For editors

The pitch is simple: writers arrive here already knowing what they need and what it costs. Every one of them has been through the diagnostic and seen real rate ranges before they reach your listing.

What that means in practice

Fewer wrong-fit enquiries. Someone who needs a developmental edit doesn't arrive asking you to proofread.
No sticker shock. They have already seen what this work costs. The conversation starts past the point where most of them go quiet.
Rates are public, including yours. That filters out everyone who was never going to book you, before they take an hour of your time.

What we take

Nothing from your rate. Not a percentage, not a finder's fee, not a booking cut. Whatever a writer pays you is yours. We aren't in the middle of your transaction and we don't want to be.

The listing itself carries a modest annual fee once the directory opens. That's the whole business model, and it's priced so that it's recovered by roughly one booking.

Why it works this way: a percentage cut gives a directory a reason to push volume, and a directory pushing volume stops caring whether the match was right. A flat listing fee leaves us with only one thing to sell, which is that the matches are good.

What a listing shows

Your name and where to reach you
Which stages you work at: developmental, line, copy, proof, beta reading, assessment
Genres and specialisms
Years of experience, and any relevant background
Your rate range, per 1,000 words or per project
Typical turnaround, and whether you offer a sample edit
Your own site, if you have one

No headshot. Writers are matching a need to a specialism, and a photograph doesn't help them do it.

What we ask of you

Be accurate about your stages. If you don't do developmental work, don't list it. A mismatch costs the writer money and costs you a review.
Keep your rates current. A stale rate is worse than no rate.
Reply to enquiries, including the ones you decline.
Put scope in writing before taking payment.
Don't guarantee outcomes. No promises of agents, deals, or sales. Any listing that does gets removed.

Beta readers are welcome too

Listed separately and clearly, because it's a different service and writers shouldn't be sold one as the other. Plenty of writers want a reader before they want an editor.

Register interest

The directory isn't open yet. Leave your details and you'll hear when it is, with first refusal on a listing.

To be clear about the relationship. Listing here doesn't make you our employee, contractor, or agent, and it doesn't make us party to your agreements with writers. You set your own rates, scope, terms and schedule. We're a directory.

Questions: hello@wordsmithsemissary.com