The Rhetoricians can help you with a variety of writing tasks, from proofing and editing drafts to writing entire documents (when ethically appropriate)

The Rhetorician has worked in the publishing industry, reviewing, rejecting, and accepting manuscripts for publication. I have assisted authors in developing content, designed and made covers, did page layout work, scanned and inserted visuals, prepared table of contents and index sections, proofed and edited content to identify and fix problems in grammar, syntax, usage, spelling and punctuation, and arranged for printing and binding.

The Rhetorician charges between $40 and $80 per hour for work on book manuscripts. The rate is variable, depending on the nature of the work and what needs to be done. I charge more for some tasks at a set rate, and there is room for negotiation on others. Discounts also apply in some situations. For work on book length manuscripts, The Rhetorician asks you to send a few pages to get some idea of your skill as a writer and how much time it takes to identify, analyze, and fix issues. From there I can give you a fairly accurate estimate of what it will cost to cover the whole manuscript. If you are satisfied with the initial work and decide to move forward with the whole manuscript, the time I spent on the diagnostic pages will be folded into your final bill. If you decide to keep looking for someone else, there is no charge for my preliminary work. However, if you ultimately use or incorporate any language I developed or created for you, I would like to be paid for it.

In recent years, many people have preserved personal and family memories by writing them down and putting them into book form. The Rhetorician has helped many clients prepare personal and family histories for limited edition publication. I assist authors in developing content, and in some cases actually interview people to record their stories and then transcribe and edit that material to produce text for the book. I have graduate school training in Oral Narrative, and I know what questions to ask to trigger memories. I designed and made covers, did all page layout work, scanned and inserted visuals, prepared table of contents and index sections, provided comprehensive editing to identify and fix problems in grammar, syntax, usage, spelling and punctuation, and arranged for printing and binding.

Work on personal and family histories is charged at the same rate as general book manuscripts. Base is $40 per hour.

Sadly, most obituaries are filled with clichés, stock phrases, and generalizations, like “enjoyed hunting and fishing,” that very inadequately capture the personality and character of those who have passed. Details, cases, and examples from life are what give vitality to memorials to the dead and help others understand the depth of their loss. . The Rhetorician uses material provided by family members or obtained through conversations with them to honestly capture essential components of the life and character, as well as key defining moments in a narrative of the desired length. I can take into account philosophical or religious perspectives, and incorporate poetry or scripture as well. The Rhetorician can also suggest moving and appropriate tombstone epigrams and inscriptions—beyond the standard clichés, like “R.I.P.” –derived from sacred scriptures (of any faith), literature, or other sources that were meaningful to the deceased, or even memorable words and axioms of the individual him or herself.

Most obituaries can be done at a flat rate of $100. Longer and more complicated obituaries are charged at an hourly rate of $40. Discounts available. Ask.

The Rhetorician can also help with other special occasion writing, such as speeches or prayers.

Quick! You’ve got one minute or less to sell yourself to a potential employer and get them to invite you to an interview. Job application documents, such as resumes, CV’s, cover letters, and portfolios, have the important function of selling yourself to a prospective employer. You usually have less than a minute to make your case in an initial sort into the “reject” or “read some more” stacks. The Rhetorician has helped many job seekers prepare application packages by providing feedback on how they have represented themselves, identifying problematic features, suggesting revisions, and fixing problems in grammar, syntax, usage, spelling, and punctuation. The Rhetorician can update, revise, rewrite, and rearrange the details of your education and work experience to present you in the best possible light. There is no one correct way to format and write a resume, but each profession and field has fairly uniform expectations of what they like to see and how they like the material formatted.

Most resumes can be done for a flat rate of $100. Work on longer and more complicated employment documents is charged at a rate of $40 per hour.

The Rhetorician has served on several university admission committees and read thousands of applications. He has also been the director of the external scholarships office at a major university, connecting students with scholarship opportunities, advising them in the preparation of their applications, reviewing their application packages for appropriate content, and checking for problems in grammar, syntax, usage, spelling, and punctuation. I will not write content for you, but I can review and edit your applications and make content suggestions.

Most application reviews can be done at a flat rate of $100. Longer and more complicated packages are charged at an hourly rate at $40.

While teaching at several major universities and many community colleges, The Rhetorician taught students how to write papers, and then read drafts of those papers to offer suggestions about how to improve them, and then graded the finished work. I have worked with students from all disciplines and from high school seniors (taking college classes) to graduate students writing master theses and doctoral dissertations. I will not write your papers for you, but I can make commentary and suggestions about content, organization, and development, and proof or edit for grammar, syntax, usage, spelling, and punctuation.

Most academic services are charged at a flat rate of $40 per hour.

The Rhetorician has worked with many small businesses to assist in the as expansion, development, revision, clarification, or updating of existing manuals or documents or the drafting and writing of original needed documents, including:

• Marketing materials
• Blog content writing
• Business plans
• Training manuals
• Progress reports
• Final reports
• Manuals
• Federal and state compliance documents
• Operations and safety manuals (OEM)

The Rhetorician is on call 24/7 to quickly proofread and edit documents that are due immediately. Most small business communication services are charged at a flat rate of $40 per hour

The Rhetorician prepares content for custom engraved plaques and other recognition and award products available through First Class Engraving, located in Boise, Idaho.

Products include:

• Missionary plaques
• Trophies
• Engraved marriage, anniversary, birthday, etc gifts
• Name plates
• Electrical panel labels
• Engraved quotes or aphorisms. An “aphorism” is a short, terse, statement of truth