The Path › Step 3
Make it the book you were called to write.
A finished draft is a big deal. Now it needs an honest read and careful editing — the work Gena has done for dozens of first-time authors, from rough draft to a manuscript they’re proud to put their name on.
See it happen
What an edit actually looks like.
Your voice stays. The clutter goes. Watch Gena mark up a page, then see it come out clean — or tap through it yourself.
The three kinds of editing
Big picture first. Commas last.
Each pass zooms in closer. Doing them in order means nothing gets polished that later gets cut.
Structural editing
Does the book hold together? Where does a reader get lost, and which chapter isn’t earning its place? This pass changes what the book is, so it comes first.
Line editing
Sentence by sentence. Not a red-pen exercise — a conversation about what you meant and whether the page is saying it.
Proofreading
The last pass before design. Typos, consistency, and the small things a reader would trip on and remember.
We do the first two ourselves. For the final proofread, fresh eyes matter most, so we’ll bring in a proofreader we trust, or hand you our checklist to do it yourself.
Free · three a week
Send us your first ten pages.
Within a week, Gena sends back a short video: what’s working, what isn’t, and what she’d do next. No pitch.
A free, honest read from Gena
Paste your first ten pages. Gena reads them privately, marks it up, and records a short video just for you.
2 of 3 spots left this week
🛡 Just paste it. No files to download, and no shared document — your pages stay between you and Gena.
Ways to work with us
Three ways to refine it.
Prices depend on length and shape. These are where most books land; we’ll give you an exact quote after we’ve read it.
Manuscript Overview
An honest read of the whole book.
- Gena reads every page
- A written report: what’s working, what isn’t
- A call to walk through it together
- The fee comes off an edit booked within 60 days
The Edit
Structural and line editing.
Priced by the word. A 60,000-word book is about $1,800.
- Everything in the overview
- A structural pass, with notes in the margin
- A line edit in tracked changes
- A second look after your revisions
The Full Polish
Every pass, ready for design.
Priced by the word. A 60,000-word book is about $3,200.
- Everything in The Edit
- A final proofread by a proofreader we trust
- A style sheet for your book
- Handed straight to step 4, Publish
“The editing accuracy was top notch and Chris made choosing the cover very easy and exactly what I was looking for.”
“Gena is so smart! She helped us to fine tune our book. And the end result is a cleaner manuscript that is much more fun to read!”
Questions authors ask at this step
Will editing change my voice?
No — it protects it. The goal is for the page to sound more like you, not less. You see every change in tracked changes and accept or reject each one.
Do I really need editing if I write well?
Every professional book is edited, including ours. A good writer is the hardest person to edit their own work, because you read what you meant instead of what’s on the page.
How long does it take?
Most edits take three to six weeks, depending on length. We’ll give you a date before we start.
Why don’t you take files for the free read?
Files can carry viruses. Pasting keeps it simple and private, between you and us. Everything stays straightforward and clean.
Learn from our free resources · Step 3 · see all
Let’s find out how ready it is.
Not sure you’re at the refining step? Take the two-minute check.