Developmental editing is the first step in the editing process, and it solves the big-picture storytelling issues in your manuscript.

It is the first kind of editing authors should look for after they have completed self-editing their story. If  you are not sure what kind of editing your manuscript needs, learn more information about the different kinds of editing.







What is developmental editing?
​Free sample edits
The developmental editing process
4 reasons to hire a developmental editor
Cost

What is developmental editing?
​The developmental editor addresses the manuscript’s strengths and weaknesses and provides comprehensive feedback on the following issues:

• theme
• story structure
• characters (goals, motivations, conflict, character development)
• point of view
• pacing
• setting
• genre conventions
• scene vs narrative summary (show vs tell)
• dialogue

The editor states the issue, explains the reason and provides solutions (margin comments) on each page of the manuscript document. The editor also provides an editorial report to further guide the author. 

Free sample edits
Most editors (especially copy editors and proofreaders) offer sample edits. However, it is difficult for developmental editors to offer sample edits because the big-picture issues of a manuscript can cover several pages or chapters.

My solution is to ask authors to send me their completed manuscripts. I read chapters from the beginning, middle and end of the manuscript to get a general idea of the story and identify potential issues. I perform a free sample edit on the first 1,000 words of their manuscript (4-5 pages).

I explain to the authors that the purpose of the sample edit is to:

• assess the author’s writing style, and identify the manuscript’s structure and potential big-picture storytelling issues.
• set scope expectations and ensure that my style of feedback aligns with what the author is looking for. I might leave more comments in my sample edit than I would on the full manuscript to ensure clarity and context. Authors can typically expect 3-5 comments per page on their completed manuscript.

The developmental editing process
First read-through
The editor reads the entire manuscript as quickly and as comfortably as possible to gain a general understanding of the story and to write down basic information about each scene (e.g viewpoint characters, location, main story events) and their initial impressions of the story.

Edit the manuscript
The editor reads the entire manuscript the second time slowly and carefully and performs the actual edit of the story. The editor provides margin suggestions (comments) using the Track Changes in Microsoft Word and takes extensive notes regarding the big-picture issues of the story in an editorial report.

Review and send documents
The editor reviews all of the edits and suggestions in the manuscript and finishes writing the editorial report. Finally, the editor sends the Microsoft Word documents (the edited manuscript and the editorial report) to the author. 

Author review
The author reviews the documents and asks any questions they have to the editor usually through email or video call.

4 reasons to hire a developmental editor
You have no idea how to further improve your manuscript
Hire a developmental editor to help you unlock your story’s full potential, provide honest feedback and help you improve your manuscript.

Make sure you have a strong story premise
If you want to make sure that you have an interesting story with compelling characters, ask the developmental editor to provide constructive feedback and help you strengthen the premise of your story.

You are trying something new or you are a new author
Are you writing in a new genre, trying a dual point of view for the first time or is this the first time you completed a draft?  Editing is a learning process and the feedback the developmental editor provides helps you improve your writing craft.

You have not received any offers from publishers/agents
Note down common issues that the agents mentioned in their rejection letters such as lack of character development, slow pacing or inconsistent point of view. Discuss these issues with a developmental editor and ask them to focus their suggestions and feedback on them.

Cost
How much does developmental editing cost? This is perhaps the most frequently asked question authors ask editors.
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Developmental editing services are typically more expensive than copyediting and proofreading services because of the intensive feedback the editor provides to the author’s manuscript.

Every editor’s circumstances are different and the cost of the service depends on a lot of factors such as the manuscript’s turnaround time and the editor’s training and experience.

You can look at the editorial rates of different editing services at the EFA’s editorial rates and estimate how much a service can cost. The rates published on the website can give the author a rough idea of what the cost of developmental editing for an editing project might be. Actual editorial rates may vary. 

As a new developmental editor, I offer significantly lower rates than those the EFA proposes. Remember that every editing project is unique. Contact editors and get a no-obligation quote based on the specific needs of your manuscript. 

I am ready to discuss my book and the editing service I need. How do I do that?
Check out my editing services and fill in this form to contact me. I will respond to you as soon as possible with a customised quote!

Further reading
What is developmental editing (vs other kinds of editing)?
How to find the right editor for your fiction story
9 important questions editors ask authors before working with them

What is developmental editing? 
Developmental editing is the first step in the editing process. Developmental editors help authors improve the big-picture storytelling issues of their stories.
​
Developmental editing addresses big-picture storytelling issues such as:

• theme
•  story structure
• characters (goals, motivations, conflict, character development)
• point of view 
• pacing
• setting
• genre conventions
• show vs tell
• dialogue

Developmental editors write margin suggestions (comments) in the manuscript itself to explain their edits and suggest solutions to the authors. They also make notes in a separate document (often called an editorial report or a revision letter) to guide the author.




4 reasons to hire a developmental editor:
You have no idea how to further improve your manuscript
Make sure you have a strong story premise
You are trying something new or you are a new author
You have not received any offers from publishers/agents

You have no idea how to further improve your manuscript
You have revised and edited your manuscript as much as you can on your own. You have improved your story to the best of your abilities but you have no idea how to further improve your story. You are stuck.

The solution is to hire a professional developmental editor to help you unlock your story’s full potential. The developmental editor will provide objective, constructive and honest feedback about the big-picture storytelling issues of your story and help you improve your manuscript.

Make sure you have a strong story premise
You have finished your manuscript and you have a completed draft after multiple revisions. Now, it’s time to hire a professional editor to look at it and make sure that you have a strong and compelling story premise.

If you worry about specific storytelling issues or have any questions about your story, you can ask your editor to focus on these particular big-picture storytelling issues while they are editing your story. 

Keep in mind that you should never be the only person who has read your story before publishing your story and that hiring a professional editor is the best solution for the big-pictures storytelling elements of your story.

If you are budget-conscious, exchange stories with critique partners and improve your manuscript based on their feedback before hiring a professional editor. If you can’t afford a full developmental edit, you can request beta reading or manuscript critique services.

You are trying something new or you are a new author
Are you trying something new in your story e.g dual point of view or is this the first time you completed a draft?

As a new author, editing is a learning process where you can also apply the feedback the editor provides to your next stories and improve your writing craft. Therefore, hiring a professional editor is an investment that is worth it for the improvement of your story and the advancement of your writing career. 

An investment doesn’t necessarily mean hiring an expensive editor. There are many editors to choose from nowadays. Do your research and find the right editor for your book.

You have not received any offers from publishers/agents
You have submitted your story to multiple publishers or agents and haven’t received any offers yet. Look at the feedback the publishers and the literary agents discussed in their rejection letters. Note down common issues such as lack of character development, slow pacing or inconsistent point of view. Then, discuss your manuscripts’ storytelling issues with a developmental editor.

The developmental editor will specifically address these issues and suggest solutions to improve them. As a result, your manuscript will be ready for publication and you will receive multiple offers by publishers and literary agents.

I am ready to discuss my book and the editing service I need. How do I do that? 
Check out my editing services and fill in this form to contact me. I will respond to you as soon as possible with a customised quote!
​
Further reading
What is developmental editing?
How to find the right editor for your fiction story?
9 important questions editors ask authors before working with them