Hello! Are you trying to finish a writing project? Perhaps I can help. I am an experienced writer and copy editor offering manuscript evaluation and copyediting services.
Manuscript Evaluation
The purpose of a manuscript evaluation is to give an overall assessment of an advanced work in progress, identifying its strengths and weaknesses. If you’ve written a book— long-form fiction or nonfiction, or a collection of stories or essays— and you’ve made it as good as you can on your own, you may need a manuscript evaluation to truly complete it. I will read your project closely and give you thorough feedback on what I see happening in terms of content, structure, and style. I will point out weaknesses and make suggestions for improvement. I can’t offer evaluation for children’s fiction, genre fiction, or poetry.
My rates for manuscript evaluation are based on the rates charged by the Writers’ Union of Canada: CA$150 for the first ten pages + CA$2 for each additional page.
Copyediting
If your project needs closer attention, I offer copyediting. The purpose of copyediting is to polish your prose. I will find and correct errors. I will offer solutions for unclear or awkward constructions. When I copyedit, I focus on sentences: I want your sentences to be readable, and I want them to sound like you.
For copyediting, I charge CA$45 per hour.
“Hiring Rose to edit your writing is the literary equivalent to hiring a professional cleaner when you’re a busy working mother. Theoretically, you could clean your house yourself, but you’ll never get it as polished as a professional can. Never. Rose will make your writing shine. Seriously. Hire her. She’s indispensable.”
Elizabeth Ball, short story writer
“Rose Gowen’s editing is simply superb. And it doesn’t hurt that she’s a consummate professional.”
Charles Blattberg, Professor of Political Philosophy, Université de Montréal
“Rose is a tremendous editor who is both skilled and fast. She's supportive and helpful with feedback both on what's working well and where improvements can be made. Her edits are precise and give shape to my writing when it gets a bit rangy. The fact that she is also a writer makes her well-placed to give good advice, though she never insists.”
Kirsten Elizabeth, graphic novelist www.killdeercomix.com
“I have used Rose's services as an editor and reader for two short stories that were published in The Iowa Review and The Fiddlehead, as well as for my first novel. She has a keen eye for details that others miss, and gives excellent feedback on theme, plot, and pacing, as well as providing expert line-by-line analysis. I call upon her when I am seeking an experienced, sophisticated reader and editor. Her insights have been invaluable in getting my work submission-ready.”
Ellis Scott, literary writer of fiction and nonfiction
About me
I am an American-Canadian writer living in Montreal with my family. I have a BA from Simon’s Rock College of Bard and an MFA in Printmaking and Book Arts from the University of the Arts. My own writing has appeared in The American Poetry Review, McSweeney's Internet Tendency, and American Short Fiction (online), among other places. I have attended Bread Loaf and Banff, and in 2019, I taught an 8-week course on very short fiction at the Quebec Writers’ Federation. In 2022, I received a grant from the Canada Council for the Arts to finish a novel.
For the past ten years, I have also used my writing skills to help other writers and prepare various kinds of prose for publication. I have worked with numerous academics, especially in the fields of music and political science, editing papers, chapters, job letters, and grant applications. I am the English-language copy editor for Circuit, a bilingual music journal published by the Université de Montréal. I copyedited several titles for Nouvella, a small press. I have copyedited and mentored several fiction writers and graphic novelists whose accomplishments include being nominated for the Journey Prize, winning grants from the Canada Council and the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec, and publication in the Iowa Review and the Boston Globe. I have edited a wide range of writing with particular requirements, intended for different audiences, including a cookbook, a privately-printed book for a trade group, and an issue of EnRoute, Air Canada’s in-flight magazine.
Photo by Bob Hasegawa
Get in touch
When you’re ready for help with your project, get in touch. Tell me what you’re working on and what you need. A manuscript evaluation can give you an overall view and help you decide what to do in your next draft. Copyediting will make your prose neat and clean and ready for its next destination. I’m here to help.