What's a Developmental Editor?

Developmental editing is all about the big picture. This is the edit that comes first when you start your book on its journey. You also see it called “substantive edit”, “structural edit”, or “content edit”, especially in nonfiction.

What Does a Developmental Editor Do?

A developmental editor (DE) analyzes your manuscript and provides you with guidance on potential revisions to make it stronger. This includes:

• Story structure

• Character development

• Manuscript Coherence

Are there plot holes? Do things make sense in the order you have them in, or might they work better in a different order? Should you consider a different opening scene?

Are your characters well-developed and making consistent decisions? Does a character suddenly appear or disappear from the book?

Is the manuscript meeting genre expectations?

When Should You Use a Developmental Editor?

A developmental editor (DE) comes in at the beginning of your book’s publishing journey. This way, when they make suggestions about changes, moving scenes, or even cutting things, you haven’t already paid to have other work done.

Should You Hire a Developmental Editor?

Not every writer needs every kind of editor, but a developmental editor is one type of editor I would argue every writer should use. And I’m not just saying that because I am one!

Think of a DE as a completely neutral pair of fresh eyes who will tell you the truth about your book. Does it still need work? Is it the greatest piece of writing since Atlas Shrugged? You may not trust your parents, your partner, or your best friend to give you their unbiased opinion, but that’s what a DE does. They’ll let you know if your manuscript needs more work before you get it published, and what that work should specifically be.

Can’t I Use AI for That?

As AI tools get better, there are some aspects of DE work that an AI can do. I haven’t had a chance to try ​AutoCrit​ yet, but I recently listened to a really interesting ​podcast​ with Alexa Bigwarfe and AutoCrit’s Katherine Graham on their latest AI tools. Is AutoCrit going to put me out of a job? No. But they (and I’m sure other companies) are coming up with tools that will help you do things like judge how well your manuscript connects to genre expectations- excellent if you’re starting a book in a genre that’s new to you. Are you writing at the appropriate reading level? ​ProWritingAid​ is great for that too. What AI isn’t going to replace is human judgement, which is at the heart of developmental editing.

Finding the DE Who’s Right for You

Where do you find developmental editors? Try the EFA’s Membership Directory, NAIWE’s Directory, talk to your writer friends and see if they’ve used someone they’d recommend. You can also go on LinkedIn or social media platforms, though that can be a little hit-and-miss.

Check out their websites. Make sure they are open to working in your genre. Some editors are very specific about what they work in, while others work with a broad range. If they have a blog or post videos on social media, check them out. What vibes do you get?

In my opinion, a big part of what makes an excellent writer/DE relationship is personality. Writing is a pretty personal experience and you’re going to be collaborating with someone – maybe closely – on your writing. Shouldn’t you like that person? Enjoy their sense of humor? Feel like you mesh well somehow?

Their website should also tell you if they offer free “Discovery Calls.” Think of this as a “getting to know you” call. On the phone or video chat, talk about your project and ask the editor questions.

Do they offer sample edits? Many DEs will do a sample edit of a few pages to give you a feel for their style to help you decide if they are a good match for you, and if you are a good match for them.

What Does a DE Charge?

This can depend on a lot of things: the editor’s years of experience, and the amount of time the project will take among them. Some editors charge per word, per hour, or at a flat rate.

You can go to the Editorial Freelancers Association’s 2024 Rates Chart to get an idea of some average costs. These aren’t set rates or industry standards, but average costs based on surveys done in the winter of 2023 to find the average rates freelancers charge in a range of specialities. So you might consider them rough guidelines when you start your budgeting.

Other Things to Think About

One thing you want to remember is that you don’t want to pay bargain basement prices, because a lot of times you get what you pay for. You also shouldn’t expect an immediate turnaround time if you have a large project. Wanting the editor to spend two days on something that took you two months or longer to write isn’t realistic and means that you won’t be getting quality work back.

Generally a DE will send you back your manuscript with notes in the comments field (though not always). They will always send you something creatively called a developmental letter. This is the real meat of a developmental edit. In it, you see what the DE identifies as some of your manuscript’s strengths and weaknesses, as well as suggestions for making those weaknesses stronger. There should always be specific places in the manuscript identified. Sometimes that means saying something like Page 5, paragraph 2, sentence 3. I usually turn on the Number Lines function in Words and then refer to the Line # in my letters.

Some DEs will add a phone or video call to go over questions the author has. I always do this and find it to be the best part of the edit. I go over anything the author is unsure of, we’ll talk about potential solutions that have occurred to me since writing the letter, see what works for the writer and why, and it can often end up as a helpful brainstorming session for them.

Are you looking for a developmental editor or writing coach? Contact me and let’s talk about your project!