turtle edits
You've got a story, I've got your back. Editing since 2018, specializing in fantasy, science fiction, and romance featuring LGBTQ+ characters.
🐢
let's work together!
see what my clients say about me:
🐢
subscribe
Keep me in your inbox for biweekly updates, editing resources, blog digests, new mini-courses, and letters from the editor!
This form is protected by reCaptcha
© 2025 - Turtle's Writing and Editing Services
rates & services
Fill out the request form for editing or beta reading, and I'll reply as soon as I can!Note: All new editing clients will start with a paid test edit, where I edit up to 2,500 of your story (at a cost of up to $50 USD) and provide an editorial review letter as well as a commented manuscript with my suggestions. After reviewing the test edit, we can move on to scheduling a full edit.Also Note: Every editing service assumes two passes: once for me to do my edits, and a second time to review the changes you've made and suggest any additional edits.Not sure if you're ready for a full edit, or just want a quick assessment of your writing? Check out my [short-form editing commissions!](
🐢
Developmental Editing
Developmental editing is where we make sure the pieces of your story fit together.
I'll focus on big-picture notes, like story structure, genre, characterization, plot, themes, and internal consistency, and prescribe any rewrites or rearranging that might be needed.
-----------------------------------
What you'll get: a commented manuscript + an editorial letter with notes on the above, including what's working well. A story bible can also be included upon request.
-----------------------------------
Rate: starts at $0.025/word (USD)
-----------------------------------
🐢
copy editing
Copy editing comes in two types: heavy and light. For light copy edits, I'll read through your manuscript to catch any spelling, grammar, and other minor errors, and root out writing tics like echoes or homonyms to make sure everything reads as clearly as possible.
Heavy copy edits start with a line edit, where I go line by line to make sure everything is clear and consistent while retaining your voice and vision. This might include minor rewriting suggestions.
-----------------------------------
What you'll get: a manuscript with tracked changes + a style sheet
-----------------------------------
Rate: starts at $0.02/word (USD)
-----------------------------------
🐢
beta reading
If you need a close reader for your finished novel, I'm available for reading and providing high-level feedback! I follow the A.B.C.D. method (Awesome, Bored, Confused, and Disbelieving/Didn't Buy It) for structuring my feedback.
-----------------------------------
What you'll get: a manuscript with comments + a reader letter addressing the above.
-----------------------------------
Rate: $75 per 50k (USD)
-----------------------------------
🐢
writing packages
If you're booking multiple services, you qualify for a discounted rate! So if you know you'll need developmental help as well as copy editing, let me know in your request form, and I'll apply a 15% discount to the calculated cost.
🐢
wishlist
Genres: Science fiction and fantasy, especially LGBTQ+, and especially with romance or mystery subplots! Erotica is also welcomed.
Spice Rating: I work on everything from no spice to erotica.
Length: Short stories, novellas, novels, and serial fiction.
Favorite Tropes: found family, arranged marriage, enemies-to-partners-in-crime, transmigration and reincarnation, messy exes, mystery subplots, romance subplots, political intrigue.
For NSFW material: explicit consent, polyamorous and nontraditional relationships are always welcome!
please no:
Non-con (for explicit material)
Gratuitous violence
Gratuitous racism, sexism, ableism, queerphobia, or transphobia
© 2025 - Turtle's Writing and Editing Services
portfolio
Working with you to make your stories shine.
Aim for the Heart (Anthology, Developmental/Copy Editing)
Aether Beyond the Binary (Anthology, Developmental/Copy Editing)
Many Hands: an Anthology of Polyamorous Erotica (Erotica Anthology, Developmental/Copy Editing)
The Edge of a World by JD Rivers (Novel, Beta Reading)
The Hopper Literary Mazagine (senior prose editor 2018 - 2022)
The Salt in the Sea by JD Rivers (Novella, Copy Editing)
Scholarly Pursuits (Anthology, Developmental/Copy Editing)
Monsterotica (Erotica Anthology, Developmental/Copy Editing)
🐢
who i work with
indie authors
Developmental editing, copy editing, and writer coaching for solo authors.
small and mid-size presses
Developmental editing, copy editing, and content strategy for small to mid-sized presses. (Duck Prints Press, The Hopper Literary Magazine, and others.)
creative agencies
Story development, developmental editing, and copy editing for serial fiction producers (YONDER & Hot Ghostwriter) and general-purpose ghostwriting/editing agencies.
© 2025 - Turtle's Writing and Editing Services
testimonials
"Beck is an amazing editor: technically skilled, engaged with authors, responsive to feedback, and determined to help authors polish their stories to a professional standard. They have been a delight to work with since I first met them several years ago, and I look forward to what projects they may undertake with us in the future!."
-Nina Waters, owner of Duck Prints Press
-worked with me on several projects at Duck Prints Press
"Beck is a perceptive editor who responded to my writing with smart, insightful suggestions that respected my voice and story while definitely improving my essay."
-Janine DeBaise, author of Body Language
-worked with me on her award-winning essay The Space Between
"Beck was wonderful to work with from start to finish. They really take the time to understand not just the fine edits that might be required, but the ebb and flow of the piece as a whole. They have a keen ability to bring clarity without sacrificing voice or style and communicate their suggestions with thoughtfulness and respect.
-Jenny Wong, multi-award-nominated writer
-worked with me on her review of Wander-Thrush
"I really enjoyed working with turtle [Beck]! They offered helpful big-picture suggestions as well as improving my style on the line level."- Ivy L. James/Cassia King, author and editor
-worked with me on several stories at Duck Prints Press
© 2025 - Turtle's Writing and Editing Services
hi, i'm beck!
I'm a non-binary coffee fiend, lover of lgbtq+ sci-fi/fantasy, and caretaker of one very spoiled dog. I've been a developmental and copy editor for literary, commercial, and indie press outlets since 2018 and am happiest when helping authors find their groove.I'm also:
a staff editor at Duck Prints Press (a queer-owned-and-operated press),
a former content strategist at YONDER/Webtoon (a serialized fiction platform),
a developmental editing student at the UChicago Editing School,
a freelance editor specializing in developmental editing and copy editing for fantasy and science fiction, and
a former Senior Prose Editor at The Hopper eco-literary magazine.
I started Turtle's Editing Services, LLC to bring all my editing services under one umbrella.
Member, LGBTQ+ Editor's Association
Student, UChicago Developmental Editing Specialization
🐢
my philosophy:
Your voice matters.Don't worry about what others would write, or how they'd write it. Write what you love, and I'll help you make it unforgettable.
why a turtle?
The turtle is a venerable creature who's weathered enormous changes. Some stories say the world is carried on the back of a turtle. And in the fable of the tortoise and the hare, it's the slow and steady tortoise who ultimately wins the race.Turtles get where they need to go, one step at a time. They carry our cultural imaginations. They're a deliberate, steady presence in a wildly unpredictable world.In short: they represent what I hope to provide to my authors.
want to work together?
From the seeds of a story to a finished manuscript that needs polishing, I'm here to help you make your work the best it can be!I work on lgbtq+ science fiction and fantasy, with romance subplots and erotica stories welcomed within those genres!
© 2025 - Turtle's Writing and Editing Services
the page you're looking for is under construction
Please check back later!
reserve an editing pass
Thank you for your interest in continuing to work together! Please click through to the payment portal to enter your ideal start date and reserve your editing slot.
© 2025 - Turtle's Writing and Editing Services
leave a testimonial!
If you enjoyed working together and would like to provide a testimonial that I can use on my website or social media promotions, I'd appreciate the shout-out!🐢Even if you're not interested in leaving a testimonial, feedback is always appreciated, so feel free to use this form to send me your honest thoughts about our work together if there are any private suggestions you'd like to make.
testimonial form:
© 2025 - Turtle's Writing and Editing Services