Working with a Developmental Editor
And what to do if you can’t afford one
I’ve been a full-time developmental editor for just over five years now, and after decades working in jobs that I hated, I’ve finally found my calling.
You can think of us as story doctors. We’re generally the first step in the editing process, making sure all the building blocks of good storytelling are in place.
We look at things like:
Your characters, how they develop throughout the book, and any character arcs you have in place.
Worldbuilding and setting.
Exposition and the amount of showing vs telling, helping you strike the right balance.
Pacing, making sure the story isn’t too fast or too slow.
The central plotline and subplots, as well as any plot holes that might appear.
Point of view and narrative distance—that is, how “zoomed in” or “zoomed out” the story feels to your readers.
Whether the dialogue sounds natural.
If you’re giving away too much or too little.
Whether the book meets the necessary criteria for your chosen publishing path.
We’re often industry experts, with years or even decades of experience in storytelling. We also stay up-to-date with the demands and expectations of the publishing world, whether you’re self-publishing or seeking a more traditional publication route.
A good developmental editor isn’t here to change your story or your voice. We’re here to uncover the beating heart of the book you were writing all along. To find the overlap between the story you want to tell and what appeals to potential readers, agents, and publishers. We make sure your novel is ready for the next step, that it has the best chance of achieving your dreams, and teach you writing skills that will improve your storycrafting abilities for years to come.
How to find the right editor for you
If you’re looking for a developmental editor, the best place to start is here: with a really clear idea of your book and where you want to go with it.
Ideally, you’ll know your genre and publishing path (self/indie or traditional), but it’s not mandatory. Just make sure that, if you’re caught between two genres (or whether to self-publish or query agents) that your chosen developmental editor has some experience with both. Then they can give you the best possible guidance, and help you figure out the answers.
Think carefully about any requirements you might have, and the scope of the feedback you’re looking for. Some developmental editors specialise in making suggestions that are easy to implement. They’ll help you get your story into reasonable shape as quickly as possible, ready to go out the door. Other editors (like me!) focus on going deep into the magic of storycraft, and aren’t afraid to suggest big changes if it will make the book stronger. Knowing how much time you’re prepared to spend on the book is key to finding the right person for you.
Remember that a good editor is like a good therapist. And since you’re going to be letting this person delve into the depths of your soul, you want someone that you click with and enjoy talking to. If you find a potential editor too abrupt, too conversational, too formal/informal, etc, it’s a good indication that you need to keep looking.
When it comes to where to find an editor, there are a couple of different options:
Ask other writers in your chosen genre and publishing niche for recommendations. Editors that they’ve worked alongside and had a good experience with.
Visit a marketplace like Reedsy, where thousands of editors offer their services. This gives you much more choice (and protection if something goes wrong) but it does come at a cost—these sites add their own fees, making the process more expensive.
Once you have a shortlist of people, don’t be afraid to reach out and ask questions. If you have any specific requests, now is a good time to ask about them. And if an editor seems like a good fit, you can ask for a short sample edit. It will give you a good idea of how that person works, and if they really are the right one for your story.
We’re used to doing these samples as part of our work, so it’s a good idea to ask for one if you’re seriously considering investing in somebody’s services!
What does the developmental editing process look like?
There are two main types of this service: the full developmental edit, and more condensed editorial assessment.
Both will generally include:
An editorial letter—outlining the key strengths and weaknesses in the manuscript, as well as providing resources and suggestions for addressing any problems.
Some follow-up time, where you chat with your editor (via video call or email) about the feedback and discuss any changes you wish to make.
The full developmental edit will generally also include a copy of your manuscript, returned with page-by-page annotations that pick out any smaller issues and dig into the key points more deeply. In my own work, these comments can often run to tens of thousands of words and are intended to serve as a guide, improving your skills for years to come.
Whichever service you choose, you’ll usually start by signing a contract and paying a deposit to secure your slot. Your editor will also provide you with a start and end date for your collaboration, and give you a thorough rundown of what to expect.
You then send your manuscript over, and leave your editor to do their work. While some may be open to a little back-and-forth while working on your book, most prefer to be left alone to develop their thoughts and work on your feedback. If it’s important to stay in touch while they’re working, this is definitely something to keep in mind when choosing an editor, as not everyone works this way!
When the editor is done, they’ll send over the editorial letter (and annotated manuscript, if you’ve gone with the full developmental edit), as well as any other worksheets and resources they might want to share.
You’ll then organise any follow-up discussions. This time can be used for a wide variety of purposes, such as:
Going over anything you’re not quite sure about, and any follow-up questions you have.
Discussing potential revisions to get the editor’s feedback on your ideas.
Brainstorming plans and different approaches if you’re stuck.
Digging into the publishing industry and your next steps when it comes to querying, marketing, and so on.
Reviewing any rewrites you have completed, if the editor includes this option—I offer to review up to 10k of rewritten material as part of my services, other editors may offer to review more, less, or none at all.
After that, your collaboration is generally over, although most editors can arrange further follow-up time if needed, billed at an hourly rate.
How much does it cost?
The cost of a developmental editor varies wildly depending on the editor, the length of your manuscript, whether you choose the developmental edit or editorial assessment, and if you reached out privately or are collaborating through a marketplace like Reedsy.
Most editors bill by the word, and to give you a very rough idea, my current rates are:
£ 0.015 GBP per word for the editorial assessment
£ 0.025 GBP per word for developmental editing
This generally only applies to novel-length manuscripts, and stories under 50k will likely have their own rates, due to the amount of time it takes to generate feedback, create the editorial letter, and so on.
Remember that sites like Reedsy will add fees on top of an editor’s price, and these fees may apply to both sides of the transaction: charging the editor a percentage of the total amount for the collaboration, as well as an additional charge for the writer. This means the rates on these websites are often higher, however many writers still find that it’s worth it—especially with the safeguards and protections they have in place if they aren’t happy with their editor’s work, or if something goes wrong.
There are also editors who offer much cheaper services, but personally, I’d strongly suggest against going with anyone charging less than $0.03 USD per word for developmental editing or $0.02 USD for editorial assessment. There are undoubtedly some great editors out there, charging low fees just because they love working with writers. However, there are also a lot of predators, scammers, and people who just don’t have enough experience to steer you in the right direction. This can be especially damaging in developmental editing, as poor quality advice could send you down the wrong path for months or even years—changing your writing in ways that do more harm than good. So, unless you know the editor very well (or have outstanding reviews from people you know and trust), it’s best to stick to those charging a living wage for their work and services.
And if that’s outside your budget, it’s better to seek an alternative path.
Going solo: what to do if you can’t afford a dev editor
Here’s a funny story: the whole reason I became a developmental editor is because I couldn’t afford one.
As a writer, I knew I needed to make my stories stronger, but I was also living in poverty at the time. So, if the job was going to get done, I needed to do it myself. Over the decade that followed, I learned a huge amount about the craft of writing, read numerous books, and upgraded my skills a hundredfold. And if you’re in a similar position, the same path is ahead of you.
Here's what I’ve learned along the way, and the advice I always give to writers who can’t afford to employ someone like myself:
Read, read, read
Understanding what readers expect from your chosen genre (and publishing niche) will be vital to setting your own work up for success. So, if you’re planning to self-publish your romantasy novel, read some of the most popular self-pubbed romantasy from the last few years. If you want an agent for your epic space opera, pick up a few recent offerings from your dream publishers and see what they’re about.
Many genres and publishing paths have their own expectations around the length, style, point of view, and many other elements, and you’ll only learn that by reading other books in your genre. If you’re seeking traditional publication, the books you read at this stage will eventually become your comp titles. If you’re going the self/indie route, these books are the ones your readers will be comparing you to.
It’s not about writing exactly the same thing as everyone else. It’s about understanding what’s expected, where and how to meet those expectations, and where you want to take a considered risk and strike out on your own.
Books about the craft of writing are also your friend. K.M. Weiland’s Creating Character Arcs and Structuring Your Novel are both firm favourites, and I recommend them to almost every author I work with. Weiland also maintains a free blog at Helping Writers Become Authors where you can learn a lot about storycraft, and Pagewake exists for a similar reason: to share everything I’ve learned about the art of writing, so you can strengthen your own stories.
Remember that not every piece of writing advice will be for you, so read widely, find what works for you, and then practice practice practice.
Exchange critiques
I’d also strongly suggest joining a critique exchange group like Critters.
Getting feedback on your work will be key to revising your book, but here’s something not many people will tell you: critiquing the work of others will probably do even more to improve your own writing skills.
Almost nothing will help as much as finding other writers in your niche, reading their work, and giving them feedback in return for them doing the same for you. Critiquing helps to develop your own inner editor, and practicing on work you’ve never read before will help you view stories with an outsider’s eye—vital if you’re going to seek out the weak spots in your own work and figure out how to fix them!
Look for writers who overlap with you where possible: people who are writing in similar genres, have the same publishing goals, and are at a comparable point in their career and writing abilities.
Exchanging feedback with your peers is key to some of the most successful writing workshops in the world, and will make you a better writer faster than almost anything else.
Triangulate feedback
Keep in mind that you’re going to get a lot of feedback, and not all of it will be good. When you’re working with a developmental editor, you’re in the hands of an experienced professional—someone who understands the industry and how stories really tick. You likely won’t have that same luxury with beta readers and critique exchange groups, and that means you need to take everything with a pinch of salt.
Don’t take everything someone says to heart. They likely don’t know any more about stories than you do, and are almost certainly coming in with their own opinions and agenda. They could be mistaken, or even flat-out wrong.
The best way to cut through the noise is to make sure you’re getting plenty of feedback—at least five or more beta readers or critique partners—and then triangulate the results.
If one person rants for pages about how much they hate your protagonist, that’s just their opinion. But if three or more are all saying similar things, that’s a sure sign that something’s in need of your attention.
Importantly, these readers probably can’t tell you exactly what the problem is (even if they think they can!) and they almost certainly can’t tell you how to fix it. They can only tell you what they would do.
For example, I’ve worked on numerous novels where the writer insisted (on the advice of beta readers) that their book had pacing problems, only to find out that the issue was actually the protagonist’s lack of goal—which made the story feel slow. Understand that the problem might not be what you think it is, and that your critique partners might be wrong, too.
If you’re going to be your own developmental editor, your job is to take all of this information and use it to guide what you do next. All you can do is consider the feedback you get, rely on everything you’ve learned about storycraft, and trust your instincts.
Because sooner or later, they’ll lead you where you need to go.
And if you’re interested in learning more about my services, you can find more information on my website and Reedsy profile.
This was really informative! Thanks. Editing is such an expensive process that right now I have to do my own, so it’s great to have some tips and recommended books! 🥰🥰
I was most interested in your observation that beta readers' feedback might not actually reflect the problem in the story. For example, it feels slow to readers, but there are innumerable reasons that might happen. It takes somebody more experienced, perhaps, to realize that in this case, the problem was that the protagonist lacked an actual goal. I think it highlights how the mechanics of a good story create a good reading experience, even if readers aren't always conscious about exactly what those mechanics are.