The Developmental Edit: What Is It and Do I Need One for My Book

When writing or publishing a book, an author will be faced with lots of options for editorial work. With so many types of edit out there, it can be hard to know which one you need and when. If you have finished your manuscript and feel it needs professional guidance before submitting to a publisher, or if you are not even sure where to go next, a developmental edit can be the ideal next step.

What is a Developmental Edit?

A developmental edit, also known as an opinionated edit, is a structural edit which provides a detailed analysis of your manuscript, usually in the form of an editor’s report and sometimes accompanied by comments directly on the manuscript itself. The term structural edit means that it looks at everything in depth and will almost always result in revisions needing to be made by the author, whereas a copy edit and a proofread are corrective edits looking purely for grammatical errors; they will not provide an assessment on the content.

The areas addressed with a developmental edit on a fiction book include but are not limited to:

• Suitability for the genre and target market
• Premise, word count and chapter length
• Plot, subplots and plot holes
• Structure
• Narrative and pace
• Characterisation
• Dialogue
• Overall strength of grammar and writing
• Recommended next steps.

For non-fiction books, a developmental edit will focus on:

• The content’s suitability for the genre
• The target market
• Structure, word count and chapter/section length
• Flow and pace
• Clarity and tone
• Potential problems concerning copyright and libel (though it is important to emphasise that the editor will not be a legal expert)
• Overall strength of grammar and writing
• Recommended next steps.

Because this type of edit is so in-depth and carried out early on, it will result in a number of changes based on the above, often structural in nature, which usually results in the author needing to revise parts of or the whole manuscript. It is completely normal, and indeed expected, for a lot of changes to be recommended; as the name suggests, we are developing the manuscript from a draft to a more polished product. It is a highly recommended step in the writing process but one that will result in more work, so the author needs to be prepared for this and willing to continue developing the manuscript.

What Sort of Feedback Can I Expect From The Edit? And What Do I Do With It After?

The editor will usually detail their thoughts in a report structured in sections on the above points. For the plot section, for example, the editor may flag any plot holes they found, raise any plot points they feel are strong/weak, and discuss the effectiveness of any subplots. The dialogue section, as another example, will review whether there is enough or too much dialogue, and whether the dialogue is natural, character-appropriate, engaging and relevant to the plot. The editor will also keep an eye out for legal issues such as copyright and libel. However, it is important to emphasise that the editor will not be a legal expert; if you have significant concerns about legal issues with your manuscript, a legal read is advisable. The editor will also outline what they believe the author’s next steps should be in terms of development and/or publication. As outlined above, this edit will usually result in the author needing to make a number of changes.

Once you have received your developmental edit back, you should first ensure you have understood the editor’s feedback fully. Take time to carefully read the report, consider their comments and digest the advice. From there, you can begin to consider and, if you decide to, incorporate the suggested changes. We’d recommend starting big with any major structural changes and working inwards to things like sentence structure, dialogue and grammar. Get the ‘bones’ of the manuscript right, so to speak, then add to it from there.

At What Stage In The Writing/Publishing Process Would I Need To Get a Developmental Edit?

This will partly depend on the route to publishing you decide to go with (mainstream or self-publishing). Different publishers will have different production processes, and the type of edit or edits a publisher carries out whilst publishing your book will vary. For example, if you wanted to self-publish with Troubador, you would need to get the developmental edit and make those revisions before submitting to us. This is because we need the final manuscript to work with. Other publishers will vary on this. Many of the big mainstream publishers, for example, would want to carry out a developmental edit as part of their production process anyway.

But in any case, the general advice is that a developmental edit needs to be done early on, regardless of your future publishing plans. Ideally, once you’ve got a finished draft of your manuscript, that is the best time to opt for a developmental edit. If you get one too soon, it may not be as useful, but if you leave it too long, it may be too late to make the sorts of structural changes that might be recommended. If you don’t get one at all, this could potentially mean that your manuscript is not at the level of quality it needs to be when you submit it to a publisher.

Remember that there is no harm in having multiple edits on your work. A developmental edit on a finished draft will result in a number of recommended changes, and you may wish therefore to get a second edit further down the line.

How Does The Developmental Edit Work In Conjunction With The Other Types of Edit I Want?

There are many different types of edit you can get, but as the developmental edit is an in-depth structural edit, this is usually the first one you should get carried out. Edits such as legal reads and sensitivity reads can be carried out close after this, as these editors will need to see the final content. Copy edits, line edits and proofreads are corrective, not opinionated, so these come afterwards, once you have the final written manuscript. There’s no limit on the number of edits you can have, and they are designed to complement each other by being carried out at the different stages.

Is a Developmental Edit Right For Me?

A developmental edit is highly recommended for most authors, as it provides detailed analysis on the strengths and weaknesses of your manuscript and its suitability for publication. It will, however, likely result in a lot of recommended changes for your manuscript, so this is something you need to bear in mind.

If you are considering a developmental edit, you should reflect on the following:

• Is your manuscript finished and in a position to be reviewed?
• Are you clear on the aims of the edit and what you will receive from the editor?
• Are you prepared and happy to consider making significant and/or numerous changes to your manuscript?
• Are you happy with the editor or company you have found to work with?
• What are your specific publishing goals? Is this type of edit right for your goals?
• Do you have a specific route to publication in mind? If so, have you thought about how the edit will work with this?

Where Can I Get a Developmental Edit and What Do I Need to Prepare?

If you are looking to get a developmental edit before submitting to a publisher, we’d recommend using reliable sites such as Jericho Writers or the Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading to find an editor. Alternatively, places such as Troubador’s sister brand, Libero, offer developmental edits. Wherever you choose to go for your edit, make sure to do your research on exactly what that company’s developmental edit includes and their cost.

What you need to send over to the editor will again vary depending on who carries the edit out. You will of course need to send over a completed manuscript, and most companies or editors will also ask for a synopsis or description of the book, plus an idea of your aims with writing it. They may also ask for an author bio. Essentially, there is never too much information you can provide – any details that will help your editor to assess the manuscript in line with your goals and target audience will be useful.

Summary

In summary, a developmental edit is an in-depth structural edit which reviews all aspects of a manuscript and assesses its suitability for publication. It is highly recommended as a way to get your manuscript from the draft stage to a more polished, professional product. If you decide to get a development edit, whoever you go with, you will need to ensure you understand exactly what you can expect from the editor and be prepared should large or numerous recommendations for changes be suggested.