Developmental Editing

When you need help strengthening a draft and telling a story.

Developmental editing is the first level of manuscript editing, where your attention is on the shape and content of your story, and should be completed before you consider submitting a project to a journal, book editor, or publisher. At this level, you’re addressing the very foundation of your manuscript and the ideas it presents. Your developmental editor is here to give you constructive feedback as you revise.

Developmental editors can help you with:
The big picture

Addressing big-picture issues to improve your manuscript and writing as a whole
Defining your argument

Defining your argument and ensuring that it flows throughout the manuscript
Using your evidence

Making sure that the evidence used to support the thesis is strong and used appropriately
Organizing your text

Organizing your sections so that they provide sufficient context and evidence to support your argument
Responding to peer reviewers

Incorporating or responding to peer reviewer / reader feedback
Tone

Ensuring that you’re using the right tone and voice for the type of publication you’re aiming for
Cutting or boosting word count

Suggesting ways that you can cut down or boost word count

Developmental Editing services

Typical projects

Works in progress: dissertations that are being turned into books, journal articles that have not received favorable reviews, nonfiction books or essays with a weak storyline, and any other manuscript that the author feels could be strengthened with a second pair of eyes.

We do not perform full developmental edits, where the editor transforms your text for you, on graduate student work. We can help with coaching and manuscript assessments (see above) to address issues with argumentation, structure, and voice; however, detailed developmental edits should be handled by your advisor.

Manuscript Assessment

Report + Call
One of our developmental editors will read your manuscript and send you a detailed report outlining their findings, including the manuscript’s key areas for improvement; big-picture revision advice for the manuscript’s narrative arc, argument, structure, and scholarly engagement; and chapter-by-chapter or section-by-section revision advice.

Price
Depends on length and type of author. Note: word count does not include font matter, citations/bibliography, or back matter. Please refer to our manuscript editing page for up-to-date pricing, including graduate student rates.*

Includes
Editor’s report, 30-minute call with editor (for manuscripts up to 50k words) or 60-minute call with editor (above 50k words) booked within 14 days of receipt of the editor’s feedback.

When
You should get a manuscript assessment when you have a draft ready for review, however you’re still working out your ideas, you need help massaging your ideas from one format to another (e.g., dissertation to book manuscript), or you need assistance implementing reader reports. It should be done well before you plan to submit your manuscript to the journal or publisher of your choice, while you still have time to make edits and undergo other rounds of editing (i.e., copyediting), if you want to. If you don’t yet have a draft or you’re rebuilding from scratch, coaching might be a better option for you.

Turnaround
A typical journal article takes about 7–10 days to complete a manuscript assessment and a book manuscript starts at 2–3 weeks.

Full Developmental Edit

Report + Calls + Document Edits
As with a manuscript assessment (see above), one of our developmental editors will read your manuscript and send you a detailed report outlining their findings, including the manuscript’s key areas for improvement; big-picture revision advice for the manuscript’s narrative arc, argument, structure, and scholarly engagement; and chapter-by-chapter or section-by-section revision advice. Additionally, during a full developmental edit the editor will directly comment on and revise the text using MS Word’s Track Changes in order to help you improve your manuscript’s “story” in a more hands-on way.

This service is often optimal for clients who are in a hurry, need extra assistance, or have a more flexible budget.

Includes
Editor’s report, in-line comments and revisions to manuscript, 30-minute call with editor (for manuscripts up to 50k words) or 60-minute call with editor (above 50k words) booked within 14 days of receipt of the editor’s feedback. We also include a brief introductory call before the editor gets to work to discuss needs/strategy and optional check-in calls with the editor to discuss their progress.

The manual edits to the manuscript using tracked changes include such things as moving around paragraphs, sections, or chapters; inserting “dummy” text for missing transitions or areas that need more support (although not ghostwriting new paragraphs for support/evidence); comments on what the author should revise on their own or where evidence can be added/removed; suggesting new chapter and section titles; and more. This service does not include correcting grammar, writing style or tone, or rewriting or ghostwriting content; because all manuscripts are different, some feedback might be heavier on comments whereas others might have more tracked changes.

Turnaround
A typical journal article or chapter takes about 7–10 days to complete a developmental edit and a book manuscript starts at around 3–4 weeks.

Book Proposal Evaluation

Document Edits + Report + Call
This service is designed for academic and nonfiction authors who have already written a draft of their book proposal and need a second pair of (expert) eyes to improve their pitch.

Whether you already have interest or you’re cold emailing, our book proposal expert can help you craft the perfect proposal that clearly expresses your ideas, outlines your book’s structure, and shows that you’ve done your research, both to complete the book itself and with regard to the book market.

Our book proposal expert will review your draft and write up an editorial evaluation with their findings. They will suggest ways to improve your writing, the organization of the proposal, the argumentation, and voice, in addition to giving you a plan for revision.

Includes
Editor’s report, in-line comments and revisions to manuscript, 30-minute call with editor booked within 14 days of receipt of the editor’s feedback

Job Application Document Evaluation

Report + Document Edits
Let the editors at Flatpage help you get the job, grant, or fellowship you’re seeking using our professional editing for academic job applicants in the humanities and social sciences.

Our team includes academics and professionals who have both been successful applicants for tenure and tenure-track positions, as well as prestigious grant recipients (Fulbright, Getty, NEH, among others), and sat on hiring committees and fellowship juries.

This services includes the following:

An evaluation of your document that addresses content, structure, tone, clarity, and language by a proposal expert.
Comments on your draft and a basic written assessment.

Typical projects
Research and fellowship proposals, academic job statements (DEI, teaching, research, personal), and cover letters.

Up to 1,000 words

1,001–1,500 words

1,501–2,000 words

2,001–2,500 words

2,501–3,000 words

Includes
Editor’s report, in-line comments and/or revisions to manuscript. Only one pass is included.

Please fill out the form below so we have all of the information we need to complete your project and our project manager will respond by email (info@flatpage.com).

Sample

Sample Developmental Edits

Most of our developmental editing projects include a report. See this sample report for a manuscript assessment performed on a journal article.

This sample book proposal evaluation report shows what our editors will focus on when reviewing your pitch to presses.

For full developmental editing projects, book proposal evaluations, and job application evaluations, we also include tracked changes on your draft. This sample shows the type of tracked changes and comments you can expect during a full developmental edit.

Note that these samples have been redacted for anonymity.

1. Sample Book Proposal Report
Download PDF
2. Sample Full Developmental Edit
Download PDF
3. Sample Manuscript Assessment Report
Download PDF

Editorial Portfolio

Our Portfolio

Academic, Developmental Editing, Coaching

Alissa de Wit-Paul

Conference Proposal Editing And Coaching

An architecture professor with a focus on professional practice needed assistance preparing her research for publication and conference presentations. Flatpage’s coach and developmental editor helped her present her ideas and strengthen the presentation of her scholarly arguments.

Academic, Developmental Editing

Alise Tifentale

Book Proposal Evaluation

An art historian wanted to publish a book manuscript based on her PhD dissertation with a university press. She needed assistance from a former acquisitions editor who could help her tailor her book proposal and answer her questions about the pitching process.

Developmental Editing, Line Editing

Ellie Phillips

New Edition Nonfiction Book Updates

A previously published nonfiction author wanted to transform and update her book about dental hygiene for a new edition. She needed developmental and line editing assistance in order to better integrate new research and reorganize her chapters before submitting the revised manuscript to her publisher.

Ready to take the next step? Get in touch