Services for Writers and Authors

All new clients can submit a 1,500 word sample passage to be edited-FREE OF CHARGE.

Norah Sarsour does developmental editing, substantive editing, copy editing, proofreading, and research–everything that goes into making your book or manuscript perfect! She has  worked on fictions, short stories, memoirs, children’s books, biographies, poetry,  anthologies, graphic novels, lifestyle guides and more!

Please feel free to contact  Norah for a consultation regarding your work and more information on how to submit your sample for the risk free trial. Norah will assess the needs of your work, establish a timeline that fits your intended deadline, and accommodate your budget accordingly.

Ghostwriting

Not much of a writer? No worries. If you have notes, recordings, a blog, or ideas filed away in your mind, and you want these to be manifest in a book, Norah is available to ghostwrite your ideas by having regular sessions or collecting information, and building your book.

Manuscript Critique

Sometimes authors are not sure if their work is ready for editing or if they are headed in the right direction. Feel free to send a thirty page segment for a constructive critique of structure and content. If you require further coaching or direction during the writing process, Norah will hold weekly sessions to review your progress and bounce ideas back and forth.  Good banter and analysis can push writers to consider new angles they may not realize during the writing process.

Developmental Editing

This type of editing has many different names. Some call it substantive editing, others call it content editing. This is a structural and material dense editing process. If you have a story line, memoirs, biography, script, a lifestyle guide, or a fiction, it is important that there are no loose ends to the content. At the developmental editing stage, you are probably concerned with some of the following:

  • Are their gaps in the content that leave readers to question certain aspects?
  • Does the structure gradually progress into a meaningful conclusion, or does the content go back and forth and cause readers to constantly flip back and forth?
  • Are characters fully developed, settings completely illustrated, and transitions between actions organic?
  • Is there redundancy or unnecessary material in the book? Can material be more effectively placed by some restructuring?

Copy Editing

A copy editor handles content that is already set in stone. So if you are absolutely content with the content, your next step is to check the mechanics and grammar of the work. This stage of the editing process also fact-checks . If your work references real events, theories, places, and facts, the copy editing process will ensure that your facts and dates all check out. Headlines and captions are also created, and the format is finalized.

During copy editing, unclear writing will be addressed as well. Typically Norah will not override the writing, since technically your content should be sound at this stage. She will highlight it however, as she will other inconsistencies. During our first review of edits we can discuss these  and the author can address these or can leave it to Norah to re-write. This stage is less about development and more about finalizing and cleaning up the existing structure.

Proofreading

At this stage you have had your work edited and developed. The content is done. You love the structure. You are in love with the work and have no qualms. The facts have been checked and verified. You just want to be sure that the commas and apostrophes are all in place. You want to be sure that the spelling is good. This is the final step to ensuring your work is perfect. If any glaring issues exist in the content, these will be noted for the author who can choose to address them or not. Because this is a final edit, the editor is more concerned with finalizing the project and assuring it is error free.

Author biographies, book summaries, and other considerations for your book come at absolutely no extra charge. Just be sure to mention your needs during the process. A complete package of all edit types is also available.

Norah always offers her clients an NDA to ensure work is safe and protected, and all work is transferred and encrypted to ensure privacy and security.