WORKING WITH ME

How I Work

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You can get in touch with me at any stage in your writing.

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Understanding your intentions for the piece

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For most edits, we'll have a conversation about your goals for the piece, including what you want the piece to do for you – for example, you may want your book manuscript to help you get tenure or to establish your expertise in a new area. You may want a journal article to lay the groundwork for your next grant application, or you may see it as an intervention that calls for a shift in your field in ways of working or theorizing a certain topic. We'll also identify your target audience – who you hope will read the piece.

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Determining the appropriate level of editing

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Based on your description of what you want the edit to do, I'll determine the level of editorial feedback, whether developmental, line, or copy editing or a mix.  

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For larger projects, I will send you a sample of the first few pages of the edited piece for your feedback, so I can adjust my approach accordingly.

 

Agreeing on a time frame and payment structure

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We'll figure out how our schedules align – when you will have the draft ready for me, when I have an opening in my schedule for it, and how long a block of time I will likely need to work on the piece.
 

Especially for first-time clients, I will ask you to sign a contract, stipulating the scope of the work to be done and the timing of the work and payment. If at the time of contract signing I don't yet have your piece (for example, if the contract is for work to be done next month and you are still working on it), I ask for a nonrefundable deposit of $100. This money will ultimately go towards the project fee, unless you do not turn in the piece on the agreed upon date. 

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Receiving the edits

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If I have done developmental edits, you will receive a feedback letter that provides an analysis of the piece, identifying what works and exploring why the parts that don't quite work aren't working. I provide actionable advice for how to address such aspects of the piece. Depending on the length of the piece and the requested level of intervention, I sometimes also provide the piece in Microsoft Word with Comments throughout, providing a more detailed level of feedback.  

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If I have done copy or line edits, you will receive your piece in Microsoft Word with Track Changes of edits as well as Comments asking for clarification or suggesting an action on your part. You will also receive a separate style sheet that describes some of the editorial decisions made, such as spelling, capitalization, and terminology.

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I am always available to answer questions you may have about my edits, including through a call of up to 20 minutes. 

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My Fees

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I charge an overall project fee based on a per-word rate (ranging from US$0.055 to 0.11/word, depending on the type of edit) plus other considerations, such as the complexity of the edit and thus how much time it is likely to take.

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I provide a 5% discount to clients without institutional support who are paying for themselves and clients living with chronic illness, disability, or neurodivergence. 

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I donate 3% of D. Scott Edit's net proceeds to Honor Native Land Tax, which supports Indigenous organizations here on unceded Tiwa land, also known as Albuquerque.

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My Generative AI Policy

By sending me your piece for editing, you warrant that it is free of plagiarism and that you have not used AI technologies to generate text in any sense that could constitute a claim to authorship. During the course of the edit, if I identify apparent plagiarism or use of generative AI to write parts of the piece, I will bring this to your attention. In these circumstances I may, at my discretion, cease work and charge you the full fee. I will not use generative AI in my work on your piece.

I am passionate about working with authors to get their research and analysis out into the world. When I work with you, I am on your side – this policy is not about trying to ‘catch’ the use of generative AI. It is about ensuring that your piece’s arguments are robust and built upon a solid foundation, pushing your work forward and bolstering your reputation. 

I have found that when generative AI is used to conduct literature reviews or analysis, it contains hallucinated references, fake quotes, inaccurately cited ideas, and misconstrued literature summaries. It creates uneditable text. Therefore, I will not work on academic text that has been written or outlined in response to prompts that ask generative AI to do research or analysis. 

That said, I will work with authors who use generative AI to help with the mechanics of their writing. I realize that this is a dynamic time in knowledge production. If you have any questions about my policy or about your use of generative AI, let's talk!

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