He got up and sat on the edge of the bedstead with his back to the window. “It’s better not to sleep at all,” he decided. There was a cold damp draught from the window, however; without getting up he drew the blanket over him and wrapped himself in it. He was not thinking of anything and did not want to think. But one image rose after another, incoherent scraps of thought without beginning or end passed through his mind. He sank into drowsiness. Perhaps the cold, or the dampness, or the dark, or the wind that howled under the window and tossed the trees roused a sort of persistent craving for the fantastic. He kept dwelling on images of flowers, he fancied a charming flower garden, a bright, warm, almost hot day, a holiday—Trinity day. A fine, sumptuous country cottage in the English taste overgrown with fragrant flowers, with flower beds going round the house; the porch, wreathed in climbers, was surrounded with beds of roses. A light, cool staircase, carpeted with rich rugs, was decorated with rare plants in china pots. He noticed particularly in the windows nosegays of tender, white, heavily fragrant narcissus bending over their bright, green, thick long stalks. He was reluctant to move away from them, but he went up the stairs and came into a large, high drawing-room and again everywhere—at the windows, the doors on to the balcony, and on the balcony itself—were flowers. The floors were strewn with freshly-cut fragrant hay, the windows were open, a fresh, cool, light air came into the room. The birds were chirruping under the window, and in the middle of the room, on a table covered with a white satin shroud, stood a coffin. The coffin was covered with white silk and edged with a thick white frill; wreaths of flowers surrounded it on all sides. Among the flowers lay a girl in a white muslin dress, with her arms crossed and pressed on her bosom, as though carved out of marble. But her loose fair hair was wet; there was a wreath of roses on her head. The stern and already rigid profile of her face looked as though chiselled of marble too, and the smile on her pale lips was full of an immense unchildish misery and sorrowful appeal. Svidrigaïlov knew that girl; there was no holy image, no burning candle beside the coffin; no sound of prayers: the girl had drowned herself. She was only fourteen, but her heart was broken. And she had destroyed herself, crushed by an insult that had appalled and amazed that childish soul, had smirched that angel purity with unmerited disgrace and torn from her a last scream of despair, unheeded and brutally disregarded, on a dark night in the cold and wet while the wind howled

Book Editing

Hi, I’m John Matthew Fox

And I help authors write better books.

Authors I’ve edited have been published by Random House, sold more than 100,000 copies, and received Kirkus Starred Reviews.

Books I’ve edited have also won awards like the Next Generation Indie Award Own Voices, Writer’s Digest E-Book Award, New Millennium Writing Award, Gold Medal Readers’ Choice Award, Reader’s Favorite Book Award Winner, and Kirkus’s Best Indie Books of the Month.

If you’re interested in creating the best version of your story, let’s talk.

About Me

I’ve edited more than 200 novels over the last fifteen years, and I can help you with yours.

I’m also the author of “I Will Shout Your Name” (Press 53) and “The Linchpin Writer: Crafting Your Novel’s Key Moments.” My fiction has won the Third Coast Fiction Contest, the Shenandoah Fiction Award, and been published in the Chicago Tribune and Los Angeles Times.

I’ve taught writing at Chapman University and the University of Southern California (USC). My degree in literature is from New York University (M.A.) and my degree in creative writing is from the University of Southern California (M.F.A.).

My website Bookfox has received accolades from The Guardian, Los Angeles Times, Writer’s Digest, Publisher’s Weekly, and The Huffington Post.

In Orange County, California, where I’ve lived for the last fifteen years, I run two book clubs and coach my twelve-year-old twin boys in soccer.

My Editing Process

Feedback Letter

I write a 7 – 10 page feedback letter talking about what you’re doing well and what you could improve.

Most authors tell me this is their favorite part of the process, and they learned more from this step than any other writing education.

Margin Notes

I make comments and edits in the right hand margin of your manuscript.

This focuses on the sentence and paragraph level, rather than the big picture focus of the feedback letter.

Phone Conversation

After you receive my feedback, we’ll schedule a one-hour phone or Zoom conversation.

This allows you to ask any follow up questions and allows me to clarify aspects of the feedback.

Testimonials

“The thoughtful, nuanced, and kind but no-nonsense editor you watch on YouTube is real. John Fox found the spots to fix in my manuscript, from the details of word choice all the way up through scenes to pacing and theme. It will be no surprise that when he edits, he doesn’t just critique — he teaches.”

Andrew McGlinchey, “Cloudthinker”

“Dear John, I’m just writing to tell you I have a contract with Random House for the book you helped me with! Thank you for being so excited about my work. You made me a better writer, and I am going to recommend you widely.

Susan Doherty, author of “Ghost Garden”

“I hired John for developmental editing of my first and second novels. He was awesome. He was able to show me my story’s weak points without tearing me down. And he pointed out weaknesses in character development and gave great suggestions. I would recommend John’s services to anyone looking to publish a great book.”

Bellamy Westbay, author of “Genesis”

“John’s developmental editorial work is excellent. Another client of his already said this I think, but it bears repeating: I have most definitely learned more about improving my writing from John than from any other avenue I’ve attempted. I’ve been to three or four writers’ workshops over the years, and participated in three writers’ critique groups, but none of the feedback from any of those sources comes close to matching John’s insight and guidance.”

Jim Roberts, “Of Fathers & Gods”

“I’m very pleased with John’s editing style. It was easy to understand and his tips were very helpful. I am so deeply grateful to him for his extraordinary help with my book, ‘An Improbable Spy.’”

David Collins, “An Improbable Spy”

“As a first-time author, I was very blessed to have found John for developmental editing. John says that his goal is to help authors create a better novel. Mission accomplished!  His lengthy review gave me the encouragement I needed to finish strong, but more importantly, he detailed where I needed to make changes to the plot, characters, dialogue and point of view, in order to make the story flow well.  I’m very proud of the finished product.”

John Moelker, Author of “Eli vs. God”

“Engaging John Fox for developmental editing for my current project could not have been a better experience. If you’re looking for a novel editor, check him out — you will not regret it!”

Greg Schaffer, author of “Leaving Darkness”

“I found John Fox online and ended up feeling it was a lucky day. He helped me enhance the things that were already good and he showed me how to shore up my weaknesses. He is particularly good at structure, pacing and the development and use of characters.  If you want someone who really understands what constitutes quality in a written work, then John is your man!”

Susan LaDue, “Tropical Temptation”

Pricing

I charge 6 cents per word.

For example, that means a 80,000-word novel would cost $4800 USD.

Also, this pricing is for books longer than 70,000 words (novellas are slightly more per word).

Contact

If you have further questions about working with me, please contact me using this form:

John’s Developmental Editing
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