Helm Publishing offers editing services for fiction writers and playwrights, with a specialisation in fiction novels and short plays.
Unlike many other professional editors, Pete Malicki has a solid background as a writer. To date he has completed five full-length novels, 40 plays of varying length, short stories, poetry and articles for magazines and the web. More than 25 of his plays have been staged, a novel published, and many of his articles and short stories have been printed.
To find out more about your editing options with Helm Publishing, scroll down and read away follow the links below:
Fiction/Novels
Plays
Testimonials
Rates
Bookings
Further Information about our services
Fiction/Novels
Trying to make it in the book industry is one of the toughest challenges any writer will face. It is an incredibly competitive field and agents/publishers are notoriously hard to interest. The reality is that publishers' margins are very low and they need to sell a minimum of a few thousand copies of any title they produce to make any money, so they don't like to take any chances on unknowns.
In other words, if you are trying to get a fiction novel published, you will need to have a fantastic manuscript to even be considered. If your submission has a high level of grammatical errors, spelling mistakes/typos or poor punctuation, your chances of making it to the head publisher's desk are practically zero.
Hiring an editor can not only smooth out the technical side of your writing (spelling, punctuation and grammar), but it can assist you in developing strong characters, interesting storylines and a solid structure. It barely needs mention that the better your manuscript, the greater your chances of publication.
Helm Publishing's editing service can assist with the following:
- Spelling, punctuation and grammar
- Characterisation
- Plot and storyline
- Dialogue
- Continuity
- Regional consistency (eg US, UK or Australian dialects)
- Narrative flow
Follow the rates link to find out more about our different editing options and how much we charge for them.
Plays
Interested in writing for the stage? There are many elements to consider when writing a play, some of which aren't relevant to novel- and short-fiction-writers. As well as your usual spelling, punctuation and grammar (SPaG), continuity, structure, dialogue and characterisation, you also have to worry about theatricality, technical feasibility and the limitations of the stage.
Helm Publishing specialises in short plays, that being anything that would run for 15 minutes or less (approx. 3000 words). While we can happily edit longer works, the short play form is our specialisation.
As a playwright, our editor Pete has won a nationwide competition in his homeland of Australia, as well as earning a place in four Gala Finals at international play festival Short+Sweet, including a win for Best Drama and another for Popular Vote Winner. His plays have never fared worse than 3rd place in any competitions they've been entered into.
Testimonials
The following testimonials are from Helm Publishing's most recent clients:
"Pete Malicki carried out his editing in a very professional and clear manner. His notes on structure and grammar were instrumental in turning my first fiction novel from an unstructured, hard-to-read mess, which was rejected by many agents, to a well-structured, readable manuscript which has now been picked up for representation. His notes and advice have helped me develop from storyteller to confident author. Without his editing services I would still be floundering in a sea of rejections."
- Matt McCredie, author of the bestselling non-fiction book "Blue Paws'"
"I was pleasantly surprised at the depth in which Pete edited my book, and the services that he could offer. There were comments and changes made on content as small as grammar and sentence structure, as well as suggestions that helped me with the flow and content of my book. It was refreshing to have an honest and objective opinion on the things I needed to improve on, as well as the supportive comments that let me know what I was doing right. I would recommend this editing service to anyone, as he was able to cater to a wide range of needs and requests."
- Cassandra Griffin, writer of young adult fiction
"Pete Malicki is a proficient editor with a very keen eye for detail. Even in my tightest manuscript, he offered constructive feedback I could apply throughout the entire project, highlighted areas in need of clarity and definition, and suggested ways to enhance the flow of the prose, all in a straightforward and encouraging manner. It was an absolute pleasure to work with Pete, and I look forward to working with him again in my upcoming projects."
- Kim Grenfell, Senior Moderator www.writersbeat.com.
Rates
Our rates for Editing Services are as follows:
Full edit - fiction
This includes a thorough clean-up of spelling, punctuation and grammar, as well as comprehensive notes on structure, characterisation, continuity, flow, dialogue, and anything else we notice or feel deserves commenting on.
Cost is $200 per 10,000 words, rounded up to the nearest 5,000 words. Minimum charge $120. Fee may vary depending on the amount of work required.
Applied edit - fiction
This is where we edit the first 5,000 words of your manuscript for spelling, punctuation, grammar and general sentence structure. You can then apply these suggestions throughout the work.
Cost is $120.
SPaG only edit
This is where we only look at your spelling, punctuation and grammar (SPaG). Suitable for fiction, plays and non-fiction.
Cost is $120 per 10,000 words, rounded up to the nearest 5,000 words. Minimum charge is $60.
Short plays
Helm Publishing offers a special price for writers of short plays, our definition being any play which runs for up to 15 minutes (or a maximum of 3000 words). Our fee is $40 per play, which includes a SPaG check, dialogue diagnosis (realism, consistency, appropriateness), notes on structure and characterisation, and general feedback.
If you have a one-act or full-length play, our rates will be the same as the fiction rates above (i.e. dependent on word count).
Bookings
To book Helm Publishing's editing service, simply send us an email with the following:
- Your name, address, preferred email address and contact number
- The work you would like edited attached as a doc, docx, rtf, txt or pdf file (Word files preferred)
- The type of editing service you wish to purchase (eg "Full edit" or "Short play edit")
We are happy to discuss your project and find the option that works best for you. The rates listed above may vary depending on the amount of work required. Payment must be made upfront by either direct transfer or credit card (using PayPal's invoicing services). We will accept payments in instalments for larger jobs.
Further information about our services
For general enquiries or further information about the editing services we offer, please don't hesitate to send a query our way. Send an email to this address and we will respond ASAP.
