Developmental Editing

Developmental Editing

You’ve finished your draft! But does your story work? It’s time to find out with developmental editing.

With developmental editing, we will dig into your manuscript and provide you with detailed feedback on what is working, what isn’t, and suggestions about what to do next.

RESERVE MY CALENDAR SPACE

All of our services include the added value of two editors.

Thanks to our different backgrounds, genders, interests, and experiences, we bring very different things to the table. Teamwork allows our clients to reap the benefits of much more diverse input than can typically be achieved by a single editor.

Randy and Laura were fast, efficient, and gave me useful feedback. They were friendly, easy to work with, and when they showed me what didn’t work in the story, I didn’t feel like I was being berated for being a bad writer, nor did I feel like he was trying to show off that he knew more than I did about story writing – a problem I’ve consistently found with unprofessional’s giving me feedback on my writing. I left our last session excited to work on my story, not burdened with having so much to fix. The clear goal I have for my story is thanks to their help and I don’t know if I would have found it without them. I’m seriously thinking of using their developmental editing services to develop my writing even more.

K. Pimpinella, author of The Time Ranger series (Nexus Point and Burning Man)

See More Testimonials

Is Developmental Editing Right For Me?

I have completed my manuscript and know it needs work, but I have no idea where to begin.

Developmental editing is a great next step for you. With developmental editing, we will dig into your story and identify what works, what doesn’t, and what you can do next.

My book is great. I have been working on it for years and it is ready for show time. At this point, I am not interested in making any major changes.

A beta reader might be a better fit for what you are looking for. Our developmental editing services are designed to be heavy on actionable feedback and suggestions. If you feel your story is ready for publication, then this service would not be a good investment for you.

I have already self-published or queried my book, but I am not getting the kind of feedback I had hoped for. Is developmental editing right for me?

Yes! While marketing and luck definitely play a role in these challenges, we can help you dig into your story and see if there are any issues that might be the source of the problem.

I feel good about my story, but I need someone to fix my spelling and grammar.

What you are looking for is called “copyediting”. If you plan to traditionally publish, your publisher will take care of this for you. If you plan to self-publish, you will need to take care of this step yourself. While you can hire someone to fix the spelling and grammar, we are big fans of ProWritingAid. Their software is phenomenal, and will catch the majority of your spelling and grammatical issues.

I plan to traditionally publish.

While traditional publishers will have your book developmentally edited in-house, you may need to work with a freelance editor first to get your manuscript submission accepted. If you feel good about your manuscript as-is, our advice is to try shopping it around. If your manuscript gets picked up by an agent or publisher, great! If not, you can contact us for developmental editing so that we can help you present your best manuscript during your next round of querying.

I plan to self-publish.

Developmental editing is a crucial step for self-publishing authors. While traditional publishers will have your book developmentally edited in-house, self-publishing authors should contract a developmental editor to make sure their stories work.

Products and Pricing

We offer two options for developmental editing to ensure your investment matches your needs.

Level 1 Developmental Edit

$0.036

/word

Perfect for a first look at your global story

✓ Full manuscript read

✓ A written report that details story and structure analysis

✓ Detailed analysis of what is working and what isn’t

✓ Suggestions on structure and solutions to problems we’ve identified.

✓ A two-hour Zoom call to discuss your manuscript and report

✓ 30 days of email support for manuscript and report questions

✗ Notes and feedback on each chapter

✗ Manuscript comments

RESERVE MY CALENDAR SPACE

Level 2 Developmental Edit

$0.046

/word

Great for a deeper analysis of your scenes and story

✓ Full manuscript read

✓ A written report that details story and structure analysis

✓ Detailed analysis of what is working and what isn’t

✓ Suggestions on structure and solutions to problems we’ve identified.

✓ A two-hour Zoom call to discuss your manuscript and report

✓ 30 days of email support for manuscript and report questions

✓ Notes and feedback on each chapter

✓ Manuscript comments

RESERVE MY CALENDAR SPACE

“Randy is a quiet professional. His imagination is limitless, but he constrains it with a rigorous writing and editing process that is a proven model for success. I set out to write a story that was layered and complex, but still with room for the reader to set off on their own journey. Without Randy guiding me each step of the way, it would have gone off the rails. Every single recommendation he gave was spot on and I couldn’t be more grateful for his honesty, integrity, and creativity.”

Jeff Tiegs, author of Where Have All the Heroes Gone?

See More Testimonials

Not ready to commit?

To find out if our advice can help you write your best book, we offer a free discovery call for full-length manuscripts. Request yours today!

Request a Free Discovery Call