Native English Fiction Writer to Rewrite Completed Southern Mystery Novel

October 8, 2026

Rewrite of a Completed Southern Mystery Novel (approximately 99,000 words)

I have finished my first novel, a Southern mystery that opens a planned seven-book series, and I need a native English-speaking fiction writer to rewrite it in their own words.

English is my fourth language, so I used artificial intelligence (AI) to help me put the story on the page. The ideas, the characters, the plot and every twist in the mystery are my own, and I am happy with the story. I am not happy with the prose. It reads as AI-written, and I dislike that. I have tried to rewrite it myself, but my versions still come out sounding like AI, which I suspect is because English is not my first language. A native speaker should not have that difficulty.

I do not want to start again from scratch. The full manuscript is complete, so you will have the whole story in front of you. Your task is to rewrite it chapter by chapter, as you would naturally write it, while keeping the heart of the book intact. The finished book should be between 70,000 and 99,000 words, so long-winded chapters may be shortened, merged or removed.

THE STYLE I AM LOOKING FOR

I enjoy the puzzle plotting of Agatha Christie and the wit of Tim Sandlin's "The Pyms." Every clue should be on the page but placed so quietly that it goes unnoticed until the end. Like Christie, the writing should draw the reader in quickly through the place and its people. Like Sandlin, the wit should come mainly through the narrator, and each chapter should carry a message written so cleverly that readers laugh at how foolishly the characters behave, then recognise that they are capable of the same foolishness. The humour is intellectual, and the chapter titles and headings must be funny.

WHAT I NEED FROM YOU

American English throughout, fully correct.

Mature adult fiction, not young adult (YA), with clean language and no rude or coarse words.

Familiarity with rural American life would be a real advantage.

No AI at any stage, including the rewrite features in Grammarly. I will check each chapter with the Pangram AI detector, and any chapter that comes back flagged will need to be redone at no extra charge.

The work must be completed within three months.

COPYRIGHT AND CONFIDENTIALITY

All writing produced for this project, including the sample, every draft and the finished manuscript, will be a work made for hire. The copyright belongs to me alone, and to no one else. I will be credited as the sole author. The manuscript is confidential. The writer I hire will sign a written agreement confirming these terms before receiving it.

BUDGET AND PAYMENT

My budget for the full manuscript is $1,000. If your fee would be higher than that, please tell me what it would cost so that I can consider it. Payment will be made in stages as chapters are delivered and approved.

TO APPLY

Please tell me about your experience with fiction, especially mystery or humour, and include a short sample of your own published or unpublished writing. Shortlisted writers will be sent a 1,000-word passage from the novel to rewrite as a trial. Please also tell me:

your fee for the full manuscript;

how many rounds of revisions your fee includes; and

how long you expect the work to take.

Thank you for reading.

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