Developmental editing is a phase in the book publishing process where editors work with authors to resolve “big picture” issues in their manuscripts, including structure, form, plot, and character. Because of its focus on wider story elements, this type of editing normally won’t address sentence-level errors such as punctuation and grammar typos.
Good developmental editing will bear your target audience in mind and assess your work in relation to industry standards and expectations. Only once your manuscript has been revised, reshaped, and developed will it be ready for a copy edit and proofread.
But where can you find a developmental editor with the right experience to take your story to the next level?
Right here! Erica excels at developmental editing. She truly enjoys taking a manuscript and evaluating it for the “big picture.” She will do more than just a manuscript evaluation. She will go through your manuscript line by line and section by section, telling you what should go where and how to make the copy flow from one section to the next.
Sample edit available.
Testimonials
“I have collaborated with Erica on other author projects and I have worked with her on some of her own, over many books and years. Whether you want editing, ghostwriting, proposal writing, query help, or writing coaching – you will be glad for Erica’s talent, knowledge, and experience.”
—Laurie Harper, Literary Agent, Sebastian Agency
“Erica has a clear and engaging writing style, fresh perspective and excellent work ethic, all of which I can endorse strongly. The work we did together really helped me to understand and frame what I was looking for, and I am now much more confident around the direction I am taking my book.”
—Dr. Catherine Mohr, Author, TED speaker, Vice President of Strategy at Intuitive Surgical Company, San Francisco
“I love writing about ideas but I don’t have the skills to do the editing on my own and that’s why I reached out to Erica who has many years of experience. She was exactly what I needed to bring my first book up to standards. I will use her services for my second book too.”
—Kenny Sotiriadis, Computer Consultant
“Erica has worked on all of my memoir writings for three years. Her suggestions were very clear and right to the point. Cut this out, expand this, give underlying emotional content. All done with gentle but firm constructive criticism. Erica was/is most encouraging and inspirational to me so that I keep on writing even when I feel totally stuck. She is a professional wordsmith who herself writes with pithy humor and deep feeling in a very essential and precise way. She is great at editing my work and helping me to write in directions I didn’t imagine. Erica will do the same for you. Don’t hesitate. Hire her!”
—Robert F. Scherma, Psychologist
