Developmental Edit

The aim of a developmental edit is to help you address the big picture issues in your story.  I provide an in-depth analysis of the key features in a novel. You can also pair it with a manuscript critique when you want multiple rounds of feedback.

This is great for digging deep into the key elements of storytelling including: 

  • characterization and motivation

  • character arc

  • plot and pacing

  • theme

  • point of view 

  • dialogue

  • story structure

  • genre and market expectations 

  • balancing historical details and background with an emotionally compelling storyident you are on the right track after you have received feedback and applied your new skills

What it is not good for: 

  • Incomplete manuscripts 

  • Lots of sentence-level tweaks and pruning

  • Fixing grammar or punctuation 

What you will receive:

  1. A detailed letter of ~10-15 pages describing the strengths and weaknesses of your story including suggestions and examples for revision 

  2. A marked-up manuscript with comments and suggestions in the margins using the Microsoft word comment feature

  3. Sentence-level feedback is kept to a minimum unless it is a second-round edit

  4. Feedback is tailored to the needs of each manuscript so additional supporting documents may be included as needed

  5. One call or email to review your questions and help set you up for a successful revision

Investment: $.027 -$.030/USD word (For an 80,000 word manuscript the range is $2160 - $2400 USD)

A firm price quote will be provided after a quick review of the manuscript

Want multiple rounds of feedback? Book a manuscrript critique and a developmental edit together and save $500. Your choice which one comes first. 

*Canadian clients can receive their invoice in CAD

book a free sample edit

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Every manuscript is a bit different and editing time depends on length of the manuscript and the complexity of the edit. Turnaround times for mini edits will generally take about 2 weeks. Manuscript critiques take around 3-4 weeks and a full developmental edit will take 4-5 weeks. Timelines will be included in your estimate and agreed upon in the contract.

  • 1. Send me a message via the contact form or email with details about your project including word count, deadlines, and your publishing goals.

    2. Once I am clear on the right service for you I will request you send the full manuscript in MS Word (industry standard) or in the case of the mini edit, the sample of writing you want edited up to 5000 words. I do need to see a full manuscript in order to give the best estimate.

    3. If you are booking a manuscript critique or full developmental edit I will provide a sample edit on a few pages to make sure we are a good fit. Sample edits are not available for the mini edit.

    4. Along with the sample edit, I will send you an estimate of the cost and timeline.

    5. Once we agree on terms, I will send an invoice for the initial payment. Mini edits require payment in full before work begins, but critiques and developmental edits require 25% of the invoice up front to hold the spot in my schedule.

    6. Once the edit is complete, I will send an invoice for the remainder of the payment along with the edited manuscript.

    7. After reviewing your edits and taking some time to think them over, you will have the opportunity to send me a list of questions which I will answer over email or zoom. This is available for manuscript critiques and full developmental edits only.

  • Yes, of course. Your manuscript is kept secure and confidential. Not sharing work is an essential part of being an editor.

  • Payments can be made directly through the invoice using a credit card. I can also accept direct bank transfers through Wise.

    *Canadian clients can request their invoice in CAD and pay through interac e-transfer.

  • I don’t because reading a manuscript for big pictures issues is quite different from reading it for the nitty gritty types of things that you look for in a copyedit or proofread. My strengths are in crafting great story elements. So that is what I focus on. That said, if I notice some egregious errors you can bet I will point them out. I do tend to notice consistency errors so I often flag those in any edit.

  • I do not include fact checking as part of the editing process. Although I have a background in social science research, I am not an expert on any particular historical time period. I do read a lot of history and historical fiction but that doesn’t quite make me an expert. What I will focus on is how the history is used to enhance the story. And yes, if something strikes me as erroneous I will certainly pop in a question about it so that you can check its accuracy.

  • I do not use AI when editing. My edits are 100% human-powered. I prefer not to work on manuscripts that are substantially written with AI but I don’t have a problem with writers using AI as an assistant for brainstorming, editing, and refining ideas.

  • Yes! I am based in British Columbia, Canada but I work with clients all around the world.