My name's Jason Pettus.
I make good books great.

From 2007 to 2017 I was the owner of the Chicago Center for Literature and Photography, which published 40 books for total distribution of over 20,000 copies. Along the way, CCLaP's books won or were finalists for a half-dozen awards, including the Pushcart Prize, the Lambda Award for LGBTQ literature, and the Independent Publisher Book Award; and the center itself was named one of the 10 best indie presses in the United States by both BookRiot.com and Poets & Writers magazine. Now I bring that same award-winning deep editing experience to your own self-published or small-press manuscript, helping you hone it with a fine knife into the best book it can possibly be.

I don't perform jobs for my clients; I build relationships. I become as much of an expert on their voice as they are. I work with authors over multiple books and entire careers, forming an integral partnership that benefits us both.

I specialize in developmental editing, taking a big-picture look at your manuscript and identifying strengths and weaknesses in plot, character, pacing, style and tone, and giving you no-bones advice about how "publishable" it currently is. I also regularly do copy editing (also known as “line editing” and “content editing”), focusing in on a word-by-word basis to correct mistakes in what my industry calls GUPS (grammar, usage, punctuation and spelling). Other services include simple "post-production proofreading" for typos and missing punctuation; complete rewriting of entire sections of text for better clarity; specialized academic work using the Chicago Manual of Style, MLA and Bluebook; and short documents like memos, web articles, website copy and promotional material for enterprise and other corporate clients.

For serious self-publishing authors of commercial fiction, especially genre authors at Kindle Unlimited in romance, crime, sci-fi/fantasy and Young Adult, I also offer a bundle of all these editing services (including developmental edit, copy edit, final proofread, extensive rewriting if needed, and an early beta read if needed) together for a steep discount, called the Complete Editing Package. (For more on what exactly this entails, see the case study I put together of the book that originally inspired this bundle, Paul McGowan’s cozy mystery Ellie Parker: Lessons and Lies [coming soon].)

I've been on the other side. I've been the one sorting through a slush pile of hundreds of manuscripts. I give you clear, no-nonsense advice on how to make your book more appetizing to agents, editors and audiences.

  • “I was lucky enough to find Jason to do the editing on my first self-published novel. He did such a good job of shepherding my work to the finish line that I didn’t think twice about employing him when it came time to work on my second release, The Vegas Flop. Working consistently with the same editor has really helped me in my writing because I always know that my first drafts don’t have to be perfect, I have Jason to fix it for me later! I’ve been so happy with the process of refining the novels under Jason’s guidance, resulting in such a better finished product that I started with. If you are looking for someone to take your messy first draft to the next level, you’ve already found him.”

    —Crime author Kyle Wolfson (two books worked on together)

  • “Jason edited my non-fiction book and, as a first-time author, I was so very grateful to have someone who knew what he was doing and could lead me through it all. Jason has great wisdom and clarity of voice, along with patience and a very kind and supportive manner. I learned very quickly to trust what he suggested and ‘run with it.’ He allowed my voice to not just be there, but be clearer and have better flow. Good editing is a REAL gift to any author, and Jason has that gift in spades!”

    —Christian author Kevin Yell

  • “Jason worked with me on editing my second novel. In organizing the project, his communication was excellent and we easily came up with a workable plan. Jason completed the work right on time and the results exceeded my expectations. Thanks to Jason, I ended up with a cleanly edited and meticulous final version of my novel. Can't recommend Jason's work too highly, he delivers and he's great to deal with!”

    —Historical fiction author J. Stephen Roberts

  • “Working with Jason Pettus was like having a secret weapon for my writing! His razor-sharp edits sliced through my chaos, transforming my manuscript into a hilarious memoir, while keeping my unique voice intact. With a mix of wit and wisdom, Jason made the process not only effective but also fun. If you want an editor who’s sharp as a tack and knows how to make your words shine, look no further!”

    —Memoirist and humorist Caroline Parello

  • “I hired Jason to proofread some of my short stories, between 500 and 2000 words. He did an amazing job, not only making all the necessary changes with great attention to detail but also offering his suggestions on the English wording of the translation. The communication is outstanding, he responds very quickly to messages, and delivers the work within hours. I even needed a couple of edits over the weekend and he was so kind to fit even those into his schedule and made sure he delivered the documents at the exact time he promised. I'd definitely recommend him to anyone.”

    —Short story author Simona Stiliyanova

Simple proofreading for typos: 0.5 cents per word

Developmental editing: 1 cent per word

Copy editing: 1 cent per word

Developmental + copy edit: 1.5 cents per word

Copy edit + extensive rewriting: 1.5 cents per word

Complete Editing Package (everything above): 2 cents per word

Doctoral dissertations: 4 cents per word

Journalism: 5 cents per word

Enterprise clients: 7 cents per word

I believe in being transparent and consistent with my rates, so here they are, laid out in advance. I’m a proud member of both the American Copy Editors Society and the Romance Writers of America, and abide by a strict code of ethics that guides my industry, including no hidden fees or deliberate price-gouging. All of these rates are also open for discussion and best offers.

Anti-AI pledge: I promise that all work I complete for clients has been, and will always be, accomplished using only my human brain and ten human fingers, never using AI bots, Grammarly, or other software options. I encourage you to demand this promise from all the freelancer candidates you interview and work with!