Liz Vaughan

Editorial Services

I am currently available to edit short and long-form prose projects across any genre, on behalf of authors, magazines, or publishing imprints. My rates for the services I offer are as follows:

Beta Reading: $15 for 0–10,000 words, $20 for 10,001–50,000 words, $30 for 50,001–75,000, $50 for 75,001-100,000 words, $60 for 100,001+ words

  • I will read your manuscript and write an honest, constructive review about what’s working, what isn’t yet, and my opinions on how the story can be improved. The length of the review will depend on the length of the manuscript—each pricing tier represents one page of feedback, so $15 would get you 1-page letter, and $60 would get you a 5-page letter.

Developmental Editing: $.003 per word ($3 per 1,000 words)

  • This service is a more comprehensive version of beta reading. In addition to a final report, I will provide comments throughout the document highlighting my professional thoughts on aspects of the plot, character, and worldbuilding. When I finish, I will provide a thorough critique report explaining what’s working, what isn’t yet, and how the story can be improved (the page rate per manuscript length is the same as beta reading). This service would be most effective for fiction of any length.

Copy/Line Editing: $.006 per word ($6 per 1,000 words)

  • I will edit your project line by line for grammer, style, spelling, and punctuation, in accordance with the Merriam Webster Dictionary and the Chicago Manual of Style or another guide as desired. In addition to a polished manuscript, I will send you a letter noting common errors and offering guidance on how to fix them in future writing. Copyediting is ideal for anyone with a written manuscript, regardless of length or genre.

Full Editing: $.08 per word ($8 per 1,000 words)

  • This comprehensive service combines developmental and line editing for a single project. It entails a round of developmental editing as well as a copyediting report, ensuring that the final draft of the manuscript is as strong as possible. Again, this service will be most effective for fiction.

I do not use AI for any part of my writing or editing process, and I am not willing to work with any text that has been generated in whole or in part by an AI program. Please reach out via email to lizvaughanwriter@gmail.com with any inquiries.

Editorial Experience

As an intern for Jess Taylor at Martin-Newens Literary Management, I review submitted novel manuscripts and write thorough reader’s reports evaluating them for agent acquisition. I also conduct research on the current landscape of the publishing industry, creating lists of possible editors, imprints, and comp titles for accepted projects. In this role, I frequently work with young adult, fantasy, and historical fiction, though I am capable of analyzing a wide range of genres for craft and market appeal.

I have been on the reading staff of the award-winning journals Ecotone and Chautauqua. During my undergraduate degree at UNC Chapel Hill, I was the lead fiction editor of Cellar Door Literary Magazine and an editor for Lambda Magazine. As a publishing TA at UNC Wilmington, I copyedited the 2026 installment in the Library Anthology series, entitled Trash: A Collection.

Here is an assortment of projects to which I contributed my copyediting, fact checking, and submissions reading skills:

I will be a production assistant for the independent publishing imprint Lookout Books from fall 2026 – spring 2027. In fall 2026, I will also begin assisting professor Emily Smith with the undergraduate course Introduction to Book Publishing, which I am planned to teach a section of in fall 2027 – spring 2028. Additionally, I frequently compose press releases for UNCW Creative Writing Department events. I attended the 2026 AWP Conference as a bookfair representative of the program.

From fall 2021 – spring 2022, I served as a technical editor for the nonprofit organization The Young Writers Initiative. I worked with young writers to fully copyedit and fact-check their novel manuscripts, as well as provided developmental feedback.