Author · Scholar · Linguist · Editor
Words that illuminate. Scholarship that endures. Stories that challenge the world.
A distinguished playwright, scholar, linguist and academic editor whose literary works explore the human condition — from tragedy and injustice to comedy and biting social satire.
30+
years of experience in writing and editing
Maurice Udom
Professional editing services
Where words are sharpened, ideas refined, and scholarship elevated.
A seasoned Nigerian academic, playwright and linguist offers professional editing of books, research works, scholarly publications and academic papers. Any client anywhere in the world can reach Maurice directly — click, send a message, and work begins.
Rates are quoted in USD with a Naira equivalent shown for convenience (at ≈₦1,550/$1 — subject to change with the exchange rate). Figures are starting points for the stated scope; a final quote is confirmed after reviewing your manuscript's length and complexity.
Comprehensive developmental and line editing for fiction, drama, non-fiction and literary works — from structure to sentence-level refinement.
Register and vocabulary calibrated to your intended readership — from children's fiction to graduate-level scholarship — determined in consultation with you, not left to guesswork.
Full manuscript, up to 70,000 words. Longer manuscripts quoted per additional 1,000 words.
Expert editing of academic research papers, dissertations, theses and technical reports. Clarity, argument flow and citation accuracy guaranteed.
Thesis/paper, up to 8,000 words. Final quote confirmed after review.
Journal articles, academic monographs, conference papers and scholarly manuscripts reviewed and polished for publication.
Journal article, up to 6,000 words. Final quote confirmed after review.
Final-stage correction of grammar, punctuation, spelling, style consistency and formatting before submission or publication.
Per 1,000 words. Final quote confirmed after review.
Critical reading and written feedback on narrative structure, argument strength and overall readability of your manuscript.
Register and vocabulary calibrated to your intended readership — from children's fiction to graduate-level scholarship — determined in consultation with you, not left to guesswork.
Full manuscript assessment. Final quote confirmed after review.
Specialised editing of plays, screenplays and dramatic scripts — dialogue, staging notes, character voice and dramatic flow.
Screenplay, up to 20,000 words. Final quote confirmed after review.
Full-length manuscripts written on your behalf from an outline, interviews or raw notes — memoirs, business books, self-help and nonfiction — in your voice, publish-ready.
Priced from 50,000 words. Includes structured outline, drafting, and up to two rounds of revision. Confidentiality (NDA) available on request. Tier reflects experience level and depth of research/interviews involved.
Based on a 50,000-word manuscript. Final quote depends on word count, research depth and revision rounds — confirmed before work begins.
A written audit of every citation and reference in your thesis, dissertation or article, checked against the style and edition your institution requires: APA, MLA, Chicago, Harvard, OSCOLA and more. Your document is never edited.
Priced by the number of references in your list. Report within 48 hours, as a Word file and a PDF. Your document is never edited. Full details and ordering on the Citation Audit page.
Our process
When you bring a manuscript to Maurice, you should know exactly what will happen to it before it happens. Here is the process, step by step, so there are no surprises.
The default first step whenever a manuscript arrives without a specific request attached. Before anything is changed, the whole work is read and you're told what's actually working and what isn't — structure, character or argument arcs, pacing, chapter order, thematic unity.
You receive: a written or discussed set of findings. No file is touched at this stage — you decide what gets worked on before any editing begins.
Once you've confirmed which findings to act on, this is where structural work happens: restructuring scenes or sections, cutting or adding material, reworking arcs, resolving pacing problems. The deepest and most transformative level of edit.
You receive: a revised manuscript with all developmental changes tracked in red, so every structural change is visible and nothing is altered silently.
With the structure settled, this pass works at the level of sentence and paragraph: rhythm, voice, clarity, redundancy, showing versus telling, transitions — where prose stops merely functioning and starts reading well.
You receive: the manuscript with line-level changes tracked in green.
Grammar, punctuation and conformity to a style guide (Chicago, MLA, APA, or your own house style), along with consistency of names, dates, terminology, hyphenation and numerals throughout.
You receive: the manuscript with copyediting changes tracked in blue.
Done only on the final, formatted file — not the working manuscript — this catches typos, spacing errors, widows and orphans, running heads, page numbers and cross-references before anything goes to print or publication.
You receive: the finished file with proofreading changes marked in deep gold.
Why the color coding matters: every round of editing is delivered as tracked changes, color-coded consistently by level. At a glance, you can see exactly what kind of change was made where, accept or reject anything individually, and never wonder what was touched or why.
One edit at a time, in order: these stages are worked top-down for a reason — there's no point polishing sentences in a chapter that's about to be cut, or proofreading a file that still needs restructuring. If your manuscript only needs one specific level of attention — a line edit, a copyedit — just say so, and Maurice will go straight to it. The full assessment-first process is the default when a manuscript arrives without a specific request, not a mandatory five-step gate.
Separate from editing — where the work is on a manuscript you've already written — ghostwriting is where Maurice writes the manuscript itself, from your ideas, your voice and your material, with your name on the finished work.
Structured conversations, interviews, existing notes, voice memos, outlines — whatever material you already have. The goal is to capture your voice and thinking, not Maurice's.
Before a word of the manuscript is drafted, you approve a full outline or chapter-by-chapter structure, so there are no surprises later.
Written in your voice, using the material gathered in discovery, delivered in sections for your review rather than all at once at the end.
You mark up what doesn't sound like you or doesn't say what you meant — revisions continue until it does.
Ghostwriting arrangements are confidential by default. What's discussed, drafted and delivered stays between you and Maurice unless you choose otherwise.
Ghostwriting suits memoirs, business books, thought-leadership content and any project where the ideas and story are fully yours, but the writing itself needs a professional hand. Not sure whether your project needs editing or ghostwriting? That's a conversation worth having first — message Maurice on WhatsApp and he's happy to help you figure out which one you actually need.
Separate from editing — your document is never changed. Maurice checks every citation and reference in a thesis, dissertation or article against the style and edition your institution requires, and sends you a written report that shows each problem, where it is, and how to fix it.
Sources cited but not listed, and listed but never cited; mismatched names and years; style errors; incomplete entries; whether each reference can be found; and whether you are using the current edition of your style.
APA 7th, MLA 9th, Chicago 18th, Harvard, OSCOLA 5th, Bluebook 22nd, AMA 11th and other styles on request. If your institution requires an older edition, say so and the audit follows it.
Every reference is labelled Verified, Details differ, or Could not verify. No source is called fabricated on a database search alone, and Nigerian and African sources are not marked down because foreign databases miss them.
A Word file and a PDF within 48 hours of payment and receipt of your document: each issue with its location, what you wrote, and what to do. You make the corrections yourself, and a second check is available.
After you correct the issues, send the revised file for a second check at a reduced price. Documents with more than 150 references are priced after Maurice has seen the file.
Your document is used only to prepare your report. The tools used are named openly, sensitive documents can be handled only on Maurice's own computer, and copies are deleted 14 days after delivery.
Prices start from $15, by the number of references in your list. Not sure which size fits your document? Message Maurice on WhatsApp and he will tell you.
Notable editorial work
by Charles Amechi · Editor: Maurice Udom · 866 pages
A hybrid of political biography and the documented record of a President's reforms
A comprehensive editorial pass across a major two-part national volume documenting the speeches and policy record of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's administration — spanning economic reform, fiscal policy, and the broader record of governance in modern Nigeria. The engagement covered full-length developmental review and line editing, citation verification against primary sources, and complete manuscript preparation across 866 pages of scholarly and archival material.
Why choose Maurice
With over 30 years as an academic, playwright and published author, Maurice brings a rare combination of scholarly rigour and literary sensitivity to every editing engagement.
"His editorial eye is extraordinary. He transformed my rough dissertation into a publication-ready manuscript without losing my voice."— PhD Candidate, University of Calabar
"Maurice edited my debut novel with sensitivity and precision. His feedback on structure and character was invaluable."— Debut Novelist, Lagos
"A rare editor who understands both the science of language and the art of storytelling. Highly recommended."— Research Fellow, ABU Zaria
Bibliography
Eight works across tragedy, comedy, drama, fiction and academic reference.
New
Live
Live
Live
NewA compelling work of prose fiction exploring fate, risk and the high-stakes decisions that define the human condition.
Live
2024 Ed.
LiveThe scholar's desk
Browse the academic lecture collections and the assignment submission hub.
Recent lectures
Master the craft of scholarly excellence. Learn structure, clarity, and impact in academic discourse.
Watch lecture →FeaturedBuilding Resilient ChildrenA parent's guide to raising confident kids. Psychological insights for emotional development and resilience.
Watch lecture →Academic WritingThe Thesis Statement: Heart of Your PaperLearn how to craft powerful thesis statements. Master argumentation and set the direction for your entire paper.
Watch lecture →Marriage & RelationshipsCommunication: The Foundation of TrustDiscover how communication shapes relationships. Tools and techniques for deeper connection and understanding.
Watch lecture →ParentingRaising Resilient ChildrenBuild emotional resilience in your kids. Proven strategies for confident, adaptable, strong children.
Watch lecture →PublishingFrom Manuscript to Published AuthorNavigate the publishing journey. Learn strategies that led to multiple successful publications across platforms.
Watch lecture →Literature & WritingThe Evolution of African LiteratureExplore how African voices shape global literature. From tradition to contemporary innovation and impact.
Watch lecture →Insights & essays
Essays, guides and scholarly reflections on language, literature, drama and academic writing.
From pre-colonial oral traditions to contemporary theatrical expression — a scholarly exploration of Nigeria's rich dramatic heritage.
Read Article →Writing Guide · Academic SkillsMaster paragraph unity — keep your paragraphs focused, coherent and powerful. Complete guide with examples.
Read Article →Academic Guide · PublishingChoosing the right journal, preparing your manuscript, navigating peer review, and handling rejection — step by step.
Read Article →Complete Series · 7 Articles · Criminology & Forensic PsychologySeven peer-reviewed research articles tracing the full arc of severe violent crime — from biological vulnerabilities and psychological pathology, through sociological pressures and situational triggers, to the consequences that ripple across generations and the forensic mechanisms through which perpetrators are eventually caught. No single cause. No permanent escape.
Read Full Series →Complete Series · 6 Articles · Forensic PsychologySix peer-reviewed forensic psychology articles exploring how two entirely different brain profiles, emotional states, and pathologies drive two fundamentally different kinds of violent crime — and what that distinction means for investigation, justice, rehabilitation, and society.
Read Full Series →The man behind the words
Maurice Udom's career spans decades of literary creation, academic teaching, and scholarly research — three distinct but intertwined identities in a body of work rare in its breadth.
Decades of rigorous academic work in literature, language and cultural theory across Nigerian tertiary institutions.
Eight published works across drama, satire, comedy and academic reference — each genre mastered with precision.
Author of landmark English language guides shaping communication for thousands of Nigerian students.
"Rather than a maverick, he is a master of each of these literary genres. He can tickle the emotions in tragedy, comedy, drama and prose."— Literary Review
"A William Shakespeare in its embryo — a George Orwell of Animal Farm in the making."— Academic Critic
"His dramas speak beyond the local community to any developing nation where corruption has become the architecture of daily life."— Publisher's Note
Academic & literary authority
Drawing from over 30 years of university-level research and eight published literary works, I provide critical perspectives on the intersection of academic rigour and creative storytelling.
Advanced strategies for literature reviews, thesis structuring, and scholarly editing.
Critical analysis of Nigerian dramatic evolution and theatrical structure.
Practical guidance for authors navigating Selar, Amazon, and global platforms.
Literary mastery
Raw, unsparing explorations of injustice, betrayal and the abuse of power across Africa.
Biting social commentary and human drama — holding a mirror to corruption, greed and the complexities of love.
Landmark reference texts shaping English language education in Nigerian universities and polytechnics.
Works that speak to every developing nation — where resilience and the hunger for justice are universal.
Testimonials
“The Broken Sceptre left me breathless. The way Maurice captures betrayal within a family is both timeless and deeply Nigerian. A must-read for every student of literature.”
“The Golden Home is laugh-out-loud funny yet devastatingly accurate about corruption. Aladima the gatekeeper is one of the most memorable characters in modern Nigerian drama.”
“The Reader's Companion transformed how I teach English to first-year students. Sixteen well-structured chapters covering everything from grammar to essay writing.”
“Udom's range is extraordinary — from tragedy to comedy to academic scholarship. Nigeria has produced a rare master of the literary arts in this man.”
Never miss a release
Be the first to know when Maurice Udom's next drama, play or academic publication drops.
Get the books
Start a conversation
Ready to elevate your manuscript? Fill in your details and hit Send — your message goes directly to Maurice. You get a response within 48 hours.