Matt Kendrick
Writer | Editor | Teacher
Editorial Services:
Novels and Novellas
Working on a novel or novella? Completed your first draft and wondering about next steps? Unsure about the overall structure of your work-in-progress or how it might come across to your reader? Just starting out and wanting to know if your idea has legs? About to take the plunge by submitting to agents but not quite sure whether your synopsis and cover letter are up to scratch?
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Whatever stage you've reached, I offer a variety of editorial services to help you take your work towards its final draft. My feedback always aims to encourage, elucidate and extend, and hopefully gives you a clear roadmap that helps with not only with this novel or novella, but with any other long-form writing project you might tackle in the future.
What I offer
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First Steps Review: feedback on your outline plot and first 10,000 words (for writers who are just getting going with their first draft)
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Structural Review: feedback on the narrative, structure, characterisation, themes and emotional journey (for writers who have completed their first draft)
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Line Edit: detailed in-line edits and comments on readability, concision, word choice, rhythm and flow (for writers who are looking to polish up their manuscript at a word / sentence level)
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Submission Review: feedback on your cover letter, synopsis and first 10,000 words (for writers who are preparing to submit to agents)
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Mentoring: ongoing support as you take your project from A to B (for writers who want full support across their novel-writing journey)
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How it works
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Get in touch to let me know what you're writing and how you think I can help, sending me a sample chapter for me to have a look at. If I think I'd be a good fit, I'll then schedule in the work and let you know next steps. My normal turnaround time for novels and novellas is around five weeks, but I may be able to get to your project faster if you're working to a tight deadline. Payment would be invoiced when I return your feedback and this would be payable either by card, bank transfer or Paypal.
Structural review
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Have you completed your first draft but aren't sure where to go next?
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In a structural review, I'll read your novel and provide a 5000+ word report that includes details of how your novel comes across to a reader:
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Narrative - does the overall narrative arc provide a pleasing journey from A to B? Do the subplots weave as seamlessly as they could around the central narrative? Does every scene earn its place on the page? Are there scenes that might be expanded or added to improve the overall journey? Are there any plot holes? Is there a sense of tension that makes a reader want to read on?
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Structure - does the form of your novel(la) allow the story to unfold in the strongest fashion? Are there issues with pacing? Do backstory, side story or POV shifts work in a way that's easy to follow? Is there balance to the overall work?
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Characters & Characterisation - are your characters three-dimensional? Are their motivations clear? Is it easy for a reader to connect with them? Do the relationships between characters feel believable?
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Emotional journey - is there an emotional journey that follows the narrative one? Does the story resonate? How are the characters changed by this story?
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Language - is the tone of voice consistent throughout? Are there general language points which might be focused on in the next edit?
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Thematic progression - what are the main themes of the novel(la)? Are there chances to enhance these? Is there an underlying message that comes across?
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Cost
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Up to 50k words = £460
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Up to 60k words = £520
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Up to 70k words = £580
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Up to 80k words = £640
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Up to 90k words = £700
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Up to 100k words = £765
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additional 10k words = +£65
Line edit
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Are you happy with the structure of your novel but want to sharpen things up at a word / sentence level?
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In a line edit, I'll make in-line comments / tracked changes on your document regarding:
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Readability - is your writing clear? Are there opportunities to rephrase to strengthen that clarity?
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Concision - does every word earn its place on the page?
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Word choice and tone of voice - are there particular word choices that don't work as well as they might? Is there unwanted repetition, unintended alliteration or rhyme? are there moments when the tone of your writing wavers in comparison to the overall style?
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Flow of ideas - does the ordering of character actions or descriptive elements work to its best advantage?
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Rhythm and flow - does each sentence flow into the next in a pleasing manner? Is there enough variation of sentence construction? Does the rhythm of the prose reflect the emotional context of the narrative?
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Spelling and grammar - are there any typos or missing / additional words? Is there consistency of tense? Is dialogue or internal thought formatted in a consistent manner?
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Please note that I only take on line editing work where I'm happy that the general structure and narrative journey of a novel or novella have already been addressed. The fee for this service is charged on an hourly basis at £36 per hour. Please be aware that line editing will generally require around one hour of work per 2k words, and can therefore become quite pricey as a result. A ballpark fee for a novel of 80k words would be around £1500.
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First Steps Review
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Have you just started out on your novel(la)-writing journey and want a second pair of eyes to look over what you've achieved so far?
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In a first steps review, I'll look at the first 10,000 words of your draft work-in-progress along with your outline plot, and I'll provide a 2000+ word report on how the story is shaping up so far, what's reeling me in as a reader and what you might want to think about before taking your next steps.
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The price for this service is £160.
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Submission Review
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Are you thinking about submitting your novel(la) to an agent but want to get it polished up before you do?
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In a submission review, I'll look at your cover letter and your synopsis along with the first 10,000 words of your novel. I'll provide a 2000+ word report full of actionable feedback on what is and isn't working in the three elements of your submission package.
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The price for this service is £180.
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Request a critique or an edit
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To enquire about my availability, please email matt@mattkendrick.co.uk letting me know:
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your name
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which of the above options you are interested in
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the word count of your manuscript
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any time frames (i.e. competition deadlines) you are working towards
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anything that would be helpful to you in terms of accessibility (e.g. larger font size on feedback reports)
Please put 'Editing Request' plus the title of your novel(la) as the email's subject and include a one-chapter sample either as an attachment or in the body of the email.
Please note that I only take on editing work for novel(la)s where I feel the project is a good fit and at the appropriate stage for the requested work.
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I am happy to work on novel(la)s in most genres including literary fiction, contemporary fiction, historical fiction, psychological thriller, magical realism, satire, mythological, folklore, fantasy, science fiction, and young adult. I am unlikely to take on horror, romantic fiction, high fantasy or space opera novel(la)s. I also don't tend to take on children's books or non-fiction.
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Payment by Paypal, card or BACS (UK only) on receipt of your feedback.