Welcome To The Hive’s Affordable Editorial Support for Indie Authors

Professional, surface-level editing and structured chapter feedback — designed for authors who want clarity, polish, and honest notes.

What This Is

The Hive Manuscript Polish is a lighter editorial pass designed to strengthen your manuscript before publication or submission.

This is not a full line edit.
This is not a developmental overhaul.

It is a structured read-through that focuses on:

  • Glaring spelling, punctuation, and grammar issues

  • Repetition and clunky phrasing

  • Pacing concerns

  • Chapters that feel rushed or drag

  • Character inconsistency

  • Confusing or jarring moments

  • General reader experience feedback

Each chapter receives notes summarising strengths, weaknesses, and suggestions for improvement with examples.

You’ll also receive an overall feedback summary covering tone, pacing, structure, and market-readiness.

The goal is simple:

To help you smooth your manuscript out and avoid publishing something that isn’t ready. It’s essentially a lighter version of traditional line, and developmental edits. Perfect for Indie Authors who want to polish their book, but can’t afford the regular rates for full editing.

Who This Is For

This service is designed for:

  • Indie authors on a budget

  • Authors who can’t afford £2,000+ full editorial packages

  • Writers who want honest feedback before releasing

  • Authors who want to tighten their manuscript without a complete rewrite

Full developmental and line edits often cost up to thousands of pounds.

The Hive Manuscript Polish offers a structured, affordable middle ground.

What This Is NOT

This is not:

  • A full developmental edit

  • A deep structural rewrite

  • A full line-by-line professional line edit

  • A guarantee of perfection

This is a lighter-level polish and structured feedback pass designed to improve clarity, flow, and reader experience.

Pricing

£10 per 1,000 words

Examples:

100,000 word manuscript, would cost you £1000 with us*

*The average rate for a lower range editor starts at £2,000

Turnaround Time

Standard turnaround:
4 weeks - One month

Rush option (subject to availability):
10 days

Rush fee:

  • £2 per 1,000 words


    We only offer this service to a small number of clients per year, because of that, there is only one slot left for 2026.

Payment Structure

50% upfront to secure your booking.
50% due before final notes and summary are released.

The Hive Editorial Team

Our in-house editorial team includes:

  • Qualified English degree holders

  • Former and current English teachers

  • Industry professionals with 4–5+ years in indie publishing

  • Experienced authors who understand market expectations

We specialise in commercial fiction and understand the realities of indie publishing timelines and budgets.

How to Apply

Authors complete a short submission form including:

  • Word count

  • Genre

  • Content triggers (if applicable)

  • Desired deadline

  • Link to manuscript (Google Docs preferred)

We will confirm availability and estimated turnaround when payment is requested.

Get Your Manuscript Polished Here

Important Disclaimer

The Hive Manuscript Polish is intended as a lighter editorial support service.

It does not replace a professional developmental edit, structural edit, or comprehensive line edit.

While we aim to improve clarity and catch obvious issues, no edit can guarantee complete error removal.

Authors remain responsible for final manuscript review prior to publication.