What is a developmental edit?
A developmental edit is a deep analysis of your manuscript. Unlike a copy edit or line edit, which focus on grammar and punctuation, a developmental edit looks at narrative arc, character development, structure, pacing, and overall readability, down to the scene level.
Whether you’re planning to self-publish or preparing to query literary agents, working with a professional developmental editor will help refine your story’s structure, pacing, and character development.
What’s included:
30 to 40 page editorial report examining genre conventions, point of view, character arcs, and more.
Inline comments on your manuscript including scene structure breakdowns
Two 60-minute calls
30 days of email support.
Pricing
$0.03 per word
100,000 words = $3,000
A 20% deposit is required to hold your date.
The remaining cost may be divided into up to 5 monthly payments.
Is your draft ready for a developmental edit?
A developmental edit is a big investment, so you should make your manuscript is in pretty good shape before moving forward.
You're probably ready if:
You’ve finished at least one round of revision on your own.
You want notes on every scene, not just the big picture.
You’ve workshopped your story with a critique group or beta readers, but something isn’t working.
You’re confident in your stories direction, but ready to ensure each element is as strong as it can be.
Not quite there yet?
Start with a Manuscript Evaluation and fix the big-picture issues first.
Why pay for a developmental edit?
Editing before you query
The quality of your manuscript can impact your ability to secure representation. Agents look for signs of a strong story in your query letter and read a few pages before deciding whether to request more.
If you’re getting requests for full submissions, but no offers of representation, it could be a sign that the rest of your book isn’t as strong as your opening pages. A developmental edit can help identify what’s working and what needs improvement.
Editing before you self-publish
When you self-publish, you are responsible for the quality of your finished product. Industry standards usually begin with a developmental edit, followed by line editing, copy editing and proofreading.
Substantive edits ensures the later stages of editing are as effective as possible. There’s no sense changing the word choice in scenes that won’t end up in your final draft. Developmental edits ensure your story elements are working first.
“Leah is fantastic and really puts everything she’s got into her work. There was so much she provided about my work that it was overwhelming, but it has given me so much to work with moving forward and my project will be greatly improved because of it. 10/10 would recommend.”