This is our highest editing tier, the most in-depth and detailed edit available, best for clients who need substantial rewriting or assistance with creating the structure of their manuscript.

The developmental editor’s role is multi-faceted but is less concerned with grammar and syntax than with the manuscript’s overall structure.

It addresses such questions as:

Is the manuscript coherent? Who is the author’s audience? Are the ideas presented clearly? Does the material in Chapter 5 connect with what came before or after? Is the author using technical terms or jargon that may confuse the audience? And if so, how do we make that transition clearer?

We’ll also:

• Perform multiple readings of your story, building a real appreciation of its style and context
• Include a range of tasks from the hybrid copy editing/content editing tier, including structural issues (reorganizing, cutting, expanding), pacing, point of view, transitions, character arc, big-picture questions about if something “works”
• Liaise with you to discuss the paths available to you going forward.
• Address the story both on a line-by-line and wider structural basis
• Make suggestions about content, organization, and presentation, based on analysis of competing works, beta readers, and editing process
• Identify repetitive stylistic problems, address weaknesses in plot, and point out illogical parts of the narrative
• Rewrite, write, and research as needed, sometimes suggesting topics or providing information about topics for consideration to the author

Proofreading is a light clean up for manuscripts about to go to or be submitted for publication.

• Adherence to The Chicago Manual of Style and Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary
• Punctuation and grammatical errors
• Sentence structure
• Formatting errors/inconsistencies
• Spelling
• Minor mechanical problems

This is our middle tier and most popular package—especially for fiction authors! The edits focus on consistency, readability, and flow, while also fixing grammar, punctuation, spelling, and more.

• Adherence to The Chicago Manual of Style and Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary
• Correct spelling, grammar, punctuation, syntax, terminology, numerals, font, semantics, inappropriate figures of speech, hyphenation, capitalization, and word usage
• Preserve and enhance the author’s voice
• Check consistency (for example, if a character’s name changes or an event seems confusing)
• Address story flow and sentence structure
• Reorganize passages, paragraphs, or chapters to improve the rhythm and flow of the story
• Rewrite segments of text to improve readability and flow of information
• Read for overall clarity and sense on behalf of the target audience
• Address how to increase the visibility of “show vs. tell”
• Tighten dialogue, point out unnatural phrasing or misused words, and add in descriptive words to help enhance the story
• Note permissions needed to publish copyrighted materials
• Trim words, phrases, or paragraphs that are extraneous and do not contribute to the story

We also provide a written evaluation with the final edited version that addresses story flow, character and plot development (for fiction), and a chapter-by-chapter evaluation. We provide a similar evaluation for non-fiction books.