SERVICES
All Stories.
All Bodies.
All Stages.
The writers we work with:
Believe that writing is a gateway
Have been changed by the transformative power of literature
Are willing to invest in their project financially
Make time to bring out the highest potential in their work
Believe in collaboration and teamwork
Are ready to roll up their sleeves and make magic through language
If this all sounds like you, email [email protected] to inquire or book a one-hour consultation ($300) with Emily and Gina!
Programs offered:
Flat Rate Developmental Editing of Your Book-Length Manuscript
(This is our most popular program and is almost always booked in advance, so reach out to get our first available slot.)
Program includes:
- a close reading that includes Track Changes notes and line-edits
- a substantive editorial letter between 10-12 pages with suggestions for revision and concrete strategies for implementing them.
- draft of an agent query
- one-hour long Zoom or phone session to ask follow up questions, brainstorm ideas, and plan your next steps.
- guarantee of receiving your manuscript back within one month of start date
Flat fees are based on word count and double spaced page count. Gina and Emily take on developmental editing clients both privately and as a team.
Note: While most of our developmental editing clients go on to revise their manuscripts on their own following our work together, some clients do opt for a collaborative revision, or what we call “ghost revising,” in which we make the recommended changes to the client’s manuscript ourselves in cooperation with the client. Collaborative revision is a separate/additional service from developmental editing and is at a higher price point due to the different level of time and labor required.
Create Your Book Proposal and Sell Your Book (nonfiction only)
Process:
We select three mentorship engagements per year, each for a period of 3-months, and work as a team with you to get your proposal ready to submit to agents or editors. Before committing to this program, we will ask you to schedule a Zoom call to determine mutual fit and assess that you have the time to devote to this intensive process. Prior to beginning work, we will send you a list of questions about your project so that our first meeting is as fruitful as possible.
Program includes:
- Close reading of material you have already written, with Track Changes and line edits
- Selection and developmental editing of appropriate sample chapters
- Collaborative drafting of a Book Proposal ready to submit to agents/publishers
- One-hour phone/Zoom session monthly to check in on progress and further refine project
Please inquire about pricing of proposal packages.
Editorial Coaching (aka Book Building 101)
Process:
If you are at the very beginning of your novel or memoir, then this program is for you. We accept these projects on a rolling, case-by-case basis and as our schedule permits. Due to the frequent contact and longer-term commitment, there may be times when this program is unavailable.
Program includes:
- One hour of phone/Zoom per month as we shepherd you through writing your first draft
- Close reading of each new chunk of 50 pages you write, with Track Changes, line-edits, and notes for future revision
- Minimum commitment of 5 sessions to craft your first draft of a book-length manuscript, already complete with a full developmental edit for revision
Professional Fee: This program is not available for a flat rate as the time commitment is highly variable. Emily and Gina each have an hourly rate of $200/hr individually; their combined rate is $350/hr..
Collaborative Ghost Writing
This is our highest level of service. Because of the amount of time, effort, and communication required to translate another person’s story into a fully polished book suitable for submission to agents and editors, Circe only takes two of these projects per year at most. Before committing to such a project, we schedule a Zoom call to determine mutual fit.
Schedule: We expect this process to take approximately 6-12 months, though it can be shorter if some of the material is already written and organized, or longer if the client needs more infrequent meetings. For the standard 6-12 month schedule, bi-weekly hour-long meetings will be scheduled, and we will also provide email updates/progress reports between the scheduled meetings for the client’s review. A consistent schedule and reliable communication are essential to any complex project with many moving parts, and some ghostwriting projects also require extensive communication with others in the client’s life or experts in their field.
Pricing: Please note that ghostwriting projects begin at $150,000. Serious inquiries only.
Creativity Coaching
For those who are mid-project or just beginning to write, creativity coaching can help unblock a project by providing a sounding board, craft advice, a dedicated reader, and deadlines. Creativity coaching is usually charged by the hour, but some clients who wish to commit to long-term coaching to complete a project, negotiated flat fees may be available.
Creativity Coaching + Life Coaching
Gina also has an MA in Counseling Psychology, and clients may opt for a combination of creativity coaching and life coaching when working with her, as sometimes writing our stories brings up issues to work through in order to simultaneously facilitate healing and our best writing. Emily has an MTS in Theology, and has worked as a chaplain during her divinity school training and education at Harvard, primarily within the LGBTQ+ community.
Book Clubs + Writing Groups
We are available to Zoom in with your group about specific craft issues, to moderate your group’s critique of a piece, or to lead book discussions. Let us know if your group would like to chat!
Additional Information
A Zoom meeting in advance of hiring us is not mandatory. However, if you would like a face-to-face consultation to determine whether we are the right fit for your work, hour long consultations are $300. Please note that we do not offer free consultations as we are a small, two-partner business and our volume of inquiries does not allow us to meet with all prospective clients at no cost, as this would take too much time away from our existing clientele.
Circe Consulting, LLC does not work for “alternative” methods of payments such as hypothetical future royalty cuts or payment once a book is placed with a publisher and given an advance. While we are very happy to offer a limited number of scholarships for BIPOC and other under-represented writers in our online classes and retreats, we do not do developmental editing, book proposals, or ghostwriting at sliding scale rates, and we do not accept pro-bono clients. If this ever changes as our business grows, our website will reflect the change.
Many flat rate projects are inclusive of assistance in writing/revising agent queries. We love agent queries and they are one of our Circe specialties! If applicable, we may even suggest specific agents for your project. However, Circe does not send queries out for our clients or in any other way act as a liaison between the client and the publishing industry.
Our goals at Circe center on helping you to create, hone, tell, and revise your story at the highest level of both artistry and marketability. Many of our clients have gone on to land book deals and some to attain bestseller status. However, we strongly condemn any editing service “guaranteeing” that clients who work with them will subsequently find the publisher of their dreams. We are not agents and we have no ultimate control over whether the projects we work with will be published.