Frequently Asked Questions
You will find the answers to some frequently asked questions on this page. If we haven't answered your question here, please send it to us via our Contact Us form, and we will get back to you with an answer as soon as possible. Use these buttons to skip to these topics.
WHAT GENRES DO KLS WORK WITH?
Although we specialize in all types of romance, we can edit multiple genres, including fantasy, paranormal, thriller, memoir, mystery, suspense, and general fiction. We've even edited a few children's books.
IS KLS LGBTQIA2S+ FRIENDLY?
Yes! Here at KLS, we all believe Love is Love is Love. We enjoy working with LGBTQIA2S+ authors and authors who write in this genre.
WHAT LEVELS OF SPICE TO KLS WORK WITH?
We all work with all levels of spice. If you write the steam, we will ensure it's logistically possible and help you finesse it.
DO KLS TEAM MEMBERS HAVE TRIGGERS?
Please let us know if your book has themes that are considered to be triggers. We can deal with all content between the team, so triggers are not an issue for us. Knowing the triggers you plan to list, we can give you feedback, if you request it, as to whether your list seems appropriate for your book.
WHERE ARE KLS BASED?
The head office is in New Zealand, where Kat lives, but the team assistant is in America. We have team members worldwide. We work across multiple time zones, ensuring we can support you no matter where you live. In some instances, the magic will happen while you are sleeping! This does mean, at times, communication may not be instantly replied to, but we aim to return your emails/messages within one working day.
WHAT LANGUAGES DO KLS EDIT IN?
We edit in both British English and American English. We have also edited books with a mixture of both. If a book edited in American English has British characters, their dialogue and sometimes inner thoughts may be edited into British English. Another option is to edit the chapters from your British character's POV in British English and the chapters from your American character's POV in American English. If you are unsure about this, talk to us about it, and we can help you to come to the decision that will work best for your book.
WHAT STYLE GUIDE DOES KLS USE?
When editing American English, we use The Chicago Manual of Style (unless you specify an alternative at the booking stage), the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, and our expertise. We use The Oxford Style Guide (New Hart's Rules), the Collins English Dictionary, and our expertise when editing in British English. It's important to note that we use the style guides as a reference, but we pay close attention to your writing voice to ensure we don't stifle it with grammar rules. Please note, no manuscript is one hundred percent perfect, but we do our absolute best to make it as polished as possible.
CAN I PAY IN MY LOCAL CURRENCY?
As we work with clients worldwide, we have chosen to primarily accept US dollars. This means our fees are easily comparable to those of others in the industry. We accept all payments via the WIX invoicing system through Stripe Payments. You can use all your regular payment cards to make payments. We also take payments in NZ dollars and, in some circumstances, Euros.
WHEN DO I NEED TO PAY AND HOW CAN I SECURE MY DATES?
A non-refundable deposit and a signed Literary Services Agreement secure your dates. The Ultimate Package deposit is $120, The Comprehensive Package and The Deluxe Comprehensive Package deposit is $70, and the deposit for all other services is $35. Approximately a week before your start date, you will receive an invoice for your estimated fees minus your deposit if you book a single service. 50% of this invoice is due to be paid before work begins. At the end of the project, this invoice is amended to reflect the final word count, and the balance is due to be paid no later than five days after you receive your final edit/files. Payment plans are available but must be discussed and included in your Literary Services Agreement. Payments for the following packages will be staggered: The Comprehensive, The Deluxe Comprehensive, and The Ultimate. 50% of the estimated fee will be due before work begins for each service as part of the package, and the final balance for that service will be due within five days of delivering the final files. This must be paid in full before the next service in the package can begin.
WILL KLS PROVIDE SAMPLE EDITS?
Yes! In fact, we require all new editing clients to take a sample edit. This is so we can learn a little about your writing voice and you can see how we work. Sample edits are also completed for Developmental/Content Editing. As it can be tricky to get the feel of a developmental edit from a small sample, we provide a Developmental Editing Notes example for you to see what kind of feedback you might receive. We can jump on a quick video call if you would like to meet your editor to get a feel for us and ask us any questions you may have. We encourage you to gather sample edits from two or three prospective editors, so you can compare how we work with others in the industry. We recognize that we won't be the perfect fit for everyone and know the relationship between editor and author is a personal one that you need to get right.
WHAT ABOUT AI?
As stated in our Literary Services Agreement, we do not work with manuscripts generated using AI. During the editing/proofreading process, we use basic grammar and spell checkers but not generative AI. To the best of our knowledge, we do not allow manuscripts we are working on to be used to train generative AI. If you have any additional concerns regarding this, please contact us.
HOW QUICKLY CAN KLS TURN AROUND MY PROJECT?
This really depends on which service you book and your word count. For most editing and proofreading, our standard turnaround time for each service is two weeks. If your manuscript is over 100k we may need slightly longer than the standard two-week turnaround. Shorter projects such as alpha reading are usually completed within one week, depending on the length of the sections we are alpha reading. Graphics packages usually take one to two weeks, depending on how many you need and how many revisions you require. Internal formatting is turned around in two to three weeks depending on the number of revisions and the length of the manuscript. Developmental Editing time frames are set on a project-by-project basis but are often two weeks. Package services with multiple layers of editing/proofing and graphics/formatting have a longer overall turnaround time. The spacing of services included in our packages and turnaround times will be discussed at booking. All turnaround times will be set out clearly before work begins in your Literary Services Project.
WHEN CAN I BOOK MY PROJECT WITH KLS?
Wait times for services and specific team members vary. They can be anything from available in a week or two to a six-month wait at peak times. We encourage you to get in touch as soon as you have an idea of when you think you will need our support. It is better to get in early and secure your dates than wait and miss out. We have some clients who book their projects for their entire year at the start of the year as they know their release schedule and want specific dates. We operate on a first come first served basis. Once you have paid your deposit and your Literary Services Agreement is signed, your dates are secure. If dates have been offered to you and we haven’t received a signed agreement and paid deposit, we will reconfirm that you still want these dates before offering them to another client.
WHAT IF I NEED TO CHANGE MY DATES OR CANCEL MY PROJECT?
We get it, things happen, life is unpredictable, and sometimes you need to move your dates or cancel your project. We will do our best to accommodate your date-change request, but you may be charged a date change or cancellation fee as listed here.
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FOR SINGLE SERVICES
If date changes or cancellations are requested less than two weeks from your start date, you will be charged up to 100% of your estimated fees. If date changes or cancellations are requested between two and four weeks before your start date, you will be charged up to 50% of your estimated fees. If date changes or cancellations are requested between four and six weeks from your start date, a $100 fee will be charged and you will forfeit your deposit. Changes or cancellations requested more than six weeks from your start date will not incur a late change or cancellation fee, but you will forfeit your deposit.
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FOR PACKAGE SERVICES
If date changes or cancellations are requested less than two weeks from your start date, you will be charged up to 100% of your estimated fees for that service and up to $100 per service not yet taken in the package. If date changes or cancellations are requested between two and four weeks before your start date, you will be charged up to 50% of your estimated fees for that service and up to $100 per service not yet taken in the package. If date changes or cancellations are requested between four and six weeks from your start date, a $100 fee will be charged per service included in the package (e.g. The Ultimate Package consists of six services), and you will forfeit your deposit. Changes or cancellations requested more than six weeks from your start date will not incur a late change or cancellation fee, but you will forfeit your deposit.
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All late change and cancellation fees are charged at our discretion.
HOW DOES THE KLS PORTFOLIO PAGE WORK?
If we work with you on a project, we ask for your consent to use your book cover to display on our portfolio page under the relevant service. This is optional. Therefore, our portfolio is more extensive than we can display. You can choose just to have the book cover displayed or have it displayed and linked to a retail site or your author website. We have found that prospective clients like to check out our work, and having links to retail sites has made it easier for them to do their due diligence. We do not use affiliate links and, therefore, do not profit from having links on the website. They are there purely to assist our prospective clients in researching our work.
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A GRAPHIC AND AN AUDIO GRAPHIC AND WHY IS THERE A DIFFERENCE IN THE FEES?
Promotional graphics come in two different formats at KLS. A regular promotional graphic is created with images and text. An audio graphic uses an audio clip from your audiobook, and we embed this into the graphic so that when you promote your audiobook, you can share audio teasers along with the images and text. Audio graphics take longer to design. Therefore, the fees reflect this. We have several packages available, but if you don't see one that works for you, talk to us, and we will create a custom package for you.