Manuscript Services

THE ALTAR(ED) SLATE offers editorial assistance to writers, artists, practitioners, educators, and students who seek the transformative potential within their writing.

Whether the nature of your project is:

· Personal, experiential, and/or exploratory

· Short-form or book-length: fiction, poetry, essay, and/or hybrid form

· Results driven: academic writing, publications, applications, communications, etc.

· Fueled by the desire to effectively instruct

THE ALTAR(ED) SLATE will craft a personalized prescriptive

designed to help infuse your work with potency.

PLEASE NOTE:

We will not be taking on new clients for the remainder of 2023.

If you are interested in being placed on a waiting list, please send word via email: info@thealtaredslate.com

Meet the Curator

Bio

For the past 17 years, THE ALTAR(ED) SLATE's curator, Heatherlie Allison, has been writing, developing, and analyzing texts in professional, artistic, and academic settings. She has worked as a writer, editor, educator, and curriculum designer, assisting writers both published and unpublished, ranging in age from pre-teen to the elderly.

To learn more about Ms. Allison's creative work, please visit her personal website HERE.

Areas of Expertise

Facilitating support and/or action plans for writers of fiction, poetry, non-fiction, scholarly, and hybrid forms
Deciphering the transformative potential present in a work
Advising writers through emotional and/or psychological barriers hindering output
Generating prescriptive exercises of an experiential nature that will enhance the multidimensionality of a work
Locating areas of a text that could benefit from either the addition or excision of figurative exploration or more grounding language choices
Guiding readers as they navigate the nuances of literature

Testimonials

"I have been working with Heatherlie Allison for the last ten years. Without a doubt, she is a scholar of concepts and language, often pressing the boundaries of form. She has taught me a lot about the power of being present in my work and becoming open to the idea of writing as its own entity. This has helped me discover a sense of play and more humility in my writing. In our discussions, she has been unfailingly creative and thorough, adding the richness of her aesthetic preferences and her knowledge of the arts and culture. I find her to be a warm, ebullient, and compassionate professional, truly committed to the craft of writing; I cannot recommend her highly enough."

-BV

"Heatherlie Allison's skill as a reader and editor is masterful. I have never worked with anyone more insightful. She has a penetrating eye that simultaneously perceives multiple levels of a work, and she has helped me transform multiple projects. I have sought her expertise on everything from a novel-length work to short stories, and in every case, her questions and feedback have helped me produce work that is more grounded, more rigorous, and more effective. Heatherlie Allison possesses a rare level of discernment from which my work has undoubtedly benefitted, and I trust her processes completely."

-PC

"Heatherlie is a force to witness in action. She intuitively pulls from where genius resides in each of her students. As writing becomes their newfound medium of empowerment, I have watched them unfold in ways that I have not seen before. I have also consulted Heatherlie as an editor to help improve my own writing. She has worked with me in a similar fashion to her students. The engagement of her critiques is beyond what I have encountered. She has helped me realize (without stating it) how attachment to my first drafts has stifled the efficacy of my thinking, and hence the quality of the writing itself. I have much respect for the guiding talents of this woman."

-ML

Of Offering

Professional Manuscript Evaluation

BENEFICIAL FOR WRITERS POSSESSING:

a manuscript-in-progress. Feedback moving forward is desired.
a completed manuscript requiring revision work.
a manuscript at any stage of completion. Experimentation with style and/or form is desired.

WHAT YOU WILL RECEIVE:

A 30-minute introductory phone call or video conference to discuss your project. This can also be accomplished via email if preferred.
A thorough read of your manuscript.
A professional editorial letter assessing your manuscript and offering prescriptive suggestions for development forward.
A copy of your manuscript with full mark-up.
A 30-minute concluding phone call or video conference to address questions regarding feedback received.

RATES:

$99 USD per hour for manuscript evaluation work as outlined above.

$750 USD per 20,000 words for book-length projects.

ADD ONS: (in addition to the rate schedule above)

Copy or Line-Level Editing: $22 USD per 1000 words

Consider Writing Guidance if a regular submissions schedule is desired.

Writing
Guidance

BENEFICIAL FOR WRITERS:

seeking consult before beginning a project
beginning a project but would like to work toward completion
interested in infusing their work with formal intention, process, and structure
desiring the benefits of establishing a regular practice, accountability, and direction

WHAT YOU WILL RECEIVE:

A 30-minute introductory phone call or video conference to discuss your project
If you have a manuscript:
- A thorough read-through
- A professional evaluation of your work shared, including prescriptive suggestions
- Line-level editing for continuity of voice
- A personalized process plan, including experiential writing exercises designed specifically for you
If you do not yet have a manuscript:
- A personalized process plan with the desired manuscript in mind
- An experiential writing exercise designed specifically for your project
A 30-minute concluding phone call or video conference to address questions regarding feedback received

RATES:

$99 USD per hour consult work + Professional Manuscript Evaluation rate as applicable

Those with ongoing projects seeking regularly scheduled feedback will receive a discount in overall rate.

Booking Protocol

If you would like to inquire about our Manuscript Services, please send an email with the following information:

A brief personal introduction
An assessment of your writing practice
If you have a manuscript, a summary of your project, including length
A list of your concerns

Based on the information you share, we will send you an estimated quote. If the quote is satisfactory, we will then send you a formal contract with a bill for 50% of the estimate. Once we receive your payment, we may begin our work together.