Need some Manuscript help?

You’ve finished writing your book!
Well congratulations!
Getting to the last page is a marathon effort and you should be incredibly proud of yourself. But, as any seasoned writer will tell you, you have only reached the first milestone.

If you would like to understand more about my personal perspective on editing, you can check out my blog that goes into a bit more detail.

The editing services I offer are
Manuscript Assessment (MS assessment) and Developmental + Line Editing.

My passion primarily lies in speculative fiction - fantasy, gothic literature, retellings and magic realism. I enjoy YA/New Adult, Middle Grade and Adult novels.
I love poetry and short fiction in any genre too!
At the moment, I’m really getting into Hybrid and Experimental.

But, I love any story that offers interesting depth into the human condition or sheds light on cultural/social issues. And I’m a sucker for a bit of classic romance or Smut now and again (especially if its fae-fantasy!)

Pricing:

Some editors charge you by word count or page number. In my experience, for the level of editing that I do, this is unsustainable as the amount of work required for a 80,000 word manuscript can vary greatly. Some MS of this length have taken me more than double the time of others because all art is different.

By requesting a sample of your work along with all relevant information about your MS I am able to assess what level of editing you will require and come up with the most cost effective formulae that I will provide full transparency for.

For an MS assessment, prices start at $500 NZD

For a Developmental Edit, prices start at $800.NZD (less for short fiction, please get in touch)

All services require a deposit and signed contract to be agreed upon before commencing work.

To request either service, please send me an email to have a chat.

Before commencing work, I will require a synopsis, including your genre and target audience, total word count, author bio, publishing goals and the first 10 pages of your MS.

I will use this information to determine if I feel I can invest the way your story deserves and how best to assess your work to provide a quote.

You will also receive an editors sample to see how I work and decide if you feel we are a good match.

Manuscript Assessment



When you contract me for a MS assessment you will receive a comprehensive document of approximately 20 pages.

Section one will include:
Questions I think you may like to consider moving forward and suggestions tailored towards your genre and target reader.
An overview of any areas you may need to give some more thought to and what stands out as the most successful elements of your story.

Section Two breaks down each of the key craft components with detailed reflections and suggestions of where you may like to improve.

Section Three will include some references you may find useful to help you during your next edit and at least two suggestions for marketing.

I also offer a free 45 minutes zoom meet (within three months of return) where you can ask any questions or discuss anything you would find useful.

Developmental + Line Edit


A Developmental Edit includes a full annotated version of your MS and a more a more detailed description of each craft aspect of your book.
I provide line edits and mild copy edits.

I usually provide a wide number of links to sources that you may find beneficial and a full range of suggestions.
I am specially concerned with character and world building.

In my annotations, I will often pose questions to help prompt your own responses as I believe it is important to allow your own creativity to drive solutions. I will make suggestions, but you are free to accept if they resonate with you and ignore if they do not align.

I believe it is of the utmost importance to provide editorial insights that help strengthen your voice and allow your story to flourish rather than to insert my influence in a commanding way. An author should never feel an editor is attempting to take over! I believe it is our job to provide you an informed perspective while preserving your authenticity as an author.

You will have the option to have a 45minute Zoom meet with me to discuss anything further free of charge.

Please bare in mind that although I don’t give you a cut off date to use this by, however the sooner you book this session, the more you will get out of it.

Client Testimonials

  • I cannot say enough about Cerid’s skill at developmental editing and the experience. In all sincerity, I can say that Cerid is responsible for whipping my manuscript into the best shape possible. She is, in fact, so meticulously thorough that no sentence went untouched in the process of her developmental work on my WIP, and yet she never lost the overarching storylines, character development, and structure of the novel. And, while a few times she did the work for me, saying, “how about this instead?” 90% of the time she guided my thinking. Those few times when Cerid did the work for me, I learned something about the structure of narrative, which then enabled me to apply the lesson in another sentence, paragraph, or entire chapter. I so appreciated this approach and found it satisfying. Cerid is a patient and effective teacher! She is that rare breed of professionalism and warmth. An extremely good communicator, supportive, and understanding, which I for one desperately needed whenever I got lost in a particularly difficult passage, an entire chapter, or even lost the plot altogether. Cerid’s exceptional and (downright) exquisite talent at writing and developing story, she always manages to be both a support system and the editing professional all writers need. If you are lucky enough to get the opportunity to work with Cerid Jones, do not hesitate, do it. If you work hard, listen, and pay close attention to her editorial guidance, I promise you that your story will greatly improve in structure and developmental detail, you will become a better writer.

    Judith Jackson-Pomeroy
    (Women’s Literary Fiction)
    - Novel: Weight of a Woman

  • "Cerid Jones has been a tremendous help to me for close to 2 years, not only as a Developmental Editor for Fleetwalker, but also guiding me through the complexities of the publishing world and marketing, plus the hazards of social media, subjects that push me close to panic. She records valuable tutorials for me, prepares social media posts, researches information where necessary, maintains regular contact, constantly looks for avenues to improve my understanding, creates tasks, and always follows through. All this she does with care and generosity in a confident and timely way. Frankly, I would be lost without Cerid’s care and input. She is always mindful of the task of getting known as an author and selling books."

    J Victoria Michael
    Author of GriffinSong trilogy

  • "I’ve just had a wonderful Zoom meeting this morning with my editor Cerid, who I adore with every fiber of my being. She is kind and funny and smart and incredibly good at this. She is responsible for both the Developmental- and Content-editing of my manuscript"

    Developmental edit:
    (YA Fantasy)
    Laila Bar -Author

  • "Cerid was dedicated in both drawing out what was good in my story, and in deciphering what it would be better to do without. The passion and dedication she showed was stunning and at points only a small step below my own, as the writer. I think that Cerid will be an excellent editor for everyone she works with."

    Beta Reading/Editing:
    (Dark fantasy)
    Johnathon Heart - Author

  • "Thanks for doing such a terrific job on the edit. I will spend time with your detailed comments on the text and rewrite it asap. Thanks for all your efforts and patience. I was very impressed with Cerid's comments and revisions."

    Developmental Edit
    (Historical Fiction)
    Ross Jones

  • "I needed help with my book cover designs and related promotional graphics. I approached Cerid for a fresh approach. She was very accomodating to my particular ideas and wishes. Within a short time she produced not just one set of delightful ideas but several. All of these I am using in various ways. I will be approaching Cerid again when I next need technical and imaginative help. I recommend her services. "



    Mark O'Dwyer,
    (Picture Books)
    Mawson Bear Books

  • "I found the editing process a valuable one. You gave me a lot of useful insights on how to improve my work, especially from a professional point of view. Often I find if I show my work to people, even if they are interested in writing themselves, they rarely give much useful feedback beyond checking spelling and grammar."

    MS Assessment
    (Fantasy)
    Bevan Sharman

Sensitivity Reading

Pricing for this service is based on word count.
I use the standard copywriters fee of 0.02c per word.
However, please do reach out to discuss your needs and we may be able to find a way to work within your budget.


While this service is included in MS and Dev/Line edit services, the growing need for sensitivity readers has promoted me to include this an additional and separate service for those who may have editors already who cannot provide the experience.

I have a diverse collection of life experiences and connections.  Couple this with my studies in anthropology and I am equipped to provide either lived or educative sensitivity readings.

While I always promote reaching out to someone with directed lived experience, if you are struggling to find this I may be able to help either put you in touch with someone who has lived experience, or consult them on behalf while providing you a sensitivity report directly.

I was raised by a child and family therapist who has specialised in trauma (including sexual abuse and rape crisis) and working with persons on the spectrum (neurodiversity), and an ex teacher turned probation officer.
I have experience with close family and friends who have managed various degrees of debilitating disabilities. I have lived experience with mental health and supporting addicts. I experienced both mainstream and alterative education models and have studied a very wide scope of humanities topics.
I have also come into contact with a wide variety of different types of counter-cultures and have a network I can reach out to for lived experience advice on a wide variety of topics from a variety of cultural backgrounds.

Topics that I can assist with include, but not limited to:

Gender, Sexuality, ethics, counter-culture, race relations, marginalised society, mental health, illness, disability and more traditional cultural perspectives.

Topics I have conducted studies on include but are not limited to:

traditional and nomadic cultures, counter-culture trends, Polytheism, folklore traditions, shamanic traditions, altered states of consciousness/drug culture, addiction, rock/metal culture, creative culture, grief and loss, power dynamics, adult entertainment industry, witchcraft, mythology/cosmology, festivals/gatherings, geekdom/fandom, cultural diversity, medical anthropology (medical traditions), family trauma, family violence, animal psychology (dog and horse mostly), homelessness, emotional tolerance, emotional development, volunteers, sword fighting, archery, neo-paganism, theatre, axe throwing, philosophy, ethics, morality, literature tropes, horror films, art, literature and activism.