Robert Jones
StoryDtechtive

Work

—I have worked in multiple forms of storytelling, fiction writing and sequential art for comic books and storyboards. My mentor in writing and editing was industry legend, Sol Stein. During my career I have worked for large companies and small, behind the scenes and up font, as part of creative teams and solo projects.—So much publishing knowledge (and craft) are passed on through people and experiences not found in books. Knowledge I enjoy sharing, giving writers a better understanding of the foundational elements required to put their work over the top.— I’ve added to the history of characters such as Spiderman and Star Wars during the Prequels era, developed the initial project proposals for comics and film (Blade: Trinity, Secret Invasion). Currently working on my own series of novels while helping others to publish better books.TESTIMONIALS“You’ll find Robert to be responsive, supportive and a wealth of clarifying mental modeling across the vast universe of fiction writing.”
Larry Brooks
Author of “Story Engineering”.“Robert knows more about craft than most of my six figure clients.”
Lisa Daily
Author of “Fifteen Minutes of Shame” and “Become a Famous Self-Help Author”.“I can’t recommend Robert enough! He’s an amazing editor!”
Joey Paul
Author of “Invisible”.“My book wouldn’t be what it is without Robert. I fully recommend his services.”
Dal Cecil Runo
Author of “The Weaving Spider & Moth”.“Robert makes my job easier. He understands what I’m trying to write and is able to adapt his editing to make my style even better. I highly recommend and trust him.”
Bill Lutz
Author of “Saga’s End: The Arcanis Trilogy”."Robert was very welcoming to me when I joined the writing community on Instagram. I'm a bit wary of people contacting me out of the blue on social media, but I could tell right away he was a real live human being with a lot of wisdom to share. Checking out his YouTube series on writing solidified my first impressions that he knew what he was talking about. He was generous with his time and his diplomatic, measured advice and when he offered to do a free sample developmental edit, I jumped at the chance. What I got back was insightful, thorough and most importantly, useful. I signed up for the full developmental edit.
I am so glad I did! Robert delivered his feedback in quarters, focusing on plot, structure, character development and timing. All of it was oriented around telling the story in the best way that is also approachable and understandable in today's market. His extensive knowledge of pop culture and the zeitgeist was exactly what I needed. It was a 10,000 ft view on the map of my story, how to satisfy user expectations and where to subvert them for effective surprises. He also spotted a glaring plot hole! His feedback and guidance was frank and honest, so much so that when he said I had a good story on my hands, I believed him. I never felt like he was blowing smoke, and I never felt like his own personal prejudices or tastes were interfering with his understanding of the market.
I thoroughly recommend and endorse Robert for your developmental editing needs! My debut book, Faith Faraday and the Cyber Samurai, is far better directly because of his contributions. If you'd like to hear more about my work with Robert, you can find me on FF7.com."
Nathan J Pearce
Author of “Faith Faraday and the Cyber Samurai”

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About

WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT FROM MY SERVICES:— I have always likened putting a story together to detective work, researching facts, finding clues and putting all the pieces of the puzzle together until it works seamlessly.— I add some degree of story coaching to all my services at no extra cost through clear notes with examples and explanations.— My time is dedicated to helping writers grow their knowledge so they can make their dreams a reality.— Always tailored to your specific vision and story requirements.— Good editing is not a one-size-fits-all proposition.YOU WILL RECEIVE:— A separate email for each quarter of your manuscript and a final summarization. This multi-sectional process has worked well in terms of better understanding of the information for indie writers.— This process also provides multiple opportunities to ask questions along the way if anything is not clear. Coaching and learning works differently for everyone. I developed this process because I found cramming all the information for an entire novel in one gigantic letter could be potentially overwhelming to some newcomers.— My critiques are honest, but not brutal.WHAT WE WILL EXAMINE:—CONCEPT: Is your conceptual idea intriguing enough to interest agents, editors, and ultimately your readers? This is the mission statement for any novel and represents the strength of our convictions.—CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT AND ARCS: Do you have a three dimensional character readers will root for? Are their story arcs progressing through all the necessary psychological shifts they need to pass through in order to grow and achieve their goal?— PLOT AND STORY STRUCTURE: Story structure should fit and work with your unique story vision, not the other way around. Wrapping your ideas around a preconceived set of story beats doesn’t work for everyone—and certainly not for every story. Story structure in its original form is based on psychology which is is the emotional core that builds empathy and a vicarious journey for our readers.—PROSE: If there are obvious mistakes, I will point them out. If the description or dialogue need to be punched up, we will go over ways in which you can sharpen your prose, improve pacing, and make sure your dialogue sings on the page.PRICING:
—Novel length fiction rates begin at $0.03 per word. Example: A 50K word novel at this level would cost $1500
—Novellas (40K words or less) begins at $0.05 per word. Example: A 25K word novella would cost $1250
—Non-Fiction begins at $0.05 Example: A 50K word non-fiction novel would cost $2000My editing services always include a reasonable degree of story-coaching, which increases with each level and is included in the price. For those who prefer coaching or want a more intensive learning experience, I offer coaching as a separate optionSTORY COACHING: Begins at $199 per hour.

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Let’s work together

Sign up for a free consultation and single chapter edit (10 pages max.).

TESTIMONIALS

“You’ll find Robert to be responsive, supportive and a wealth of clarifying mental modeling across the vast universe of fiction writing.”
Larry Brooks
Author of “Story Engineering”.“Robert knows more about craft than most of my six figure clients.”
Lisa Daily
Author of “Fifteen Minutes of Shame” and “Become a Famous Self-Help Author”.“I can’t recommend Robert enough! He’s an amazing editor!”
Joey Paul
Author of “Invisible”.“My book wouldn’t be what it is without Robert. I fully recommend his services.”
Dal Cecil Runo
Author of “The Weaving Spider & Moth”.“Robert makes my job easier. He understands what I’m trying to write and is able to adapt his editing to make my style even better. I highly recommend and trust him.”
Bill Lutz
Author of “Saga’s End: The Arcanis Trilogy”"Robert was very welcoming to me when I joined the writing community on Instagram. I'm a bit wary of people contacting me out of the blue on social media, but I could tell right away he was a real live human being with a lot of wisdom to share. Checking out his YouTube series on writing solidified my first impressions that he knew what he was talking about. He was generous with his time and his diplomatic, measured advice and when he offered to do a free sample developmental edit, I jumped at the chance. What I got back was insightful, thorough and most importantly, useful. I signed up for the full developmental edit.
I am so glad I did! Robert delivered his feedback in quarters, focusing on plot, structure, character development and timing. All of it was oriented around telling the story in the best way that is also approachable and understandable in today's market. His extensive knowledge of pop culture and the zeitgeist was exactly what I needed. It was a 10,000 ft view on the map of my story, how to satisfy user expectations and where to subvert them for effective surprises. He also spotted a glaring plot hole! His feedback and guidance was frank and honest, so much so that when he said I had a good story on my hands, I believed him. I never felt like he was blowing smoke, and I never felt like his own personal prejudices or tastes were interfering with his understanding of the market.
I thoroughly recommend and endorse Robert for your developmental editing needs! My debut book, Faith Faraday and the Cyber Samurai, is far better directly because of his contributions. If you'd like to hear more about my work with Robert, you can find me on FF7.com."
Nathan J Pearce
Author of “Faith Faraday and the Cyber Samurai”

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