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ASHLEY R. CARLSON EDITOR & AUTHOR
  • Books
    • The Authority >
      • Signed Copies
    • The Charismatics >
      • Signed Copies
    • A Beauty's Bargain
    • It Begins Here/It Ends Here
    • Misery and Marlene
    • Cruel
  • Editing Services
    • How It Works & Past Clients
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    • How It Works
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  • Contact Me

Phoenix-based manuscript proofreading. Copyediting. Editorial reviews. Developmental edits and critiques. Ghostwriting. Blog post and advertising copy creation. Social media marketing. Self-publishing consultation. Serving Phoenix, Scottsdale, Paradise Valley and our surrounding Arizona areas and globally.

UTOPIA EDITING &

GHOSTWRITING SERVICES, LLC

Perfecting the Words, One Client at a Time


Follow this link for ghostwriting and SEO-optimized marketing services with Utopia, or read on for editing services.​
Receive in-depth, personalized editing from an award-winning author and editor to polish your words to perfection. See my qualifications HERE.
As a Phoenix-based award-winning author and professional editor, I understand the importance of creating a professional, high-quality product to represent your business
(don't be fooled--as an author, you are a business owner). It is my job to assist in perfecting your written product for querying/publication, done in a professional and timely fashion and at A COMPETITIVE RATE.

Genres that Utopia Editing Services Accepts & Specializes in:

Genres that Utopia Editing Services does NOT* Accept:

FICTION:               NON-FICTION:
-Fantasy (urban,       -Memoirs
high, epic)               -Self-Help
-Steampunk             -Psychology 
-Romance
-Contemporary
-New Adult/Young Adult
-Paranormal
-Erotica*

-Science Fiction
​-Anime/Graphic Novel*
-Mythology

FICTION:               NON-FICTION:
-Horror                   -Cookbooks*

-Thriller                  -STEM-based Texts
-Mystery*   
-Any material including severe abuse to people/animals, pedophilia, or whatever Utopia Editing Services may deem inappropriate or offensive.

Those with asterisk*: depending on content, Utopia Editing Services may or may not accept a manuscript in these genres. Contact to discuss. 

Utopia's FIVE Editing Services Offered:


1. Editorial Review-the affordable choice! 
The budget-friendly choice for any manuscript. Complete read-through of book in its entirety to analyze the following:
1. Pacing (Does it grab readers' attention?).
2. Plot (Identifying plot holes).
3. Characterization (Are characters interesting? Is their behavior/appearance consistent throughout the manuscript?).
4. Effective Narration (Does the point of view remain consistent? First person, third person, omniscient POV?).
5. Any frequent grammatical issues observed. 
6. Professional advice on which style guide to implement based on genre, age group, etc.
7. Detailed suggestions on how to revise manuscript to make it publish-ready and marketable. 
8. Any additional requests the author would like Utopia Editing to analyze.
INCLUDES 3- TO 5-PAGE SUMMARY ANALYSIS DISCUSSING ALL POINTS ABOVE ABOVE.
$70 USD/per hour
ESTIMATED PRICE: 50,000-word manuscript = $600-$700 USD
Contact to Discuss

2. The Full Package-Utopia's Most Popular Editing Option!
FIRST ROUND DEVELOPMENTAL EDIT: An in-depth analysis AT A DISCOUNTED RATE of your manuscript regarding plot, character arcs and development, worldbuilding, plot holes, flat dialogue, cliched or generic characterization and more.
Includes significant comments in Microsoft Word's track changes as well as a detailed summary critiquing the book chapter by chapter, highlighting authors' strengths, weaknesses and providing insight and ideas on ways to better the manuscript as a whole. 
$62.50/hour USD
ESTIMATED PRICE: 50,000-word manuscript $750-$1,000
SECOND ROUND COPYEDIT: After you have received Utopia's first round of developmental edits and made revisions, it's time to schedule your copyedit AT A DISCOUNTED RATE! This round includes a line-by-line analysis of your manuscript, cleaning up grammatical/punctuation errors, fixing indentation or formatting issues, and reworking sentences for better flow. Limited embellishments/rewording will be provided when needed. Utopia follows the editorial standards and stylistic choices of Chicago Manual of Style for all revisions, unless otherwise requested.
Book-specific Style Guide, Character Guide and any further comments on revisions, additional plot holes, and direction on manuscript's strengths and weaknesses will be provided in a separate summary.
**THIS IS NOT A PROOFREAD. UTOPIA RECOMMENDS THAT EVERY AUTHOR COMPLETE A FINAL PROOFREAD BEFORE PUBLICATION.**
$65/hour USD (Price dependent on amount of work needed)
ESTIMATED PRICE: 50,000-word manuscript $950-1,200 USD
**In order for clients to receive discounted price on first and second rounds of editing per the Full Package option, down payments must be placed for both jobs ahead of time. Utopia requires 50 percent of the overall estimated total of EACH project up front, as detailed in the How It Works page. Down payments/retainers are nonrefundable and nontransferable between projects or to other projects. Please contact Utopia with any further questions or inquiries.**

3. Developmental Editing
An in-depth analysis of your manuscript regarding plot, character arcs and development, worldbuilding, plot holes, flat dialogue, cliched or generic characterization and more.
Includes limited copyediting or proofreading when appropriate, and includes significant comments in Microsoft Word's track changes as well as a detailed summary critiquing the book chapter by chapter, highlighting authors' strengths, weaknesses and providing insight and ideas on ways to better the manuscript as a whole. 

​
$70 USD/hour
Contact to discuss
ESTIMATED PRICE: 
50,000-word manuscript
$800-$1,250
4. Copyediting
 A line-by-line analysis of your manuscript, cleaning up grammatical/punctuation errors, fixing indentation or formatting issues, and reworking sentences for better flow. Limited embellishments/rewording will be provided when needed.
Substantial comments and direction on manuscript's strengths and weaknesses will be provided in a separate summary.
**THIS IS NOT A PROOFREAD. UTOPIA RECOMMENDS THAT EVERY AUTHOR COMPLETE A FINAL PROOFREAD BEFORE PUBLICATION.**
​

$70 USD/hour
Contact to discuss
ESTIMATED PRICE: 
50,000-word manuscript
$1,500-$3,000
5. Proofreading
 Grammatical/punctuation errors will be corrected and proper indentation and formatting (AP Style or Chicago Manual based on client's preferences) will be utilized. Limited comments/direction on manuscript's strengths/weaknesses will be provided within document.
**Utopia Editing & Ghostwriting Services encourages EVERY AUTHOR to receive a final proofread before publication or query to find any remaining grammatical errors. Consider Utopia's "Full Package" for discounted rates with proofreading.
​
$70 USD/hour
contact to discuss
ESTIMATED PRICE: 
50,000-word manuscript
​$500-850

All possible editing jobs are evaluated beforehand during a FREE consultation to provide a customized price estimation. Utopia Editing & Ghostwriting Services does everything in its power to stay within the client's budget, and is open to price negotiation for the right projects. A DO NOT EXCEED amount is instigated for most projects to ensure complete comfort regarding the budget. Contact to discuss!

EMAIL ME at ashleyrcarlson13@gmail.com for a sample edit of the first 250 words of your work, my references, and to discuss getting started!
Utopia Editing & Ghostwriting Services, LLC strives to offer excellence at affordable rates. For more information on typical editing/ghostwriting prices (and to see that Utopia costs less than the industry's standard), check out the Editorial Freelancer Association's rate page!


Still not sure whether I should be your editor? Watch this YouTube video on "Why Your Editor Needs to be a Hardass" for my advice on what traits
to look for!

Ashley R. Carlson is an award-winning author and professional book editor based in Phoenix, Arizona. She provides affordable book editing, ghostwriting, SEO-optimized content creation and self-publishing consulting through her company, Utopia Editing & Ghostwriting Services, LLC in the Phoenix, Scottsdale and Paradise Valley areas and globally. Contact her today to schedule an appointment or for a free sample edit.

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© 2019: Ashley R. Carlson. All rights reserved.
Utopia Editing & Ghostwriting Services, LLC
Perfecting the Words, One Client at a Time