Developmental Editing That Fixes the Book, Not Just the Sentences

Developmental editing examines the manuscript as a complete book rather than as a sequence of sentences. It considers what the book is trying to do, whether the structure supports that purpose, and how a reader experiences the content. It is the earliest and deepest editorial stage, and it usually leads to real revision rather than a tidy-up.

A developmental edit works at the level of the whole book: structure, argument, pacing and reader experience. Line editing works at the level of the paragraph and the sentence. Copy editing corrects grammar, consistency and style. Proofreading is the final check before print. They run in that order, because there is no sense polishing sentences that a structural revision may remove.

No. A developmental editor diagnoses and advises; the revision is yours to make. Notes and queries come as tracked changes and margin comments you can accept, adapt or reject individually. If you want the writing itself handled for you, that is book writing or ghostwriting, and it is quoted separately.

A written editorial report on the book as a whole, chapter-level or section-level notes, and in-line queries in the manuscript file itself. Your scope will say which of those apply to your project and how long the report is expected to run. A call to talk the findings through is included.

For a full developmental edit, yes. The editor needs to see how the complete book behaves before recommending structural changes, because a problem in chapter four is often caused by something in chapter one. Partial manuscripts can still have a sample edit, a chapter critique or an early structural consultation.

An assessment diagnoses; a developmental edit treats. If you want to know what is wrong and intend to solve it yourself, an editorial assessment or a manuscript critique may be enough. If you want detailed, chapter-by-chapter guidance on how to solve it, that is a developmental edit. We recommend one after reading the material, not before.

Both, with different editors and different criteria. Fiction is read against plot, character motivation, point of view, scene order, pacing and the expectations of its genre. Nonfiction is read against the argument, the chapter sequence, the evidence, repetition and whether the content delivers what the book promises.

It is priced against wordcount, genre, the condition of the draft and the depth of the work required, not from a flat per-word rate. We read the material and issue a written quote before anything is due, so the price is visible before you commit rather than discovered afterwards.

A full-length manuscript typically takes several weeks for the read and the report, and longer for a book that is long, heavily researched or in poor structural condition. Your revision then takes as long as it takes. The schedule is confirmed in writing with the scope, and you are told early if it moves.

The included rounds are named in your written scope, along with whether a re-read of the revised draft is part of the engagement. Follow-up questions on the notes you have already received are included. A second full developmental read of a substantially rewritten book is quoted as new work.

You will be told. If the manuscript needs another draft of your own before an edit would be worth paying for, that is the recommendation you receive, with the reasons. We would rather lose the engagement than take payment for work that will be superseded by your next revision.

You do. You retain full copyright, every version of the manuscript and the editorial materials produced for you, under the terms of your written agreement. Your manuscript is confidential, shared only with the people working on your project. Winfrey Publishing provides editing services and does not acquire your book or take a share of what it earns.