Nobody Is Perfect - That's Why You Need an Editor.*
*except for Chelsey Clammer. She's perfect. That's why Chelsey should be your editor.
Chelsey has over thirteen years of professional editing experience, not to mention the 16+ years she has been editing her own work. She is the Essays Editor for The Nervous Breakdown and--neat fact--was the Editorial Coordinator for International Dairy Queen's industry magazine that's sent out to 75,000 people worldwide--World of DQ. (She had to step down from her prestigious DQ editor gig (that, sadly, didn't provide free Blizzards on a daily basis) when she moved to Texas, though Chelsey still writes for the magazine.) She received her BA in English and Feminist Studies from Southwestern University (2005), her MA in Women's Studies from Loyola University Chicago (2009) and her MFA In Creative Writing from Pacific Lutheran University (Rainier Writing Workshop, class of 2016).
Whether it's a one-page email to someone really important, or an entire novel you feel like you want to write but don't know how to go about it, Chelsey can do any type of editorial work--from line edits to coaching you through writing your book. Now here's that information in a list form:
Types of edits Chelsey can do:
- Proofreading
- Tiny line edits
- Global edits for consistancy of voice, pacing, organization, structure, etc.
- Coaching--developing an idea, fostering a writing practice, planning out a book
- Manuscript development
- Submission preparation--help to find the outlets that want your work and get you published there. (Side note: Chelsey has over 150 publications from just the past five years. Which is to say that she knows the online and print literary journal world quite well and can easily advise you on where to submit.)
Types of work Chelsey has edited:
- Novels
- Science Fiction short stories and novels
- Romance novels
- Literary essays
- Lyric essays
- Memoirs
- Academic work (MLA, APA, CMS)
- Vignettes
- Short stories
- Blog posts
- Erotica novels
- Turning journal entires into a memoir
- Eulogies
- Obituaries
- Speeches
- Cover letters
- Resumes
- Young adult novels
- Prose poems
- Poetry collections
RATES
Now, rates. Because, honestly, I find it really annoying when at least a general idea of rates aren't listed on someone's website. I mean, really, that's what it comes down to--yeah, you want some edits, but is this editor affordable? Well, I don't know about other editors (contact them for their rates), but YES, I'm SUPER-affordable. And I do sliding scale. And I do payment plans. And basically money should never come between a writer and her work. So, here are my rates, which are always up for discussion.
General comments—Send me something and I provide general comments on it (narrative arc, juxtaposition, strengths, what needs to be worked on, next steps, etc.) $4/page (double spaced)
Line edits—Send me any piece of writing, and I do some hardcore line edits which consist of overall comments about the piece, as well as line edits that focus on word choice, rhythm, flow, sound, nitpicky things, etc. $6/page (double spaced)
Hire me by the hour--I am your personal editor/teacher. You tell me what you want to work on, how much you want to work, and I'll find stuff for us to read together and discuss. Or, I can just give you some writing exercises and edit your work. Or, you can just fling your work at me and I'll edit it. Or, I can help coach you through writing, submitting, getting your files organized--whatever. Basically, I am YOURS for however long you want me to be YOURS. $30/hour
Recomendations for submissions—I read what you want to send out for submissions and give you some quick comments about the piece and where I think you should submit it. $2/per page (double spaced) + $25.
Manuscript preparation—Send me a bunch of writing that's in pretty good shape and I go through it and 
make suggestions as to how it can be organized/improved/worked on to make a book out of the pieces and prepare it for submission. $30/hour
Depending on the size of your project, I can return edits to you anywhere from a few hours to a few weeks (complete manuscripts that are at least 150 pages usually takes me about a month to go through).
Contact me and let's discuss your work!
chelsey.clammer@gmail.com