Book coaching, editing, brand content

I help writers make their stuff better ^discover the core essence of their story.

With ten years of manuscripts, magazines, and brand work, I am straightforward and detailed with my feedback.

Send your first five pagesSee rates
Bylines and clients National GeographicBoston Red SoxBustleCherry BekaertNarrativelyFirstHealthPineStraw MagazineThe Juggernaut
Services

Three ways to work together.

Many of my clients are fiction writers with a draft and the need for a little extra support. Alternatively, I also work with brands that have a content calendar and nobody to make it sound human.

For writers

Book Coaching

Writing is a solitary, sometimes lonely, process. Book coaching is for the author who doesn't want to go it alone, and has the itch to be challenged to take their work to the next level. I can work with you through revisions, or help you shape the book from the ground up. If you need hard deadlines, reworked plot points, or deep dives into character development, book coaching is a good fit.

  • Single coaching call

    One hour on Zoom for craft questions, plot knots, querying, or deciding what to work on next.

    $60 / hour

  • Three month package

    We'll work closely together, with a kickoff call and two follow-up Zoom calls a month. You will receive six deadlines, written feedback on every submission, and an hour-long call after each one.

    From $1,800 / three months

Extendable month to month.

For writers

Editing

Two levels, and they work in that order. A line edit on a draft with structural problems is money spent polishing scenes you're about to cut.

  • Developmental edit, full manuscript

    A developmental edit covers the big picture elements of narrative, including structure, character, pacing, point of view, and whether the ending earns itself. I read your manuscript twice, provide a detailed edit letter, and a thirty-minute call to talk it through.

    From $0.015 / word

  • Copy and line edit, full manuscript

    With a line edit, I dive into the nitty gritty of language and grammar. You will receive feedback on the sentences themselves, including word choice, dialogue, repetition, grammar, and consistency. This service comes with tracked changes and a style sheet you keep.

    From $0.02 / word

Free sample edit of your first five pages.

For brands

Brand Marketing Content

Web copy, landing pages, email, scripts, articles, and voice guidelines. I've written in-house for brands and on assignment for national outlets, so I can match a voice or build you one.

  • Written from scratch

    This covers research, interviews if the piece needs them, drafting, and two rounds of revision. Scoped per project.

    From $1 / word

  • AI content editing

    You send me what your team generated, while I check the facts, cut the filler, and fix the AI tells. With the influx of AI slop out there, this service is popular for companies who don't have in-house content experts, but want their copy to sound like a person on the team wrote it (rather than a robot).

    From $0.20 / word

Monthly retainers available.

Rates

What it costs, before you email me.

Manuscript pricing is per word. Final rates depend on the state of the draft, which will be confirmed after reading the five-page sample.

  • Developmental editTwo passes plus an edit letter and a debrief call. From $0.015/word
  • Copy and line editTracked changes through the full manuscript, plus a style sheet. From $0.02/word
  • Both, booked togetherDevelopmental feedback first, then a line pass on the revision. From $0.03/word
  • Coaching callOne hour, no package required. $60/hour
  • Coaching packageThree months, six deadlines, six calls. From $1,800
  • Brand contentOriginal writing, or cleanup of AI drafts at a lower rate. $1/word (or $.20/word for AI edits)
$1,350

Estimate only. A 90,000 word novel at the developmental rate.

How it works

Four steps to a better story.

Sample

Send five pages

Email me your first five pages with the genre, word count, and where you are in the process. I edit them for free so we can both see if this is a fit.

Quote

Get a quote

If you want to work together, we nail down the quote, a start date, and a delivery date.

Edit

Receive feedback and edits

I dig into your work and offer detailed feedback, either in an editorial letter or a document with tracked changes.

Debrief

Debrief together

We meet over Zoom and talk through my suggestions, with action steps on priorities to tackle in the revision. Follow-up questions are included.

About

Who you'd be working with.

Haley Rhodes propping one foot on the bumper of a State Capitol police car, grinning, in a camel coat and ball cap.

Haley Rhodes is a brand writer, fiction writer, and editor with more than ten years of experience.

Her portfolio is an eclectic one: scriptwriting for the Boston Red Sox, articles published in National Geographic, Bustle, and Narratively, and in-house copywriting for a range of brands. It has meant learning to write for a stadium, a magazine reader, and a checkout page.

As a fiction writer herself, she knows the courage it takes to hand over a draft. Her critique style has been shaped by being on the receiving end of manuscript edits, while also partnering with authors to improve and tweak their work. While straightforward and thorough in offering feedback, Haley believes you should only make changes if they reflect the heart of the story you want to tell.

She works with adult and young adult fiction across most genres, and with companies who want their content to sound like it came from a living, breathing person.

Questions

The ones people ask first.

What genres do you take?
Most adult and young adult fiction: literary, contemporary, book club, romance, fantasy, and speculative. I'm not the right editor for horror, poetry, picture books, technical non-fiction, or academic writing.
How long does a manuscript take?
Usually three to five weeks for a full-length novel, depending on the queue and the level of edit. You will get a firm delivery date in the quote.
Will you rewrite my book for me?
No. I edit, coach, and line-edit, but the book and the voice remain yours. My job is to show you what's on the page versus what you want to put there, and to give you a clear plan for closing the gap.
Do you really edit AI-generated content?
Yes, for brands. A lot of companies now have a folder of generated drafts that are structurally fine, but completely lifeless. However, for fiction manuscripts, I only work on writing the author wrote.
What do you need from me to quote a job?
For fiction, I request the genre, word count, your first five pages, and a sentence or two about what you're worried about, or want to improve in your writing. If you have a synopsis or a pitch, send it as well. For brands, I just need a scope of the draft that needs editing, or a pitch for content that needs writing.
Contact

Tell me about the project.

Fill this in and it goes straight to my inbox. Or write to me directly at hello@haleyrhodesbooks.com.

REPLY TIME: Two business days.