What is Developmental Editing?

Developmental editing is a critical component of the book development process. This is when the foundation of your book is solidified and the major elements of your piece are appropriately organized.

Developmental editing is when a professional book editor reads your entire piece and rearranges, removes, adds, and rewrites portions in order to make it stronger. If you need a better-defined character arc, a more dynamic plot, or just to add some clarity to some of the concepts you’re trying to convey to your reader, a developmental editor can help make that happen. Developmental editors also provide manuscript evaluations.

Why is Developmental Editing Important?

Developmental editing ensures that your book includes the structural elements that your reader expects. This means they are less likely to close the book feeling angry or disappointed.

If your book about copyright law doesn’t mention where to find a copyright application or spends an entire chapter unnecessarily discussing Library of Congress Control Numbers, a developmental editor will add or cut these things as needed.

If your mystery novel ends without the mystery being solved or gives away the solution in the middle of the book instead of the end, a developmental editor will rearrange scenes or add…