Manuscript Editing for Melville House
Melville House publishes literary fiction and political and activist nonfiction, and over the years its list has grown to take in cookbooks and books about food. It also keeps a classics line. That series is The Art of the Novella.
Off the Grid Editing prepares fiction and nonfiction manuscripts for Melville House. The work differs by book. In a political or activist book we keep the argument exact at the sentence level and leave every claim the way you made it, while in a novel the edit follows voice and pacing. Off the Grid works in Chicago style and applies the press's own guidelines when the author sends them.
Our Promise
We will ensure that the final draft you receive is completely ready to submit to Melville House. We work with you until it is ready or refund your payment in full. That commitment has held since 2002.
Our editors do not have access to your manuscript until an order is placed. Your draft is secure until you decide to proceed.
Manuscript Editing Services for Melville House
We offer three levels of manuscript editing depending on what your manuscript needs. Each is described below so you can choose the service that fits where your draft is right now.
Grammar and usage, awkward phrasing, repetition, and passive voice corrected, then clarity, concision, sentence structure, transitions, and tone, with your style manual applied throughout and a final proofread. For authors whose argument and structure are settled.
Clarity, emphasis, and paragraph structure: topic sentences, transitions, and sentences reordered within a paragraph, with every fact and claim kept as you wrote it. Includes copy editing and a final proofread.
Spelling, punctuation, typos, capitalization, grammar, and usage corrected with minimal wording changes, for manuscripts that have been edited and need a last check before submission to Melville House.
Melville House publishes across fiction, politics, and food, so start with the books on its list closest to yours. Its submissions policy is posted on the Melville House website. If you have received editorial guidelines or reader feedback from Melville House, include them with your manuscript and we will address them throughout our edit. If you have questions about which service is right for your manuscript, contact us directly.
Related pages: our overview of manuscript editing for trade and literary publishers covers other houses. We also offer book and manuscript editing, developmental editing, and fiction and creative nonfiction editing.
Manuscript Instant Invoice
Ready to prepare your manuscript for Melville House? Use our secure portal to generate an immediate, word-count-based quote and secure your delivery deadline.
Our editors do not have access to your manuscript until an order is placed.
Direct Support
Reach our editorial team directly to discuss your manuscript, your Melville House submission timeline, or which service is right for your project. Initial consultations of up to 15 minutes are complimentary.
608-535-6324
editors@offthegridediting.com