What is a Developmental Edit and do you need one?
When you’re starting out in the world of publishing, it can feel like everybody is speaking a different language. You’ve finished writing your book and suddenly everyone is talking about all these different types of editing – and you have no idea exactly what your novel needs or what the differences are.
What is a developmental edit?
Developmental Editing is the first stage of editing. When I worked in-house, we called it ‘structural editing’ but developmental – or dev editing – seems to be more common in the freelance world.
This stage of editing looks at the ‘big picture’ of your novel and assesses things like structure, character, pacing, stakes and tension. It’s about making sure the foundations of the novel are strong: do your characters have compelling arcs? Is there enough conflict to sustain the tension in the novel? Are there clear, tangible stakes for your protagonist? Does your protagonist want something (and do they want it badly enough)? Is the beginning too slow? Do your subplots tie into the main plot?
As you can see, there are a lot of questions a developmental editor will assess and it’s not really their job to catch typos. (They might fix them if they spot them, but it’s not what they’re looking for.) Developmental editing is about making sure the foundation of the novel is solid. There’s no point in painting the walls if the house might fall down because it’s built on an eroding cliff edge. There’s no point moving commas, highlighting repetition and agonising over metaphors at this stage if there’s a gaping plot hole in the middle of your book.
What does a developmental edit look like?
This usually takes the form of an editorial letter or report and a manuscript marked up with comments in MS Word and tracked changes so that the author can see examples of what the editor is suggesting. The length of the report will depend on the book itself and its word count and complexity. A longer report isn’t always ‘better’ or more thorough – sometimes overly long reports are a sign of an editor not being concise or targeted enough in their feedback and can be overwhelming for the author, leaving them without a clear route forward.
Many developmental editors will include a call to discuss their feedback in their service. You can and should take this opportunity to ask questions! If anything was unclear or you want further explanation, this is the perfect chance to talk through the feedback with your editor. I always ask authors I work with to send me any specific questions they have 48 hours before our scheduled call so that I can make sure I’m properly prepared!
An editor might agree to read the revisions and give further feedback, but it’s likely this will be a separate service and charged accordingly.
How much does a developmental edit cost?
A developmental edit is an in-depth service and takes many, many hours to complete! It will usually take an editor 4–8 weeks to complete and during this time they will probably read your novel at least two or three times.
Editors need a strong understanding of story structure, writing craft, genre and reader expectations. Editors should have undergone extensive training, either through training courses, in-house industry experience or both.
As such, this service is priced accordingly and doesn’t come cheap, but it can be transformative for your novel, especially if you’re just starting out and are struggling to pinpoint the issues in your own work. Freelance editors will set their own rates based on their experience and own circumstances but you can see the suggested rates for editing on the Editorial Freelancers Association or the average rates on websites like Reedsy.
What is a manuscript assessment?
Freelance editors understand that a full developmental edit is often out of budget for many authors and as such offer a smaller service that looks at the overall structure of the novel, without the comments and manuscript mark-up.
A manuscript assessment service usually comprises a report that covers the same topics as the developmental editing but in slightly less detail and can be a great, more budget-friendly option, for authors.
Do I need a developmental edit or manuscript assessment?
It’s a tricky question and will always depend on the author. As the most expensive option, it’s easy to see why authors decide to forego developmental editing. It’s worth saying that if you’re traditionally publishing, a publisher should always provide for a developmental edit for you but if you’re struggling to get an agent or publisher then a developmental edit might be worthwhile to help you find the root of your problems. It might also be helpful to ensure your novel is in as great shape as possible before you submit to agents to help you stand out.
For indie or self-publishing authors, developmental editing is a great tool to help you understand story structure and reader expectations and the lessons from a good developmental editor can often be applied to other books. It won’t necessarily help you catch typos, but it will make sure the foundations of your novel are strong and compelling enough to leave a reader desperate for more from you. There’s no point having a perfectly polished book where every comma is in the right place if it’s boring or the reader has no idea what’s going on!
Are you ready for a developmental edit or manuscript assessment from an experienced editor? Get in touch today – I’d love to hear from you.
