I truly believe that every manuscript will benefit from developmental edits. This process is a chance for me to really deep dive into your story and look at it the way your reader will. It’s always helpful to get an impartial look at your novel to determine weak points, inconsistencies, errors, and more.

Ask yourself these questions:

• Is your novel as done as it can be?

• Have you already completed at least two drafts of your novel (as in, your first draft, followed by one round of your own revisions)?

If you answered “Yes” to both of these questions, you’re likely ready for developmental editing. Still not sure? Request a quote and I’ll assess your manuscript’s readiness.

When I receive your quote request, I’ll take a look at your sample and assess whether you’re ready for edits. If it looks like we’ll be a good fit, I’ll put together my offer, as well as a sample edit. If you agree that we’re a good match, you’ll accept my offer and we’ll get you on my schedule.

Once the project has officially started and you’ve sent me your final manuscript, I deep dive into it. During this time, you likely won’t hear from me much, as I’m saving all my comments and suggestions for the editorial letter. I don’t offer mid-project updates or check-ins because your job is not to think about the manuscript or work on it in any way. The goal is for you to take a breather and feel fresh when you have my edits in hand.

When I’m done editing, I’ll send everything back to you, then it’s in your hands. I’m happy to answer questions or clarify my thoughts after I’m done editing, but you are responsible for the actual revisions.

Developmental editing can take anywhere from two weeks to six weeks depending on the length of your novel and the level of editing needed. 20,000-word novellas that are very clean might only need two weeks, while 150,000-word novels that are on the rough side might need six weeks. I’ll offer you a turnaround time based on your manuscript and my schedule availability with my quote.

The cost of developmental editing varies based on length of your novel and the level of editing needed. A 20,000-word novella that is very clean might start at $0.02/word, while a 150,000-word novel that is on the rough side might start at $0.04/word. Each quote is tailored to your manuscript.

Absolutely! Every quote comes with a FREE short sample edit so you can better see what my edits will look like. This is a great way to know if we’ll be a good fit.

An editorial letter is a long-form piece that expands on some of the suggestions, thoughts, and comments in my in-line edits. This allows me to draw parallels between different scenes, point out inconsistencies across the entire novel, explain why I changed certain things, and expand upon my overall thoughts. These letters generally range between 3 and 15 pages.

A style sheet is the document that I use while editing to keep track of different elements of your novel. It includes the following:

• A dictionary of spelling choices and proper nouns

• Short character profiles and descriptions

• Timeline references

• Location profiles

• A list of grammatical choices

Style sheets help me, as the editor, make consistent choices throughout your novel, and they can be helpful to you, as the author, too! They might shed light on character description inconsistencies (for instance, if she’s a brunette on page 73 but a redhead on page 217), or on main characters that only have one physical description in the whole novel (which is more common than you might think!). Maybe you spelled your character’s name a few different ways, or your town’s name is punctuated differently throughout. A style sheet will reveal all!

Style sheets are also helpful across a series, as I can make sure that all elements stay consistent throughout each manuscript.

Actually, no! Part of my quoting process involves taking a look at your sample edit and determining whether you’re ready for developmental editing. If I think a different level of editing would be more beneficial to you, I’ll offer that instead, or if I think that you need to keep working on the manuscript before bringing in an editor, I’ll let you know first. It’s not beneficial to you OR me to work on a manuscript that’s not ready for editing.

That’s totally okay! My suggestions are just that—my own suggestions. At the end of the day, this is YOUR story, and you get to make the choices. I’ll do my best to explain WHY I suggest each change, however, so you can make an informed decision.