What is a developmental edit?
Developmental editing is generally the first part of the editing process. It looks at the “big picture” parts of the story including:
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I specialise in providing this kind of editing for science fiction, fantasy, horror, and mystery fiction. I have experience with a wide variety of stories—from short fiction to ongoing novel series, for both self-published authors and those seeking traditional publication.
Developmental editing is generally the first part of the editing process. It looks at the “big picture” parts of the story including:
- character development
- worldbuilding and setting
- theme
- plots and subplots
- dialogue
- tense and point of view
- pacing
- prose and language
I specialise in providing this form of editing for science fiction, fantasy, and horror. I have experience with a wide variety of stories—from self-published to traditional publishing, and short fiction to ongoing novel series.
A developmental edit is useful if you…
need help revising your manuscript before submitting to agents and editors
are planning to self-publish, and want to ensure your story is as strong as possible first
- need help strengthening the plot, characters, pacing, or structure of your story
have had your work rejected and need help understanding how to improve
have written part of the story and need some help working out how to complete it
are a new writer, or in the early stages of your career, and looking for detailed feedback from an experienced professional
have finished writing and need to know if your story “works” or how to make it stronger
What is included?
† manuscript copy and page-by-page comments only available with standard editing package
What are my qualifications?
- Professional editor with four years of experience
Graduate in English with Creative Writing
Professionally published, SFWA-qualifying author
Former magazine editor
Clarion West alumnus
Experience editing both British and American English
Pricing
Standard
- in depth review of your manuscript
- 10-20 page editorial letter †
- page-by-page feedback
- 2 hours follow-up discussion
Thrifty
- single review of your manuscript
- 10-15 page editorial letter†
- 1 hour follow-up discussion
- perfect for early drafts or writers on a budget
Sample
- a free sample review of the first 5k words of your manuscript
- an email providing one strength, weaknesses, and suggestion
- a great way to make sure I am the right fit for you
† please note that this reflects editing packages for novel-length manuscripts (50k words and up). For short stories, novellas, etc, the rate per word may be higher, and the editorial letter may be slightly shorter. Please contact me for more information, or to get a bespoke quote.
