Manuscript consultations, coaching, and editing.

After nine years as editor of Hunger Mountain, the literary magazine at Vermont College of Fine Arts, and decades leading workshops for MFA students, undergrads, and writers in the community, I’m now offering one-on-one manuscript consultations, and coaching and editing for writers.

Manuscript Consultations: Do you have a full-length manuscript that is ready for another set of eyes? This could be a novel, a collection of short stories, or a memoir. A consultation includes an in-depth reading of your manuscript (up to 350 pages); a multi-page letter discussing global issues like plot, pacing, and character development, as well as sentence-level craft choices; 5-10 pages of meticulous line-editing; and a 30-60 minute phone call, Skype session, or in-person meeting to discuss the work. 

My rate is $1800 for a full manuscript consultation (up to 350 pages), with follow-up conversations, coaching & editorial work available at our hourly or monthly rate.

Monthly Coaching Services: Beginning a new project and looking for ongoing support? Launching into the revision process? Monthly coaching offers continuing conversation, brainstorming, goal-setting, reading suggestions, guidance, and critique of new or revised work (40 pages a month), as well as --when the time is right--advice about finding an agent, submitting to literary journals or contests, or self-publishing and promotion. 

My rate is $700 a month, which includes weekly phone calls and emails and written critique of new work or revisions, including some line-editing (40 pages/month).

Hourly Editing & Coaching Services: Want someone to read over a short story, a clutch of poems, an essay, an application or a query letter? Want someone to sit down and talk about your writing process or writing goals and help you create the steps for how to achieve those goals? Want someone to help create systems of accountability, or moral support, or help solve some burning literary dilemma? We’ve got you! We can help with process, with global feedback about your work, with copyediting, and more. Our hourly rate for editing and coaching services is $100/hour.* The rates apply to the time the coach/editor spends reading, editing, preparing and meeting with the writer. 

*Note: The total fee for an editing project depends on the style of editing you need. Reading and responding to a 30 page essay or short story, for example, including a conversation with the author about global craft issues, usually takes 3-4 hours. Line editing takes longer. Light copyediting moves very quickly.

Email me at miciahbay(at)gmail.com to inquire.

Visit Word House to learn more about mentoring, editing, and coaching services with other Word House writers.