A beta read is of an unrevised draft, giving you a general overview of what works and what does not in your novel. It is from a reader’s perspective and, while valuable, does not offer any specific structural advice. 

You will receive an editorial letter outlining what works and what doesn’t from a reader’s perspective, and giving you suggestions on what to do next from an editor’s perspective.

Turnaround time is usually 1–2 weeks, depending on the word count and the manuscript’s condition. Rates average $5 per thousand words. If you choose to proceed with editing, a discount is given on future services. Please contact us for your custom quote. For industry rate comp, check out the EFA’s rate chart.

Developmental Editing (also called Structural or Substantive Editing) is where your book begins its journey toward its fullest potential. This stage focuses on the big picture—plot, setting, overall structure, character development, and the flow of scenes from introduction to ending. It’s about shaping your story so it resonates with readers and stands confidently in its genre.

This thorough, in-depth review does not focus on grammar, punctuation, or formatting. Instead, it examines the manuscript’s content, identifying plot holes, themes, pacing, tension, and character consistency. The editor looks at everything from dialogue and tone to motivation and story arcs, offering suggestions to add, remove, or rearrange elements that strengthen your narrative.

After a Developmental Edit, the author revises their manuscript, implementing the editor’s guidance to refine and expand the story. Good developmental editing is thoughtful, honest, and tailored to your genre and target audience, always keeping industry standards in mind.

As the first step in the editing process, Developmental Editing lays the foundation for polishing your book into the best version of itself. It’s where your story takes shape, readying it for the detailed attention that comes next.

• Book Map: You’ll receive a detailed spreadsheet that charts your novel’s subplots, tracks your characters’ journeys, and reveals how all your story threads connect—or unravel—across the full scope of your book. This story map becomes our guide as we navigate the larger structural edits, helping ensure your narrative flows seamlessly from beginning to end.
• Manuscript Edits: Using Microsoft’s Track Changes, we carefully mold your manuscript to bring out its very best, leaving detailed comments throughout with suggestions and explanations for each revision. Because we work in Track Changes, you remain in full control—accept or reject any edits as you see fit. Our role as editors is to elevate and refine your work, but your artistic vision always takes precedence. When your project is complete, you’ll receive a fully assembled, clean manuscript with all final revisions incorporated, ready for the next stage of your publishing journey.
• Editorial Letter: You’ll receive a detailed editorial letter brimming with specific feedback and guidance for your revisions. We’ll walk you through the changes made in your manuscript—explaining what was done, why it was done, and how you can use these insights to strengthen both your writing and your story. Our goal is to help you not only refine your novel but also grow as a storyteller along the way.

Turnaround time is usually 6–8 weeks, depending on the word count. We charge approximately $40 per thousand words. Please contact us for your custom quote. For industry rate comp, check out the EFA’s rate chart.

Copy Editing (sometimes written as copyediting) is often confused with proofreading, but it serves a distinct purpose in the editing process. This stage focuses on grammar, punctuation, spelling, fact-checking, and ensuring consistency throughout your manuscript—including tables of contents, footnotes, bibliographies, character actions, timelines, and repeated word usage.

While copy editing shares some tasks with both proofreading and line editing, its focus is different. Unlike line editing, which hones style, voice, and sentence-level impact, copy editing emphasizes accuracy, clarity, and logical consistency. Unlike proofreading, which reviews the final formatted book, copy editing ensures the manuscript itself is precise and coherent.

Copy editors create detailed Style Sheets to maintain consistency across a series or within a single book, providing a guide for proofreaders and other editors to make effective improvements. They notice the details that matter—like a character’s eye color changing mid-story, a car model described inaccurately, or a character’s name shifting unexpectedly.

Our copy edits include a world-building continuity check, ensuring that the rules of your secondary world—its physics, magic systems, and other internal logic—remain consistent throughout, with no contradictions in description or execution. Our observations are documented in the copy edit’s Style Sheet, alongside notes on grammar, punctuation, and style.

The goal of copy editing is to make your manuscript accurate, consistent, and polished, laying the groundwork for a seamless, professional final version.

• Manuscript Edits: Using Microsoft’s Track Changes, we carefully mold your manuscript to bring out its very best, leaving detailed comments throughout with suggestions and explanations for each revision. Because we work in Track Changes, you remain in full control—accept or reject any edits as you see fit. Our role as editors is to elevate and refine your work, but your artistic vision always takes precedence. When your project is complete, you’ll receive a fully assembled, clean manuscript with all final revisions incorporated, ready for the next stage of your publishing journey.
• Style Sheet: This Style Sheet outlines the Chicago Manual of Style (CMOS) rules most frequently applied for grammar and style, highlights subjective style choices that follow your unique voice, and includes a glossary of terms and names specific to your book. For series titles, it serves as a continuity guide for style, plot, and character details. If your manuscript has also undergone a line edit with us, we merge the documents into a single, comprehensive Style Sheet for easy reference and streamlined guidance.
• Second Pass: After you go through the manuscript and review changes, you can make revisions and send the manuscript back for a second review. We’ll review your changes, check your rewrites, and export a clean document for you to use in the next stage.

Turnaround time is usually 3–4 weeks, depending on the word count and the manuscript’s condition. Rates are approximately $25 per thousand words. Line Editing can be combined with Copy Editing for a discount. Please contact us for your custom quote. For industry rate comp, check out the EFA’s rate chart.

When you imagine your book’s cover, start by asking yourself a few questions. Do you already have a clear image in mind? Are you not quite sure what you want it to look like? Or do you have a few ideas but need help refining the details? Wherever you are in the process, we’ll work together to shape your vision into something beautiful and true to your story.

They say, “Don’t judge a book by its cover,” but let’s be honest—everyone does. A striking cover draws readers in; a compelling synopsis convinces them to stay. Both play a vital role in connecting your story with its audience.

At Luminaria House, every cover design is created with careful attention to genre-specific trends and market research. Just as importantly, we want your cover to feel like you. You’ll complete a short questionnaire to share your ideas, themes, and standout elements, and together, we’ll craft a design that captures the heart of your book and invites readers to turn the first page.

• Print Book Cover: You will receive a print-ready PDF of a full cover (front, back, spine) to your distributor’s standards.
• Ebook Cover: You will receive PNG and JPG files of your ebook’s cover to your distributor’s standards.

Turnaround time is usually 3–4 weeks, depending on the word count and the manuscript’s condition. Print covers cannot be finalized until typesetting is complete. Rates are dependent upon the several varying factors, including type of cover(s) needed. Please contact us for your custom quote.