Ultimate Guide: What is Developmental Editing?
You've finished the draft, but uncertainty creeps in: Does the plot hold together? Is the worldbuilding overwhelming?
As a speculative fiction writer, you expect your readers to navigate unfamiliar landscapes and invented realities. Developmental editing ensures that these experiences are immersive and logical, making your story enjoyable for the audience.
Developmental editing is a strategic step in your self-publishing journey, helping you put out a commercially viable creation that will shine in a saturated market.
This article covers everything you need to know about this essential self-publishing step, including:
What is developmental editing?
Do self-published authors need a developmental editor?
When does developmental editing take place?
Why is developmental editing important for speculative fiction manuscripts?
What deliverables does a developmental editor provide?
Key Differences: Developmental Editing vs Copy Editing vs Proofreading
8 Things That Great Developmental Editors Look For
How much does a developmental edit cost?
Where can I find a developmental editor?
Let’s clear up any misconceptions about what developmental editing is and who it’s for.
What is developmental editing?
Developmental editing is a comprehensive review of a manuscript focusing on its overall structure. It addresses big-picture elements such as the clarity and strength of the narrative, character development, themes, pacing and more.
A developmental edit can take between four and 12 weeks, depending on the length of your spec fiction manuscript and the complexity of your individual requirements.
Do self-published authors need a developmental editor?
Let’s cut to the chase: all self-published authors can benefit from the keen eye of a developmental editor (DE). A great DE can transform your work from a rough draft into a commercially viable asset readers will love.
A developmental editor helps you:
Deepen your character arcs so their personalities are compelling.
Maintain consistency of invented worlds, magic systems, technologies, rules, culture and more.
Strengthen pacing and structure in complex narratives that span multiple settings and timelines.
Enhance the thematic coherence of your unique genre, whether that’s fantasy, sci-fi or otherwise.
Balance action with complex, preventing common speculative fiction errors like excessive info dumps.
When does developmental editing take place?
There is a ‘correct’ order of editing, including author review stages in between. Here’s a breakdown:
Author Self-Edit
It’s a great idea to conduct a thorough self-edit of your completed draft. The goal is to make sure your manuscript is clean enough for professional eyes to focus on structural issues.
2. Developmental Editing
This is when the professional developmental editor steps in. As we’ve explored, this stage involves a deep analysis of the manuscript's large-scale narrative elements.
3. Author Revisions
After receiving the developmental editing report, you can take the time to implement the necessary structural changes.
4. Copy Editing/Line Editing
Once the structural integrity is fully locked down and no major rewrites are anticipated, the manuscript moves to copy editing and line editing. This process corrects grammatical errors and polishes the prose at the sentence level.
5. Formatting, design and proof creation
The clean, final text is then sent to designers or formatted for upload. This step converts the manuscript into its final, publishable layout for print or digital distribution.
6. Proofreading
As the last professional stage, a proofreader reviews the formatted files (the final proofs) to catch any residual errors and formatting glitches.
Why is developmental editing important for speculative fiction manuscripts?
Developmental editing is particularly crucial for speculative fiction stories that rely on complex worldbuilding and magic systems. Unlike line editing or proofreading, which focus on sentence-level clarity and grammar, developmental editing looks at your speculative fiction manuscript’s foundational elements. This editing step ensures that your carefully constructed plot and logic are consistent and believable, so readers won’t drop off due to confusion.
It’s best to hire a professional when:
You have lost objectivity about your manuscript and need fresh, expert eyes to identify structural or logical gaps.
You are preparing for publication and want to ensure your manuscript is well-structured and competitive.
You have revised your manuscript multiple times, but still feel it isn’t reaching its potential.
You are struggling with the overall organisation or clarity of your ideas.
You want professional guidance on shaping your argument/narrative.
What deliverables does a developmental editor provide?
Keep in mind that every developmental editor will have a slightly different process, which is totally normal. As an example, below is what you can expect throughout a partnership with EV Editing:
Editorial Assessment
Also called an editorial report or an editorial letter, this document is a comprehensive analysis of your manuscript’s strengths and weaknesses. It lays out all your editor’s thoughts about structural revisions and general perceptions of the novel.
In-Manuscript Comments
Your manuscript will be returned with in-text comments and suggestions, highlighting exactly where your editor proposed changes or detailed feedback.
Worldbuilding Glossary
There are a few different names for worldbuilding glossaries, but the premise is the same: a document or spreadsheet that helps your editor keep track of key places, characters, technologies, items, etc. You can expect the glossary to include a list of these items, along with a brief definition of each.
A Revision Round
Some editors offer a second review as part of the editorial fee. After you revise your manuscript according to the DE’s feedback, your editor will verify whether the revisions have addressed the main issues.
Next Steps Consultancy Meeting
The next steps consultancy meeting is unique to EV Editing. We will set up a chat once the developmental edit is finished, during which I will offer professional guidance on your next steps.
The self-publishing journey is lengthy and complicated, so this meeting is your opportunity to gain clarity and confidence on the immediate steps needed to transition smoothly into the next phase.
Key Differences: Developmental Editing vs Copy Editing vs Proofreading
Knowing the difference between editing types helps you feel confident that you’re allocating budget correctly and staying on track with your publishing pipeline. Let’s weigh up developmental editing vs copy editing vs proofreading in a nutshell:
Developmental editing: Macro-level structural integrity, including plot and character development.
Copy editing: Sentence-level review, including grammar and spelling.
Proofreading: Final checks for missed errors.
8 Things That Great Developmental Editors Look For
As we’ve discussed, developmental editing is a totally separate process from copy editing and proofreading. A DE’s meticulous analysis goes deep into your manuscript's DNA, looking at components such as:
Narrative arc: Assessing whether the storyline is engaging and maintains the reader’s interest from start to finish.
Character development: Evaluating if characters are well-rounded and show growth or change throughout the story.
Pacing and structure: Examining the rhythm of the story, ensuring that scenes flow well and transitions are smooth. No section should feel too rushed or slow.
Structural integrity: Looking for plot holes, inconsistencies, abrupt transitions and overall story cohesion.
Scene effectiveness: Determining if each scene contributes to advancing the plot or deepening character relationships.
Theme and message consistency: Assessing whether the themes are clear and effectively developed throughout the manuscript.
Dialogue: Ensuring dialogue is authentic and appropriate for the intended audience and speculative fiction genre.
Setting and world-building: Evaluating whether settings are vivid and consistent to support the narrative’s needs.
How much does a developmental edit cost?
A significant amount of work goes into developmental editing, as you can probably guess from the information shared so far. Hence, there are three different pricing structures used by developmental editors:
Per-word rate: Some developmental editors charge a rate per word, reflecting the time and effort required for the manuscript.
Hourly rate: Other editors charge an hourly rate, which is common when the editor anticipates a difficult or messy first draft requiring structural triage before the full analysis can begin.
Project rate (fixed fee): Professionals may offer a fixed fee based on factors such as the project's length and complexity. This approach offers predictability for the author but requires a thorough assessment (usually a sample edit) beforehand to ensure both parties agree on the scope.
Where can I find a developmental editor?
Finding the right developmental editor is a crucial stage in your self-publishing journey. The ideal editor should be proficient in comprehensive structural analysis, of course, but also a specialist who deeply understands the structural demands of your genre.
For speculative fiction authors, choosing a generalist is one of the biggest developmental editing mistakes you can make. A great editor for a romance novel may miss critical flaws in a magic system’s internal logic or inconsistencies in your worldbuilding.
You’ll find end-to-end developmental editing support with EV Editing. I offer a creative and comprehensive partnership designed to secure your novel's structural integrity and help your book reach its best, most commercially viable version. My expertise is focused exclusively on stress-testing complex narratives, ensuring the intricate storyline reflects your vision.
Ready to partner with a specialist who understands your genre?
Review my developmental editing services and book your free consultation today.
FAQs
What is the purpose of developmental editing for a book?
The purpose of developmental editing is to provide a comprehensive review of your manuscript's overall structure.
Do self-published authors really need a developmental editor?
Yes, all authors benefit from the services of a professional developmental editor. A great DE transforms a rough draft into a commercially viable asset by identifying and solving structural flaws (like inconsistent worldbuilding or weak character arcs) that you may have lost objectivity on.
What specific errors does a developmental editor fix in fantasy or sci-fi?
A DE for speculative fiction specifically targets complex errors, such as inconsistent magic system rules, worldbuilding contradictions, pacing issues caused by excessive information dumps, and ensuring the overall political and cultural structures are believable and support the narrative.
What is the difference between developmental editing and copy editing?
Developmental editing is a macro-level structural review (focusing on plot and pacing), while copy editing is a sentence-level review (focusing on grammar and spelling).
When should I book a developmental editor?
Developmental editing should always be done first, after you complete a thorough self-edit, but before any copy editing or proofreading.
