary agents or self-publish.

One of our experienced editors will read your manuscript in its entirety, line-by-line edit 50% of the text (addressing punctuation, grammar, spelling, as well as highlighting errors and/or inconsistencies), offer 1-2 pages of notes alongside two revised versions of your manuscript (the first with suggested changes highlighted; the second with all suggested changes applied), then become available for a 30-minute follow-up call in which additional guidance on overall structure and how to maintain consistency will be discussed.

Read testimonials for all W&A editing services

How it works

Read our short guide to the Final Polish service.

Features

• Professional read-through and thorough edit of a substantial section of your work
• Correction of poor grammar, punctuation and spelling
• Tackling of inconsistencies, repetition and writer blind spots
• Detailed mark-up on your original manuscript
• Sample 'clean' manuscript, purged of errors and inconsistencies
• Guarantee of fundamental standards should you opt to submit to a literary agent or self-publish
• A follow-up phone call of 30 minutes in order to further discuss how the manuscript works as a whole and address any other questions you might have

Please note: unless alternative arrangements have been agreed with W&A Admin and your Editor, your follow-up call should take place no more than two weeks after your Editor has uploaded their documents.

Why does the editor only edit 50% of the manuscript?

The purpose of this service is not to offer a developmental edit of a narrative, but to concentrate on addressing punctuation, grammar, spelling, and highlight errors and/or inconsistencies. This is known as copy-editing; a line-by-line approach that is a time-consuming process. The vast majority of errors and/or inconsistencies made within a manuscript, however, are often made within the first half and continue to be made throughout. The Final Polish editing service has been set up to make a writer fully aware of mistakes that have crept into their work and provide a framework in which to edit the rest of the manuscript independently.

What you need to submit

Before payment, you will need to complete our online form providing information about your book, as well as selecting your preferred editor.

After payment, you will need to submit your full manuscript, taking into account the word limit you selected upon purchase. You also need to upload either a synopsis or chapter outline.

If you are writing fiction or narrative non-fiction, please upload a one-page synopsis. Please read our Writing a Synopsis guide.

If you are writing subject-led non-fiction you need to upload a chapter outline. This should be no more than 5 pages. Please read our Writing a Chapter Outline guide for more information.

Please remember

All feedback is entirely subjective, What works for one editor or agent might not work for another, and it's not uncommon for aspects of editorial feedback to be contradictory because personal tastes come into play. If you find there are commonalities in the feedback you receive, though, and/or there are questions that relate to the way your project will appeal to your intended audience, then it's possible that a re-draft is required.  

Pricing and next steps