Editing Services for Authors

Developmental Editing is about making sure that the fundamentals of your story are sitting on a solid foundation.
Much like a house, we want to be sure that the walls stand up when you decorate them with words, and that the roof won’t collapse when your characters walk over it.
It’s about capturing the bigger picture, understanding the broader elements, and strengthening the skeleton that your story will sit on.
Do you feel like something is missing in your manuscript? Are your characters feeling flat with unrealistic reactions? Is your plot full of loose threads that you can’t tie together?
Have you completed a first draft?
If your answer is yes to any of these questions, then you need a developmental editor.
Developmental editing is the natural stage after completing your first draft. However, if you’re six, seven or even twenty drafts in, you can always perform a developmental edit.
The main thing to remember is that it comes before line editing, copy-editing and proofreading. After all, there’s no point polishing those sentences if the story doesn’t make sense!
Also known as a manuscript assessment or structural edit, there are several elements that I will feedback to you on, including:
- the overall structure, coherence and content
- character arcs and motivations
- plots and subplots
- core strengths and weaknesses
- narrative flow
- where applicable, if a magic system is logical and structured correctly.
(This is not an exhaustive list.)

Line Editing is about making your writing more readable, more engaging – all the while protecting your author voice.
Copy-Editing is about making your manuscript more accurate and consistent.
Does it feel like your writing doesn’t quite flow like it should? Are your sentences clunky? Do you feel like your readers might not be engaged by what you’ve written? If so, line editing is for you.
If you think there are inconsistencies infecting your work, and you’re wanting your grammar and punctuation checked, then that would be copy-editing.
The best time is after a developmental edit and when your draft is more put together.
Like developmental editing, you can do line editing and copy-editing at any point, but their benefits are optimised if you focus on getting the story’s big picture right first before moving onto the sentences and their readability.
Usually, line editing and copy-editing are two separate services. However, I combine the two together for no extra cost so that I can focus on preparing your manuscript better for publication.

I will check your work for:
- consistency of language
- how the narrative is communicated to the reader
- repeated phrases or clunkiness of sentences
- POV and tense switches
- inconsistencies.
(This is not an exhaustive list.)

Hooray! You’ve beaten the editorial slog and you’re now getting ready to send your work out into the world, but first you need a proofread.
This is the final editing stage (the Final Boss, as some like to call it), and it’s where we polish your work by removing typos, formatting errors and any other beasties trying to hide from the red pen.
Have you been through the previous editing stages (developmental, line and copy-editing)? Are all the wrinkles ironed out in your plot, your sentences left shiny with engagement and readability, and you’re hoping to press the ‘Publish’ button?
If so, you’re ready for a proofread.
Best done after all the other rounds of edits, you want to be sure that any inconsistences in plot, character, grammar, format and that your sentences have been taken care of before reaching the proofreading page.
Unlike the other stages, proofreading isn’t one I’d advise doing at any point in the writing process. Best to save this one to the end!
As this is the final stage, I will review your manuscript, going through it line by line with a fine-tooth comb.
I will be looking for:
- grammatical errors
- typos/misspellings
- formatting final tweaks
- punctuation mishaps
- consistency of capitalisation and hyphenation
- chapter and page numbering.
(This is not an exhaustive list.)

Every editing client will receive a summary report, and a marked-up copy of their manuscript.

How Much Does it Cost?

Developmental Editing