Developmental Editing

Your manuscript is done, but you're not sure if it's good -- or you know there are some weaknesses, and you're not sure how to resolve them. Never fear! We'll gladly help you develop your manuscript.

"Developmental edit," "beta read," "manuscript evaluation" -- they all mean the same thing.

One of our skilled editors will:

read your manuscript carefully

All of our editors are lifelong critical readers with education and experience in writing critique.

identify areas that need strengthening

We'll make a list, and we'll be totally honest (but kind!) with you.

list actionable steps you can take to develop

We don't want to just tell you what's wrong and then shrug. We're going to tell you what we'd do to fix these issues.

Here are some examples of areas where manuscripts can frequently improve:

  • plot: What is story without a strong plot? We'll stitch up your plot holes and help you find places where the story can be neater, stronger, and/or more straightforward.
  • character development: The main thing that makes a story satisfying is character development. You don't want to read a book where the main character is unchanged at the end!
  • title: Often authors get attached to a title early on in their drafting process and need some help finding the best title for selling the finished product.
  • dialogue: A lot of authors struggle to write convincing dialogue, but it's so important to making your story feel real!
  • language use: Some authors have a hard time honing their voice, and we're here to help you find that consistent voice that matches the content of your book.

Pricing

Base pricing for a developmental edit is $0.05 per word.
Click here or the button below to receive a customized quote.

Not sure what you need?

Start by completing our literary services quote request form, and we can go from there. We're happy to help you figure out exactly what services would best serve your book, its author, and its readers!