BGH Content Services

Professional editing, copy writing, and arts journalism.

Services & Rates


I have edited more than one hundred projects in the whole range of styles and genres: all kinds of novels and nonfiction, poetry for kids and for adults, self-help, business, memoir, science, and scholarship.

I have written marketing copy for major organizations and jacket copy and taglines for dozens of published novels. My arts journalism has appeared in significant publications for twenty-five years.

If you have a need concerning the written word, whether it’s creating a one-page artist bio or editing a four-hundred-page book, I can meet it at a reasonable price and with a flexible, thorough, efficient touch.

Proofreading

What it is: The last chance to surface any typos and howlers missed in prior edits.

What it costs: To get the dollar amount, multiply your word count by .015.

Best for: Previously edited texts that need one more look before release.

Copyediting

What it is: A fuller review of grammar, punctuation, syntax, and formatting.

What it costs: To get the dollar amount, multiply your word count by .022.

Best for: Texts that need cleaning up for higher-level editor or publisher review, or texts that are ready for a near-final polish.

Line Editing

What it is: A sentence-level review of style, tone, flow, word choice, clarity, and focus.

What it costs: To get the dollar amount, multiply your word count by .025.

Best for: Fully developed texts seeking to improve what they already are, not to discover what they might be.

Developmental Editing

What it is: A big-picture analysis of structure, plot, character development, pacing, coherence, and impact.

What it costs: To get the dollar amount, multiply your word count by .028.

Best for: Texts in their early stages with a lot of room to grow, where significant revision may be needed before granular edits are of much use.

Copy Writing

What it is: Snappy, well-toned, on-brand writing for marketing purposes: band bios, liner and program notes, book jackets and taglines—any words that need to both communicate and pop.

What it costs: I charge 30 cents per word for copy when the necessary information is provided or 50 cents with research and interviews. Reach out to discuss whether my expertise is a good fit for your project.

Evaluations and Discounts

Free evaluations: I’ll examine your text and suggest the editing level that it needs.

Paid evaluations: I’ll edit a sample of your text for the applicable rate, refundable if you move forward with the service.

Discounts: Because every project is unique, these rates are a baseline. Services combine at discounts, and I can propose a good plan to fit most any budget. I’m also offering a 5 percent discount for publishing authors who will provide a brief testimonial.

My Editing Process

I use tracked changes to edit grammar and presentation as per The Chicago Manual of Style and spelling as per Merriam-Webster. You can then review and accept or decline these edits. I use comments to explain my editing rationale, suggest substantial changes, or raise questions.

I check proper nouns against reputable sources. I can also apply standard front matter and formatting styles if you wish. In services above proofreading, I provide a letter summarizing my efforts and assessing the state of the text.

I pride myself on being an eagle-eyed yet sensitive and sensible editor, and I value consistency and clarity over rote orthodoxy. The Chicago Manual of Style is a wonderfully flexible frame for any voice; my goal is to make writers sound like their best selves, always with the reader in mind.

Ready to Start?

Reach out: [email protected]

I’m happy to discuss or share work samples before you commit to anything.

My Weird Career

I have built up thousands of bylines in more than twenty years of arts journalism and criticism, many of them at two publications I still write for: Pitchfork, the definitive online music magazine, and INDY Week, the progressive alt-weekly in Durham, North Carolina, where I was various combinations of arts and managing editor from 2013 to 2020, winning several national (AAN) and state awards for my work.

I have also written for Uncut, SPIN, The AV Club, The New York Times Magazine, Music Journalism Insider, Craftsmanship Quarterly, Bandcamp Daily, Paste Magazine, Kill Screen, Edge Magazine, Hyperallergic, eMusic, and others. I got my start in Chapel Hill zines: Shout out to Sup and The Crutch. See the bottom of this post for a few running and selected pieces.

I have written marketing copy for organizations such as Duke Performances, the Big Ears Music Festival, and Porter & Sail. And I’ve written jacket copy and taglines for dozens of published novels.

Since leaving the rough and ready world of alt-weekly editing in 2020, I have focused on refining my editing and grammar with The Chicago Manual of Style. I have now edited well over one hundred projects in the whole range of forms and genres: all manner of novels and nonfiction, poetry for kids and for adults, self-help, religious, business, memoir, science, and scholarship.

I do all this because of a lifelong obsession with words, especially those found in books. I love writing and writers, and through this affinity, I’ve gained experience in many facets of publishing and culture. I participate in the arts as well as chronicling them. My poetry has appeared in a variety of little journals, though these days I mainly deploy it in multimedia performance collaborations, particularly in my experimental band, Streak of Tigers.