Tutin Editing
Speculative Fiction Editor
About
My aim as an author has always been ensuring my stories are the best they can be. Whether that means fleshing out the narrative or filling plot holes, tightening sentences or finding the right word to encapsulate the mood. All so that the reader can envision the scene, feel the emotion, and, most of all, remember your story long after they have finished reading.As an editor, you can expect me to strive for the same with your stories. New or established, we artists could use that little extra help with identifying issues or maintaining style consistency. Most importantly, we want a collaboration of transparency, negotiation, and understanding. And you can trust you will receive this from me.
I'm always seeking to improve my editing development through education and training. My qualifications, at present, include the following:
BA (Hons) Creative Writing (The Open College of the Arts, 2013–2020)
Developmental Editing: Fiction Theory (Liminal Pages, 2020)
Developmental Editing: In Practice (Liminal Pages, 2021)
Beginning Copyediting for Fiction (Club Ed Freelancers, 2025)
Intermediate Copyediting for Fiction (Club Ed Freelancers, 2025)
I have also reviewed numerous works for members of the Codex Writers' Group and Online Writing Workshop communities.I'm currently an Emerging Professional Member of the Editorial Freelancers Association, and a Partner of the Alliance of Independent Authors.In addition, my own work has been published in several magazines and journals. You can find a full bibliography here and a select few stories below:
“What We Gather,” Nocturne Magazine, October 2024
“Keep Calm and Smile,” Creepy Podcast, narrated by Megan McDuffee [13m], May 2024
“To Wander Until the Mountain Ends,” Kaleidotrope, July 2022
“Little, Little, Little,” Luna Station Quarterly, March 2021
Services
All clients receive a one-off 10% discount on a project/service of their choice
Line and copyediting samples (1,000 words) are free and deducted from the final price.
Developmental Editing
Once you have completed your own revisions and edits, you may decide to have someone else dive deep into your manuscript. That would be a developmental edit, which examines the overall content and structure of your story. Think characters, theme, and worldbuilding, among other things.
Detailed editorial report of up to 30 pages
Manuscript annotated with comments for specificity
Rate: £0.02/word
Manuscript Evaluation
Manuscript evaluation covers the same as developmental editing but with the editorial report only.While this service includes specific examples, and as many as possible, they are likely to be fewer than what you would receive as part of developmental editing due to the constraint of having the report only.
Detailed editorial report of up to 30 pages
Rate: £0.018/word
Line Editing
After developmental edits, you might consider moving onto the next stage. And that would be line editing, sometimes referred to as stylistic editing. This means combing through the text for the smaller and finer elements of scenes, paragraphs, and sentences for flow, consistency/continuity, word choice, and the like.Heavier edits for punctuation, grammar, and spelling fall under copyediting. They are not included in this service.
Manuscript annotated with comments and tracked changes
Query sheet (if applicable) to reference the same edits without repeating their explanations in the manuscript itself
Rate: £0.016/word
Copyediting
Once you have completed your developmental and line edits, next comes copyediting. This service primarily focuses on the technical elements, including grammar, punctuation, and spelling, as well as maintaining style preferences relating to typography and character details.Final checks for typesetting, layout, and formatting are not included in this service. Those fall under proofreading.
Manuscript annotated with comments and tracked changes
Clean copy (tracked changes accepted, leaving only comment markup)
Query sheet (if applicable) to reference the same edits without repeating their explanations in the manuscript itself
Style sheet
Rate: £0.014/word
Line and Copyediting
This covers two services for a slightly lower price.While this combined service can be contracted together or separately, the edits will not be completed simultaneously. Because of this, scheduling will need to be planned in advance to account for each pass and revision, if you choose to have one contract for both.
Manuscript annotated with comments and tracked changes
Clean copy (tracked changes accepted, leaving only comment markup)
Query sheet (if applicable) to reference the same edits without repeating their explanations in the manuscript itself
Style sheet
Rate: £0.024/word
Sensitivity Reading
Sensitivity reading focuses on particular identities and topics in detail, recognising stereotypes and misrepresentation, which, in my case, involves queerness (sexuality and gender fluidity), anxiety, and PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome).
EITHER: Detailed editorial report of up to 10 pages, and manuscript annotated with comments for specificity
OR: Detailed editorial report of up to 10 pages only
Rate:
£0.006/word for report and comments
£0.004/word for report only
My GUARANTEES
What You Can Expect
NEGOTIATION: Publishing can be an expensive business, especially for independent authors. Rest assured we can discuss budgets and payment plans to accommodate your needs.
TRANSPARENCY: My process guarantees clarity, honesty, and professionalism throughout. From the moment we enter initial discussions, to the continued correspondence after project completion, and everything in between.
UNDERSTANDING: You want an editor who understands the vision, message, and meaning of your work, so we would not move forward with proceedings unless you are completely confident we are on the same page.
SUPPORT: Even once the project has been completed, correspondence will continue to discuss the feedback or questions you might have.
A Glimpse At Clients
Testimonials & Portfolio
“I’ve worked with several editors on my story, but Kat has been my greatest asset by far. I initially hired her for line editing on the first book of my ongoing series, and she consistently went above and beyond my expectations. Her feedback didn’t just improve the prose, she also helped me identify where the story was falling short, and has helped me shape the book I was truly trying to write. Her insight, clarity, and attention to detail were invaluable to the whole process. I fully intend to work with her again as the series continues, and I highly recommend her to any writer seeking constructive feedback delivered with precision and care.” — S. A. Perchez
“Working with Kat was such a gift. She didn’t just read my manuscript — she sat with it, observed it carefully, and treated it with genuine attention. Her feedback was thoughtful, clear, and incredibly useful without ever feeling discouraging or rushed. As a writer, you always hope the person reading your work will truly understand what you’re trying to create, and she did. She pointed out strengths and highlighted areas needing refinement in a way that felt encouraging rather than overwhelming. I’m deeply grateful for her time, her insight, and the care she put into my story. I highly recommend her to any author who wants honest, meaningful feedback that helps elevate their work.” — Candace M. Ellowen
“K.A. Tutin was an asset when it came to editing my stories. Her concise and thoughtful feedback and edits helped me see the places where my story was lacking, and made the narrative of my story stronger as a whole. Not only do I recommend her work, but I plan to use her services again in the future as well.” — C. E. Clayton
The Intrigues of Arcadia (The Monsters of Selkirk #4) by C. E. Clayton
The Wrath of Silence (The Monsters of Selkirk #6) by C. E. Clayton
Resistor (Ellinor #1) by C. E. Clayton
The Hallow (The Aberration Cycle #1) by S. A. Perchez - Coming Soon
The Six C's
How the Process Works
Confirmation
We have a chat, some back and forth via email or Discord (this might involve filling out my questionnaire or trading samples depending on the service) for as long as necessary before making any commitments to ensure we are compatible.
Contract
If we are in agreement, we must both sign a contract, which outlines clauses such as price (termination, refunds), schedule, confidentiality, copyright, and standing against the use of artificial intelligence.
Credit
Once contracts have been signed, an invoice will be sent, detailing payment plans. The standard usually follows an upfront 50% deposit with the final payment prior to the return of completed work. However, this can be adjusted if there are other factors, such as combined services or having a budget.
Commencement
Work commences once the deposit (or deposits depending on what is decided during the Credit step) has been paid. You can expect an update halfway through the project.
Completion
Following the final payment, all relevant documents will be delivered as either Word documents (.doc/.docx) or PDFs.
Correspondence
We can, if you so wish, continue correspondence via email or Discord should you have any questions regarding my feedback until you are satisfied that your needs have been met.
Your Questions Answered
FAQ
Which editing service should I choose?
While there may be some overlap with the elements each service focuses on, it mainly depends on the scale. Where developmental editing essentially zooms out to assess the overall content and structure, line editing narrows the lens to concentrate on paragraphs and sentences, and so forth.
Do you accept AI-generated and/or assisted projects?
No, nor will I use AI on your work under any circumstances.
What style guides and/or dictionaries do you use for copyediting?
Unless an alternative is requested, The Chicago Manual of Style is the standard for fiction.For dictionaries, Merriam-Webster for the US, and Oxford and Cambridge primarily for the UK (Collins is used as a secondary dictionary).Let me know if you have an alternative preference for a style guide or dictionary.
What do you edit?
My favourite genre is speculative fiction. In other words, fantasy, science fiction, and horror of any kind and length. I'm also partial to thriller and mystery.Be aware that reports might have fewer pages for shorter word counts, including short fiction and novelettes.I do not edit poetry, screenplays, or non-fiction.
Do you offer samples?
I provide free sample edits (1,000 words) for line and copyediting, which are then deducted from the overall cost.
Developmental and/or sensitivity edits are trickier to sample due to examining a snippet for a whole manuscript. What could be presumed as a plot hole in one chapter becomes resolved several chapters down the line, rendering that note useless. If you understand this, but you would still like to get a sense of my editing practices, then I can provide my general impressions of the first few chapters.
However, a sample for developmental or sensitivity edits are not deducted from the overall cost.
Do you offer discounts?
Aside from the one-off 10% discount, not at this time. However, if you have a budget, I'm open to negotiating prices and/or payment plans.
How should my documents be compiled?
Word or equivalent (.doc/.docx) or PDF. In my case, the latter would only be suitable for reading purposes, not comments or annotations.
How long will the editing take?
Turnaround times can vary from two weeks to two months. It all depends on word count, service, and if you have a deadline.