Developmental Edit
You've finished a draft of your book. You've had beta readers take a look. You've revised it. But now you're so close to the trees, you can't see the forest. Maybe your manuscript needs a structural overhaul. Maybe it would benefit from refining characters and strengthening plot — but how? Dev edit to the rescue!
A developmental edit aims to bolster the architecture of your story and sharpen your execution of it. In a dev edit, I deliver thorough big-picture feedback along with manuscript edits filled with actionable suggestions to take your draft to the next level.
A developmental edit begins with a discussion between client and editor and a look at your synopsis. Once I understand your vision for the project, I assess the manuscript by examining plot, structure, point of view, character development, voice, writing style, marketability, and more. A dev edit entails a full mark-up of your manuscript with queries pointing out issues, gems, and opportunities for improvements, along with text edits suggesting important corrections.
A dev edit done right is an explicit road map for your path toward revision.
Details
Deliverables
- Annotated manuscript with margin comments and text edits (Track Changes in Microsoft Word, .doc)
- Editorial letter explaining my feedback and recommendations (10-15 pages on average, .pdf)
Cost
$0.04 per word, starting at 35,000 words. The minimum cost for a developmental edit is $1,400, applicable to lower word counts.
Turnaround
4 to 8 weeks, depending on word count
What Clients Say
"Jenny is the writer whisperer. Her personal approach to the developmental edit allowed me to see gaps in my writing in a way that made sense in my head! Working with her helped me break the overwhelming undertaking of writing a novel into smaller, achievable steps."
"As soon as Jenny and I had our first Zoom meeting, I knew I had made the right choice in editors. Jenny laid out her process clearly, stuck to our agreed upon schedule, and delivered first-rate edits, which were thoughtful and provided the perfect road map for moving forward with my memoir manuscript."
"I am a new writer working on my very first novel. I am so glad I enlisted Jenny’s services for a developmental edit of my manuscript! Her suggestions were excellent and gave me great ideas for how to trim certain areas and flesh out others. I appreciate that she also took time to meet with me at the beginning and end of the project to discuss my goals as a writer, the themes in my work, and insights into the publishing world. Jenny is prompt, professional, and a genuine pleasure to work with."
"We are truly grateful for Jenny’s guidance and enthusiastic support as she edited the first manuscript of our debut thriller. The insight, candor, and constructive criticism she provided was exactly what we needed to turn our draft into a book worthy of publication."