Developmental Editing
Does Your Book Need Rewriting?
A developmental editor can help you!
Imagine. You finally place that elusive last period. You cross your arms and sit back, looking dreamily at the words “THE END.” Now, you hire a proofreader, and you’re set for success.
Not so fast.
Publishers receive cartloads of submissions per week, and they turn down most of them. In their hunt for the next bestseller, acquisitions editors consider only the manuscripts that will move, engage, and stir the reader. And to have such an impact, the book must stand like a fortress above the water.
As a writer, you’re so close to your story that you overlook holes and inconsistencies that might confuse or annoy your reader.
Maybe the structure of your nonfiction book is illogical, making the whole thing confusing or amateurish. Or perhaps your novel’s protagonist lacks motivation, and your plot is simply pulling her through your storyline.
Agents and publishers notice these things within minutes. A developmental editor can save you the embarrassment.
What is a developmental editor?
de·vel·op·men·tal _ ed·i·tor
noun
Someone who knows their stuff and helps you turn your manuscript into something awesome.
Developmental editor or rewriting service?
Developmental editors catch and fix problems on a grand scale—flaws that concern the entire story—and help you rewrite your book.
Developmental editors ensure your story will be a great read before a copyeditor zooms in on details like grammar and punctuation. Often, they’ll recommend revising huge parts of your book, but you can be sure the result will be rewarding. In the end, your book will be solid, well motivated, and well structured.
In the role of developmental editor, I wouldn’t rewrite for you, but guide you in the process of rewriting your books. I would perform structural edits throughout your manuscript to help you get started on your rewrite.
If you need me to rewrite your book for you, let’s talk.
If your story is great, but there are issues at the sentence level (for example, your formality register doesn’t match your target audience, or your sentences are passive and cluttered), you can hire me as a line editor.
Niels is a capable and enthusiastic editor. He’s great at managing projects and will improve any manuscript that comes his way.
~ Matthew Bennett, writer and editor, specialized in developmental editing.
Developmental editing, line editing, and copyediting — One package
If you need copyediting (editing for consistency, spelling, and grammar) or line editing (rewriting at the sentence level—the heaviest kind of copyediting) as well as developmental editing, I can offer you a package deal. Book a free discovery call to have a chat about it!
I do, however, recommend hiring a separate proofreader to check your PDF after typesetting. One editor will seldom accomplish a completely error-free product, and a fresh set of eagle eyes can help catch the last issues.
(Images: 1) “Book” by Kamil Porembiński is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0; 2) “Book shop” by Sue Langford is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0).
