In developmental editing, I focus on the overall structure and organization of your text. This form of editing is especially useful if you are struggling to tell a cohesive story; are unsure how to move forward with your project; don’t know how to incorporate feedback from your supervisor, editor, or coauthors; or if you need to reimagine your work for a new genre or format.

This service involves a full manuscript review that assesses areas such as …

• organization within and across sections,

• the overall clarity and precision of the language,

• how the text addresses the knowledge and expectations of your intended audience,

• how well it meets expectations for its genre,

• logical gaps and any missing or incomplete ideas,

• the strategic use of citations and quotations to support your arguments,

• how figures and tables illuminate or obscure the logic of your text, and

• how the overall story you are telling unfolds.

A developmental edit begins with a conversation (by email, phone, or video) about your goals for the project. From there, we will work together to determine your project’s scope, rates, and timeline. Work will begin after you’ve paid a 50% deposit, with the remainder due before delivery of the final edit.

You will receive an annotated version of your text, as well as a summary report and a list of any grammatical and stylistic errors to consider as you revise. Developmental edits do not include language editing (sentence-level corrections). As a communicative and hands-on editor, I stay in touch with my clients until they are satisfied with their work. I will always address any confusion about my revisions or comments for free, and I offer reduced rates for editing of subsequent drafts.

Rates

My rates are determined based on a starting rate of $50 per 1,000 words, with adjustments made for the scale and complexity of each project as well as any add-on services.

For lengthy projects of 20,000 words or more, you’ll receive a sample edit, billed at the agreed-upon rate, after I’ve completed the first 2,000 words, which will give us a chance to make any adjustments before proceeding further.

Need something else?

If you’re interested in developmental editing with a live coaching component, see my coaching services page. For sentence-level editing, consider my language editing services.