You wrote it. Now let's make sure it sounds like you—only better.
Eighteen years of editing nonfiction books for women writers, and I'd love to see yours. Send me your manuscript and I'll tell you honestly what it needs and what it will cost. Ask about a complimentary 500-word sample edit to see exactly how I work.*
*Sample edits are for book-length manuscripts. For shorter works—an article, a blog post, web copy, a manual—send it over with your deadline and I'll quote it flat. Please note: Complimentary 500-word sample edits are offered at my discretion and are reserved for traditionally authored manuscripts. For AI-assisted or AI-generated manuscripts, a paid manuscript assessment is required before pricing can be determined. Please contact me for details.
IVETTE MAYMI
You've finished the draft. Or you're close.
And now it's sitting there, and you don't quite know if it's ready. Maybe you've read it so many times the sentences have stopped meaning anything. Maybe you can feel that something isn't working but you can't name it. Or maybe you're simply afraid to hand your precious words to a stranger.
That last one is the fear I hear most often. It's also the one I take most seriously—which is why nothing in your writing gets changed without you seeing it, and why you're free to reject any of it.
Who you'd be working with...
I've spent eighteen years working with words, and I've built a business on one conviction: women carry ideas and wisdom worth capturing, and too often those words go unwritten.
It started with my husband. He felt compelled to write, and I edited his first manuscript—then his second, and eventually his tenth. Somewhere in that process I realized what came naturally to me was exactly what most writers need and rarely have.
I specialize in nonfiction—memoir, faith-based writing, and business and thought-leadership books—the kinds of books women write when they've lived something worth passing on. Years in, I trained formally anyway. I've never stopped wanting to be better at this.
I don't work at arm's length. I partner with you the way a good friend would—the one who tells you the truth kindly, who's still there when you're panicking about chapter nine, who genuinely wants this book to exist.
Most of my clients feel like friends by the time we're finished. That isn't an accident. It's how I work.
I'm also an author, which means I've sat with the same doubts I hear from my clients. That isn't a small thing, and I don't treat it like one.
My greatest hope is a literary marketplace with more women's voices in it. Women have so much to say about surviving things, building things, believing things, and starting over again. Not one of those experiences is wasted. My job is to help you say yours clearly enough that someone else can hear it.
I live in North Dallas with my husband, children, and fur baby. When I'm not editing, I'm usually cooking, decorating, or spending time with my amazing family. I proudly attend Movement Church in Celina, TX.
How this works
Hiring an editor shouldn't feel like a mystery. Here's exactly what happens.
Tell me about your project.
Your word count, a sentence or two about what you're writing, and what kind of nonfiction it is. Two minutes.
Send me the full manuscript.
I need to see the whole thing to tell you honestly which level of editing it needs and what it will cost. A quote based on a few pages isn't a quote—it's a guess, and you'd be the one paying for the difference later.
I'll send you a proposal and, where it's a fit, a complimentary 500-word sample edit.
The proposal lays out what I'd recommend, what's included, the timeline, and the cost. The sample is a passage of my choosing—usually somewhere in the middle, where a manuscript tells me the most—so you can see exactly how I work and how I treat your voice before you commit to anything.
You decide.
If it's a yes, we agree on a schedule and the payment terms set out in your proposal—usually a deposit to reserve your spot, with the balance spread across the project. If it's a no, you keep any sample I've sent and we part as friends.
I edit.
What comes back to you depends on the level you've booked, and we'll agree exactly what that includes before we begin. One thing holds at every level: nothing in your writing changes without your approval. Every suggestion is yours to accept or reject.
I'm with you the entire way.
Once you've booked, I don't disappear until delivery day. Questions as they come up, check-ins along the way, and a real conversation at the end mean you'll never wonder where your book is or what's happening to it.
A note on shorter works—an article, a blog post, web copy, a manual— send it over with your deadline and I'll quote it flat.
Where your manuscript is right now
Most writers aren't sure which stage their manuscript needs, and it's not a decision you should have to make alone. Tell me about your project and we'll determine the right starting point.
You want to know what's working and what isn't before you spend months revising.
The pass that makes a manuscript professional—grammar, punctuation, and consistency, until nothing distracts from what you're saying.
The words that do the selling. A bio that establishes why you're the one writing this, and back cover copy that makes someone want to find out.
The bones need work, not just the sentences. This stage addresses structure, order, and how the pieces fit together.
This is the last check before you publish. It catches typos, small slips, and the errors that hide in work you've read too many times.
You know what you mean—a reader might not, yet. This stage sharpens clarity and emphasis, and finds the sentences that bury your point.
AI helped you write it. Now it needs to sound like you. I refine repetitive, mechanical phrasing so your own voice and message come through.
Most writers land between two of these. Answer a few questions and I'll tell you which one to start with.
The quiz gets you close. The conversation gets you the rest of the way.
Anywhere the words matter
Books are most of what I do. They're not all of it.
I've edited board manuals for private Christian schools, websites for churches and nonprofits, magazine features, and more blog posts than I could count. Different formats, same job—making sure the words say what the writer meant, and hold up to the people who'll read them.
The thread running through all of it: these are organizations and people whose words carry real weight, and who don't have an editor on staff. If something has your name on it and it needs to be right, send it over.
"I have had the great privilege of working with Ivette on several projects over the years, and every experience has been an excellent one. She brings a high level of professionalism to everything she does. She is incredibly organized, always has a plan, and her skill and attention to detail are truly unmatched.
I’ve been able to hand Ivette everything from newsletters and devotionals to discipleship messages and other written resources, and there is a real sense of relief that comes with putting a project in her hands. I know she isn’t simply going to check for grammar and send it back. She takes the time to understand the heart and purpose behind what we are creating and then looks at the project as a whole. I can trust that every detail will be reviewed and thoughtfully considered. She has an incredible ability to catch the things the rest of us tend to overlook or completely forget, which has saved me more times than I can count.
That level of trust is also why I have felt so comfortable referring authors and clients to her. When an author I knew needed an editor for his book, I knew Ivette was someone I could confidently recommend. Even with how highly I already regarded her work, she exceeded my expectations. The level of expertise, beauty, and precision she brought to both the editing and formatting of the book was incredible. She didn’t just strengthen the writing; she helped create a polished, professional finished product that honored both the message and the author behind it.
What I appreciate just as much as her talent is the way she approaches the people she works with. Ivette is incredibly supportive of women, and her desire to encourage, champion, and help other women succeed is evident in the way she serves her clients. She genuinely wants to see the people she works with do well.
Ivette is an absolute joy to work with. Whether I’m handing her one of my own projects or referring someone I value to her, I know it will be handled with excellence, care, and integrity. I truly cannot recommend her enough."
Kaylie Karagias
Owner, The Grace Effect Creative
Creative Leader, Movement Church
A few books I've helped into the world
...and what their authors said about my work.
"After a less-than-desirable editorial process with a previous editor, my experience with Polished Pages was a breath of fresh air. . . Don't make the same mistake I made—hire Polished Pages Editorial first!"
Layla Slater
Saving Abigail Grace
"Ivette was so patient with me as a first-time author. My book was complicated and she held my hand through the entire process."
Emanuela Visone
Healing Through Nature's Medicine
"Ivette Maymi worked on editing my manuscript and suggested thoughtful changes that retained my unique voice within the book."
Anastasia Robinson
Who Stole My Dream?
Questions you're probably asking
The things people ask me before we start.
Will you change my voice?
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No. That's the line I don't cross. I'll question a sentence that isn't doing what you want it to do, and I'll tell you why—but the choice is always yours, and nothing changes without your approval. A sample edit will show you this better than I can explain it.
What does editing cost?
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It depends on which stage your manuscript needs and how long it is, which is why I read the whole thing before quoting rather than guessing from a few pages. Each service page lists the rate for that stage, and your proposal gives you the exact figure before we begin. If the word count shifts before we start, we'll adjust it together—but nothing changes once the work is underway.
I used AI to write my book. Do I still need an editor?
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Yes, and here's why. AI can help you develop a manuscript, but it doesn't replace the judgment, creativity, and personal attention of a professional editor.
AI-assisted or AI-generated writing can contain repetitive language, unnatural phrasing, inconsistencies, and passages that don't reflect your authentic voice.
Through Polished Pages Editorial, I welcome AI-assisted and AI-generated nonfiction manuscripts and offer specialized refinement to improve readability, strengthen your message, and help your writing sound more like you.
Because these manuscripts vary in the amount of work they require, a paid manuscript assessment is mandatory before I provide an editorial quote. If you choose to move forward, the assessment fee will be credited toward your project.
Do you edit fiction?
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No—nonfiction only. That's where my eighteen years are, and you deserve an editor whose instincts were built for your genre rather than adapted to it. If you're writing a novel, tell me anyway and I'll point you toward someone good.
Do you work with men?
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Yes. My focus is women writers, and that's who most of this site is written for. It isn't a restriction on who I'll edit. Church, ministry, and business projects come to me from men regularly, and they're welcome.
What if my manuscript isn't finished?
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Then it's probably too early for a copyedit, but it may be exactly the right time for a manuscript evaluation. If you're not sure, the quiz will point you to the stage your manuscript is ready for—or get in touch and I'll tell you honestly whether to hire me now or come back in three months.
I'm a first-time author. Is that a problem?
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It's most of my work, and it's the part I love. You'll never be made to feel that you should already know something. Ask me anything, including the questions you think are too basic to ask.
How far ahead should I book?
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Four to six weeks is typical for a full-length manuscript, though I can sometimes take shorter work sooner. If you have a hard publication date, tell me early and I'll be straight with you about whether it's realistic.
What if I can't afford the full edit right now?
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Say so. There's often a smaller version that gets you most of the way—a manuscript evaluation instead of a developmental edit, or a proofread on work you've already had edited.
Payment plans are available too, so the cost can be spread rather than paid all at once. I'd rather help you at a level you can afford than lose you entirely.
Rates for each stage are on its service page.