Right now, your manuscript might feel like a garden in need of care — ideas scattered, plot struggling to bloom, characters not quite taking root. That’s where I come in.
I’m Rachel Vine — a university-qualified editor and professional member of the Institute of Professional Editors (IPEd). With thoughtful, story-level editing, I’ll help you prune, shape, and nurture your manuscript into a strong, cohesive narrative that resonates with young readers.
Let’s give your story the expert attention it needs to truly blossom.
I work exclusively with authors of children’s and youth fiction, including the following:
Board Books (0 - 3 yrs)
Picture Books (3 - 8 yrs)
Early Readers (4 - 8 yrs)
Chapter Books (6 - 9 yrs)
Middle Grade (9 - 12 yrs)
Young Adult (12+ yrs)
New Adult (18 - 25 yrs)
Graphic Novels (all ages)
Complete Picture Book Package
Every picture book starts as a seed of an idea, and with the right care and attention, it can blossom into a beautifully crafted story. The Blooming Garden package offers everything you need to take your manuscript from its first draft to a fully polished final version. With a blend of developmental editing and copy editing, this package ensures that your story not only grows in depth and impact but is also refined and ready for submission.
The Blooming Garden package is perfect for writers who want their picture book to shine from the inside out. With both developmental and copy editing services, this comprehensive approach nurtures every element of your manuscript, ensuring it flourishes and is ready for the world to see.
Together, we’ll tend to your story’s roots, help it grow strong, and give it the finishing touches that make it bloom into something truly special.
The Blooming Garden—Complete Picture Book Package
What’s Included:
🌸 Full Developmental Edit – A thorough review of your manuscript’s structure, narrative voice, characterisation, pacing, themes, and overall impact. We’ll work together to shape your story into its strongest form, addressing any major issues and providing actionable feedback.
🌸 In-Depth Editorial Report – A detailed report outlining suggestions, feedback, and the next steps for your manuscript’s growth.
🌸 Comprehensive Mark-Up – An in-line edit that includes feedback throughout your manuscript, giving you clear guidance on what works and what can be improved.
🌸 Copy Editing – A final polish to your manuscript’s language, ensuring clarity, flow, and consistency. This includes fixing grammar, punctuation, spelling, and word choice, so your manuscript is as clean and professional as possible.
🌸 Final Review – A last look to ensure that all the elements of your picture book come together seamlessly and are ready for submission, publication, or the next step in your creative journey.
🌸 Optional Addition—One-Hour Virtual Meeting
Elevate your editing experience by adding a personalised one hour virtual meeting to discuss feedback, ask questions, and gain deeper insights into strengthening your manuscript.
MANUSCRIPT ASSESSMENT
Every story starts as a seed, full of potential. A manuscript assessment provides the insight and guidance needed to help it grow.
A manuscript assessment (also called a critique) is an in-depth evaluation of your story as a whole. It focuses on big-picture elements like structure, pacing, character development, voice, and theme—without marking up your text line by line. Instead of corrections, you’ll receive feedback highlighting strengths, pinpointing areas for growth, and offering clear, actionable feedback to help you refine your story.
Whether you have a first draft in need of direction or a polished manuscript ready for fresh perspective, a critique can help you shape your work into its strongest form.
Let’s nurture your story and help it bloom.
Sprout Assessment
Partial Manuscript Assessment of up to 5000 words
Available in Three Options
🌸 Written Feedback Only – Receive detailed, insightful feedback on your chosen chapter, scene, or specific topic up to 5000 words (e.g., world-building, character development, tone) via a thorough editorial report, offering guidance to help your story bloom.
🌸 One-Hour Virtual Meeting Only – Spend an hour with me diving into the chosen section of your manuscript up to 5000 words. Whether it’s a chapter, scene, or a key topic, we’ll discuss your work in detail, and you’ll have the chance to ask questions and receive personalised feedback.
🌸 Written Feedback + One-Hour Virtual Meeting – A comprehensive approach. Get a detailed editorial report on your chosen section (up to 5000 words), followed by a one-hour virtual meeting to discuss the feedback and explore ways to nurture your story’s growth.
Together, we’ll shape your story’s next steps and set it on the path to full bloom.
Seedling Assessment
Full Manuscript Assessment of your complete manuscript
Available in Three Options
🌸 Written Feedback Only – Receive thoughtful, in-depth feedback on your manuscript via a detailed editorial report, offering guidance to help your story bloom.
🌸 One-Hour Virtual Meeting Only – Dive into your manuscript with me in a one-hour virtual session. You’ll get personalised feedback based on my reading, plus a chance to ask questions and discuss your story’s growth.
🌸 Written Feedback + One-Hour Virtual Meeting – A holistic approach. Receive a detailed editorial report to nurture your manuscript, followed by a one-hour virtual meeting where we can discuss the feedback and explore how to help your story flourish.
Let’s cultivate your creative vision together and watch it grow.
DEVELOPMENTAL EDITING
Every story needs strong roots to grow. A developmental edit looks at the foundation of your manuscript—voice, structure, pacing, character development, plot, setting, and themes—ensuring that every element works together to create a compelling, cohesive story.
This is the first and most transformative stage of the editing process, focusing on the big-picture elements that shape your manuscript. Through an in-depth editorial report and thoughtful comments throughout your pages, you’ll receive clear, actionable guidance to refine your story and strengthen its impact.
Whether your manuscript needs reshaping, deepening, or fine-tuning, a developmental edit helps it grow to its fullest potential—ready to resonate with young readers.
Together, we can help your story grow and flourish.
Full Bloom Developmental Edit—COMPLETE MANUSCRIPT
🌸 Full Developmental Edit – Dive deep into the heart of your manuscript. With this comprehensive edit, you'll receive a detailed editorial report, along with your manuscript marked up with in-depth feedback and suggestions. From structure and pacing to character development and themes, I’ll guide you through every key aspect of your story, helping it evolve and bloom into its best form.
🌸 Add a One-Hour Virtual Meeting – Want to discuss the feedback directly? Add a one-hour virtual meeting to go through the report, ask questions, and clarify any thoughts about your manuscript’s next steps. Together, we’ll explore how to nurture your story and take it to the next level.
Let’s work together to cultivate your story into something truly remarkable.
Reading services
Tailored reading services provide constructive feedback at crucial stages of your manuscript's development, helping you shape your story and refine the reader experience to ensure it resonates and captivates.
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An alpha reader reviews the first draft of your manuscript, offering feedback on its structure, plot, character development, and overall direction. This type of reading is crucial for early-stage revisions and can be done as a full manuscript review or in chapter chunks with five targeted questions to focus the feedback
I will read your full or part alpha-manuscript.
I will answer five questions submitted by you prior to reading, in a written report.
Unlimited email support during the project
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A beta reader reviews an unreleased copy of your completed manuscript, providing valuable feedback. While alpha readers focus on the first draft, beta readers offer insights on anything from early drafts to fully polished manuscripts or even advance reader copies (ARCs). Beta reading can be done for the entire manuscript or in chapter chunks, with five targeted questions to guide the feedback.
I will read your full or part beta-manuscript.
I will answer five questions submitted by you prior to reading, in a written report.
Unlimited email support during the project
Your Story Deserves to Blossom
Invest in your writing career and give your story the care it needs to flourish. With expert guidance tailored to your unique voice and goals, together we’ll cultivate a manuscript that captivates, inspires, and stands out in the competitive literary landscape.
Ready to nurture your writing journey? Let’s grow something extraordinary.
Don’t see a package above that suits? Build your own tailored editing and coaching package.
Get in touch now!
MEET YOUR EDITOR
Rachel Vine is a librarian, story coach, and developmental editor based in Boorloo (Perth, WA). With a background in education, children’s librarianship, and postgraduate study in Editing, Publishing, and Children’s Literature, she brings both heart and craft to every story she touches.
Through her boutique editing house, Wildflower Editorial, and her podcast Likely Stories, Rachel supports authors of children’s and youth fiction to grow their manuscripts from tender seedling to full bloom. She also curates bespoke book recommendations for young readers through Story Seeds, where she blends her librarian know-how with her love of magical storytelling.
She believes in the quiet power of words, the wonder of a well-told tale, and the kind of stories that plant roots in young readers’ hearts.
Rachel works from a book-filled office shared with three distractingly handsome cats, a stack of half-drunk teas, and her quietly brilliant husband, who tolerates her ever-growing book collection and occasionally joins her for moonlit plotting sessions.