Developmental Editing
When you're ready to strengthen your manuscript before publication.
What Is Developmental Editing?
Developmental editing is the first stage of manuscript editing and focuses on the big-picture elements of your writing. Rather than correcting grammar or refining individual sentences, a developmental editor evaluates your manuscript’s structure, argument, organization, and overall effectiveness, providing strategic feedback to guide your revisions.
Developmental editing is especially helpful when you need to:
- Strengthen the overall structure and organization of your manuscript.
- Clarify your central argument, thesis, or narrative throughline.
- Identify gaps in logic, evidence, or supporting examples.
- Improve the flow and progression of chapters or sections.
- Ensure your writing meets the expectations of your intended audience.
- Develop a stronger book proposal or journal article before submission.
- Create a clear revision plan before investing in line editing or copyediting.
Whether you’re writing an academic book, a trade nonfiction manuscript, or a journal article, developmental editing helps ensure your ideas are organized, compelling, and ready for the next stage of the editorial process.
Developmental Editing for Books & Journal Articles
Developmental editing is most valuable for long-form writing that requires a clear structure, well-developed ideas, and a cohesive argument. We specialize in helping academics and nonfiction authors strengthen manuscripts before they move into line editing or copyediting.
Academic Books
Receive big-picture feedback on scholarly monographs, edited collections, and university press manuscripts. We’ll evaluate your argument, organization, evidence, and chapter structure to help you produce a stronger manuscript for peer review and publication.
Journal Articles
Strengthen research articles before submission by refining your argument, improving organization, identifying gaps in logic or evidence, and ensuring your manuscript communicates its contribution clearly to editors, reviewers, and readers.
Nonfiction Books
Develop trade nonfiction, educational books, policy books, thought leadership, and other long-form nonfiction manuscripts. Whether you’re writing for a general audience or translating research for the public, we’ll help you create a compelling, well-organized manuscript that keeps readers engaged.
When Should You Get Developmental Editing?
Developmental editing is most valuable once you’ve completed a full draft but before you begin sentence-level editing or prepare your manuscript for publication. At this stage, your ideas are on the page, but you’re still open to making substantive revisions that strengthen the overall work.
You should consider developmental editing when you:
- Have completed a draft of a book or journal article.
- Need objective feedback on your argument, organization, or overall structure.
- Want to identify gaps in evidence, logic, or reader engagement before revising.
- Are adapting a dissertation into a scholarly or trade book.
- Have received reviewer or peer feedback and need help developing a revision strategy.
- Want to strengthen your manuscript before investing in line editing or copyediting.
Editorial workflow: Writing Coaching → Developmental Editing → Line Editing → Copyediting
If you’re still developing your ideas or writing your first draft, Writing Coaching may be a better fit. If your manuscript is already structurally sound and you’re ready to refine style and language, Line Editing is likely the next step.
Need help deciding which step to take?
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Our Developmental Editing Services
Whether you need strategic guidance for your revisions or more hands-on editorial support, we offer two levels of developmental editing. Both services provide expert feedback on your manuscript’s structure, argument, organization, and overall effectiveness, but they differ in the level of detail and editorial intervention.
Manuscript Assessment
Editorial Report + Consultation
A manuscript assessment provides a comprehensive evaluation of your draft without directly editing the manuscript. After reading your work, your developmental editor prepares a detailed editorial letter that identifies your manuscript’s strengths, areas for improvement, and priorities for revision.
Your assessment includes:
- A complete read-through of your manuscript
- A detailed editorial report with big-picture feedback
- Recommendations on structure, organization, argument, evidence, and reader engagement
- Chapter-by-chapter or section-by-section revision guidance
- A 30-minute consultation (manuscripts up to 50,000 words) or a 60-minute consultation (over 50,000 words) to discuss the report and answer your questions
This option is ideal for authors who want a clear roadmap for revising independently before moving on to line editing or copyediting.
Full Developmental Edit
Editorial Report + In-Text Feedback + Consultation
A full developmental edit includes everything provided in a manuscript assessment, along with detailed comments throughout your manuscript. Rather than simply identifying areas for improvement, your editor demonstrates revision strategies using comments and Track Changes to help you strengthen your work.
In addition to the editorial report and consultation, you’ll receive:
- In-text comments throughout your manuscript
- Targeted Track Changes illustrating possible revisions
- Suggestions for reorganizing chapters or sections
- Recommendations for strengthening transitions, evidence, and supporting material
- Introductory and follow-up consultations as needed to discuss your revision strategy
A full developmental edit is best suited to authors who want more hands-on guidance or are working toward a tight publication timeline. While your editor may provide examples of stronger organization or wording, the goal is to help you revise your own work—not to rewrite the manuscript for you.
Book Proposal Evaluation
Editorial Report + In-Text Feedback + Consultation
Designed for academics writing for university presses and nonfiction authors preparing proposals for trade publishers, this service provides expert feedback before you begin querying agents or submitting to publishers.
Your editor will evaluate the overall strength of your proposal, including its organization, argument, market positioning, sample material, and persuasiveness. You’ll receive detailed in-text comments, a written editorial report outlining strengths and opportunities for improvement, and a 30-minute consultation to discuss your revision strategy.
This service is ideal if you’ve completed a draft of your proposal but want expert feedback before submitting it.
Our Approach to Developmental Editing
A successful developmental edit provides a clear strategy for revision. Our editors take the time to understand your goals, your audience, and your publishing objectives before evaluating your manuscript as a whole.
Whether you’re preparing a scholarly book for a university press, revising a journal article for peer review, or developing a trade nonfiction manuscript, we focus on the changes that will have the greatest impact. Our feedback is practical, constructive, and designed to help you strengthen your work while preserving your voice and expertise.
Rather than overwhelming you with edits, we prioritize the revisions that matter most. You’ll receive detailed recommendations, thoughtful questions, and actionable guidance that helps you move confidently into your next round of revisions.
Our goal is to help you develop a stronger manuscript.
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.
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1. Sample Manuscript Assessment Report
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2. Sample Book Proposal Report
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3. Sample Full Developmental Edit
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Developmental Editing vs. Writing Coaching
Both developmental editing and writing coaching focus on the big picture of your writing, but they take place at different stages of the writing process. Writing coaching provides ongoing guidance while you’re developing your ideas and drafting your manuscript. Developmental editing begins once you have a complete draft and are ready for comprehensive editorial feedback.
Writing Coaching
Supports works in progress
Ongoing coaching relationship
Helps develop ideas and maintain momentum
Includes accountability and writing strategies
Best before or during drafting
Developmental Editing
Reviews a completed draft
One-time editorial service
Evaluates structure, argument, and organization
Provides a detailed revision roadmap
Best after a complete draft is finished
If you’re still planning, drafting, or revising your ideas as you write, Writing Coaching is likely the better fit. If you’ve completed a manuscript and want expert guidance before moving on to line editing or copyediting, Developmental Editing is the next step.
Pricing & Turnaround
How Much Does Developmental Editing Cost?
Developmental editing rates vary depending on the type of manuscript, its length, and the level of editorial support you need. We offer several developmental editing services—including manuscript assessments, full developmental edits, and book proposal evaluations—so you can choose the option that best fits your project and revision goals.
Please visit our Editorial Services page for current pricing. If you’re unsure which service is right for your manuscript, we’re happy to review your project and recommend the most appropriate level of support before providing an estimate.
How Long Does Developmental Editing Take?
Turnaround time depends on the length and complexity of your manuscript, the level of editing selected, and our editors’ availability. Shorter projects, such as journal articles or book proposals, are often completed more quickly than book-length manuscripts.
Because developmental editing is designed to guide your revisions, we recommend allowing sufficient time after you receive your editorial feedback to revise your manuscript before moving on to line editing or copyediting. If you’re working toward a submission or publication deadline, let us know when you contact us, and we’ll recommend a schedule that supports your goals.
Editorial Portfolio
Our PortfolioConference Proposal Editing and Coaching
Book Proposal Evaluation
Nonfiction Book Updates
Whether you’re preparing a scholarly book, a trade nonfiction manuscript, or a journal article for publication, our developmental editors will help you identify the revisions that matter most. We’ll match you with an experienced editor who understands your subject area and publishing goals.
