Your Message Clearer
Your Voice Stronger
Your Imagery Focused
Your Words Empowered
Your Story
Ready for the World
Editorial Background
32 years in academic publishing
Fluent in Chicago style
Experienced in APA, Bluebook, CWMS, MLA, and SBL styles
How can I help you with your book project?
Editorial Analysis
Includes an editorial scan (not a full read) of your complete book manuscript in a Word document, a line edit of approximately 600 words (with marginal comments and tracked changes), a list of self-editing recommendations to save time and money in the editing stage, and fee and schedule estimates for a developmental critique or line edit.
$60
Developmental Critique
Includes a full read of your complete book manuscript in a Word document, a list of developmental recommendations on your project, and developmental annotations in marginal comments in your document. Recommended for authors who have a complete manuscript and are seeking developmental suggestions before proceeding to line editing. I can recommend other editors for authors seeking comprehensive developmental editing.
$.01/word
Line Editing
Includes a comprehensive, line-by-line edit of your complete book manuscript in a Word document. My tracked changes and marginal comments address spelling, grammar, style, word choice, sentence and paragraph structure, tone and reader sensitivity, and conceptual organization and flow. Rate is based on level of editing required, with fee and schedule estimates available upon review of your complete manuscript.
$.03–.05/word
Word Styles Tutorial
Includes a live one-on-one project-specific Zoom tutorial of 1 to 1 1/2 hours with video recordings for your follow-up reference. Using Word's Styles feature to preformat the basic elements of your manuscript can save you time, money, and confusion in the editorial and formatting processes. In this personalized workshop, you'll learn how to use Styles to consistently format book and chapter headings, paragraphs, extracts, lists, and project-specific elements.
$50
Please note: my services are not connected to a publisher or agency.
Testimonials
A professional with heart is how I describe Jill Wilson. For my debut novel, I wanted a skilled editor who would clarify and enhance my story, and Jill astonished me with how well she did this. I also needed someone truthful and kind who considered me as a person with a life separate from the work she edited, and I found this in Jill. Writing is vulnerable work, and you can trust Jill to handle yours with the utmost care.
—Amy Taylor, author of the novel Unbridled Trust
Jill's stellar copyediting skills brought my book to the next level. She was extremely patient with my plethora of questions and always answered emails in a timely manner with gracious explanations. Because of Jill's mind-boggling knowledge of the Chicago Manual of Style, I trusted her expertise. She saw what I could not, gently coaching me while also asserting confident professionalism. I wanted to present the Lord with my best effort, and Jill helped me accomplish that goal. Don't bother looking elsewhere; Jill's your best choice!
—Nancy Manassero, author of the self-help book Heartmending: God Can Heal Your Heartbreak from Sexual Abuse
My experience working with Jill was wonderful. She was always timely and so gracious in her responses. Jill went into depth with her critique and edits, giving thorough feedback while providing knowledge on proper writing. She is much more than an editor. She acts as a coach and teacher and patiently guides you through your story. She provided insight yet allowed me to come to my own conclusions. I have grown as a writer through the process of working with Jill. I can't recommend her enough!
—Sonia E. Amin, author of the children's picture book When Love Flows: The Beauty of Encouraging Others
When you have a message on your heart you wish to share, you pursue the writing with intent. The first draft is a massive mountain to scale, but you do the work and eventually reach the summit. It's time to go public, but you wonder if you've communicated the heart of your message with clarity and eloquence. The best way to be certain is to hire Jill B. Wilson, a talented and generous editor who makes your words shine. I recommend her to both fiction and nonfiction authors with all confidence.
—Mindy Kiker, coauthor with Jennifer Kochert of FlourishWriters Guide to Writing: Crafting Your Nonfiction Message One Step at a Time and The Writer's Life Planning Guide
Jill demonstrated all of the skills needed by an editor: great attention to detail, a high level of organizational skills, and timeliness in producing the final product. In addition to her normal editing responsibilities, her suggestions on how to convert military jargon into easy-to-understand language helped the readability for a larger, more diverse audience.
—Jim Rusk, coauthor with Kathie Rusk of the memoir Love You: A Devoted Couple's Letters and Memories from the Vietnam Conflict
It's not hyperbole to say Jill Butler Wilson's the world's greatest editor. I'll prove it with a short story. I'd edited professionally for years and never felt the need to have one of my books edited by someone else. Then I realized that by the end of the novel-writing process, I was done, fini, the end. A few missing spaces, blah verbs, or misplaced descriptors wouldn't hurt anyone. (A lie from the pit, but I digress.) Then a reviewer complained they found my sentence structure confusing. What? An author I admire recommended Jill do a line edit. Authors and friends, one of my greatest blessings this year was having JBW edit my novel. To keep this short story short, I won't share everything, but here are a few of the wonders of working with Jill. She's straightforward about timeframes. Her editing methods are excruciatingly easy to follow. Her edits include where to find what she's recommended in Chicago Manual of Style. She'll explain anything (including why she changed my darling sentence structure). She encourages me when I feel confused, overwhelmed, or out of energy. She even prays about my outside-the-writing life. My novel is far, far better after Jill's polishing. Point made? Jill, please feel free to edit this.
—Jane Carlile Baker, author of the novel Rogue Irishman
I cannot write enough superlatives to praise Jill’s exemplary editing. Again and again, I marveled at her capacity to absorb my story and carry it as if her own—a precious gift for any author. Jill amazed me with her ability to learn the many historical aspects of my novel, holding on to the big picture so that she could edit the narrative well. She raised questions and made suggestions in a kind and straightforward manner, which I very much appreciated. Through her line edit of my novel, I learned a great deal, as her explanations are thorough and helpful. Jill’s high standards raise the level of any work thanks to her vast knowledge and attention to detail. I also greatly appreciated her professionalism in clear and prompt communication throughout the process. I cannot recommend Jill highly enough.
–Janet Joanou Weiner, author of the novel The Light Shines Through
2024
Selah Award
Finalist
Line editing by J. B. Wilson
Let's chat!
To schedule a 20-minute Zoom discussion of how my skills and experience can benefit your book project, send me an email describing your editorial needs, with a 1,000-word excerpt of your self-edited writing.