Mackay Editorial

About

Mackay Editorial was founded to offer writers and professionals a space where work can be developed with clarity, care, and respect. The approach is writer-centred and attentive, with a focus on structure, rhythm, and the emotional shape of a text. Writers are supported to express their ideas with confidence while keeping their voice intact.

Reflective, narrative, and sensitive material is handled with care, alongside professional documents that benefit from tightening or refinement. The aim is always the same: to support writing that communicates clearly, honestly, and with purpose.

Work is carried out by a published author with a PhD in Health and Social Care and a professional background in nursing. Based in North Wales, Mackay Editorial combines academic rigour with reflective, human-centred practice.

Services

Developmental Editing

For manuscripts, essays, or reflective writing that need structure, clarity, or deeper focus, developmental editing supports the refinement of ideas and strengthens the overall message while preserving the writer’s authentic voice.

Line and Substantive Editing

For writing that is nearly there but needs polish, line and substantive editing focuses on sentence flow, tone, and rhythm, ensuring text is engaging, coherent, and readable without losing the writer’s individuality.

Copyediting

For writing that needs clarity, consistency, and correctness, copyediting focuses on grammar, punctuation, syntax, and style, ensuring text is accurate and polished while keeping the writer’s voice intact.

Writing Support and Feedback

For authors or professionals seeking collaborative guidance, writing coaching and assistance can include feedback sessions, annotated drafts, or mentoring through the writing process.

Reflective, Narrative-Based Developmental Editing

Specialist developmental editing for personal, recovery-based, and identity-shaping writing.

Reflective, Narrative-Based Developmental Editing

Alongside conventional editorial services, Mackay Editorial offers reflective, narrative-based developmental editing for writers working with personal, recovery-oriented, or identity-shaping material.

This approach uses the text itself as the primary tool, combining developmental editing with structured reflection to support clarity, coherence, and authorial agency. The focus is on shaping narrative, not analysing the writer, and on moving work forward without pathologising lived experience.

This work is informed by strengths-based and narrative approaches while remaining firmly grounded in editorial practice.

How This Work Is Different:

Reflective, narrative-based developmental editing may include:

  • Close reading of drafts, fragments, or early-stage material
  • Developmental feedback on structure, voice, focus, and meaning
  • Reflective questions embedded within in-text editorial comments
  • Summary feedback provided as a structured editorial overview
  • Support with decisions about emphasis, pacing, and narrative boundaries

The aim is not catharsis or disclosure, but clarity, movement, and ownership of the narrative.

This May Be a Good Fit If You:

  • Are writing memoir, reflective non-fiction, or lived-experience work
  • Feel stuck at the level of structure or meaning rather than language alone
  • Want movement and development rather than analysis of the past
  • Are functional and stable, but need thoughtful support to progress
  • Value reflection without diagnosis or prescriptive frameworks

Indicative pricing:

Pricing is project-based to keep the work focused on the writing itself.

Pricing

Developmental Editing

For manuscripts, essays, or reflective writing that need structure, clarity, or deeper focus.
£40 per hour

Flat-rate packages

  • Short manuscript (1,000 to 5,000 words): £250
  • Medium manuscript (5,001 to 20,000 words): £350
  • Long manuscript (20,001 to 80,000 words): £600

Manuscripts over 80,000 words are priced in phases

Substantive and Line Editing

For writing that needs improvement in flow, tone, and readability.

  • £0.015 to £0.02 per word
  • or £35 per hour

Copyediting

For writing that needs accuracy, consistency, and a clean professional finish.

  • £0.01 to £0.015 per word
  • or £30 per hour

Writing Support and Feedback

For authors or professionals who want collaborative guidance.

  • £35 per hour

Reflective Developmental Read

From £400

Up to ~10,000 words

Includes developmental comments within the text and a written editorial overview.

Narrative Development Package

From £650

15,000–30,000 words

Includes in-depth structural and narrative feedback, reflective editorial comments, and a comprehensive editorial summary.

Extended Narrative Development

Price by quotation

For longer or more complex projects requiring staged developmental support.

Final pricing is confirmed after reviewing the material and agreeing scope.

How quotes work

Rates vary depending on the clarity and complexity of the text, as well as the required turnaround time. I offer a free review of a short sample so I can provide an accurate quote.

For larger projects, payment terms are agreed in advance. Where appropriate, work may be invoiced in stages rather than as a single upfront payment.

Contact

If you would like to enquire about a project or request a quote, you can contact me by email.

Email: sarah@mackayeditorial.co.uk

I aim to reply within two working days.