Developmental Editing for Nonfiction Books: A Guide for Authors
You’ve got a great idea for a book. But you’re struggling to plan it out. Or you’re having trouble organizing it. Or your book is too long or too short. Or you’re too stuck to continue. Or your manuscript is drafted but agents and publishers don’t like it or won’t give it the time of day.
If any of these things is true—and you’ve got some money to spend—you may need a developmental editor.
Below, you’ll find a developmental editing definition, examples, rates, keys to finding a good developmental editor, a cost-saving alternative, and how to determine whether or not you may need a developmental edit for your nonfiction book. . . .
Developmental editor definition
A developmental editor is a writing coach who helps authors to effectively structure or restructure a book to align it with readers’ and publishers’ expectations.
A developmental editor is a book lover with subject matter expertise and a pulse on the publishing industry who can shape or reshape a book by performing a variety of tasks.
The Scott Norton Developmental Editing book is the best book on the subject.
What does a developmental editor do?
As Scott Norton writes in Developmental Editing (recommended reading for people who want to become developmental editors and for authors who want to understand what developmental editors do), “There is no one way to perform a developmental edit” (Norton, 4).
Sometimes, developmental editing begins in the earliest stages of the writing process.
In other cases, a developmental editor can come on later in the process (and might be called a book doctor).
Some (most?) developmental editors focus on the big picture: They help the author lay out their book and coach the author chapter by chapter, helping them accomplish the agreed-upon plan.
Other developmental editors focus on the finer details—the chapter, section, paragraph, or even sentence level. This might be called substantive editing.
Developmental editing examples
A developmental editor might do any of these tasks:
help you develop your concept with the author’s audience and the expectations of the genre in mind. A developmental editor helps the author write for who will (or should) read (and buy) the book.
help you identify or fine-tune the thesis and create a title that reflects that thesis.
help you organize and outline your book.
help you find a line of argument, choose from a variety of kinds of argument, and fine-tune the main argument.
help you rearrange passages, identify what’s missing or excessive, and edit for pace.
help you find and maintain your voice and tone.
help you select and/or optimize chapter titles, subheadings, epigraphs, images, and ways to visually express data.
help you write or perfect a terrific book proposal.
Need book editing or a book proposal edit?
A developmental editor typically completes a lengthy (several-page) report for the author as part of their work.
Most developmental editors expect to be given a significant degree of editorial control and creative license. They may show you how to make improvements. But they won’t write your book for you. If you’re looking for someone to write on your behalf, you’re looking for a ghostwriter.
Developmental editing rates
How much does a developmental editor cost?
In the US, developmental editing, by the word, costs, on average, at least $.026 per word, usually more.
Expect to pay at least $50 an hour for developmental editing; $60 or $70 an hour is more typical.
This is the most expensive kind of editing, and the most time-consuming.
The cost for a developmental edit of a complete, 75,000-word nonfiction manuscript—the average length of a nonfiction book—might easily top $2,000 US dollars, but the price will depend on the deliverables and the experience of the editor. That’s assuming a developmental editing cost of at least $0.026 per word.
You could always start with a detailed edit of a single chapter or with a coaching package like the one I offer.
What to look for in a developmental editor
A developmental editor should have experience editing books in the genre you’re writing in, a degree in English or an advanced degree in a writing-intensive field or in the field you’re writing in, and enthusiasm for your project.
Their style (blunt or polite, hands-on, or Socratic) should mesh with you.
They should be able to clearly explain what they will do for you and how long it might take.
A developmental editor should have clear and transparent rates.
And they should ask you to sign a contract.
Developmental editing vs. manuscript assessment
A lower-cost alternative to a developmental edit is a manuscript assessment, also known as a manuscript evaluation.
It’s a good starting point. It may provide enough feedback for you. It can be a good way to test out an editor. (You could also have a chapter edited as a starting point.)
You need a manuscript assessment if . . . you’ve already written some or all of your manuscript, and you want general tips on how to revise and self-edit it so it will better appeal to your target audience or to agents and editors.
A manuscript assessment isn’t as deep of a dive as a developmental edit, and it results in a shorter report from the editor, but it can be a smart investment. It’ll probably cost about half as much as a developmental edit, that will depend on the deliverables and the experience of the editor.
If you want help making your manuscript publication-worthy and marketable, and you don’t have the time or the money for full-on developmental editing, get a manuscript assessment.
Learn more about manuscript assessments here.
See Daniel J. Tortora’s manuscript assessment editing service here.
How long does developmental editing take?
For a full manuscript, four weeks, minimum. Typically four to eight weeks. Or several hours of working together to conceptualize the book, with a few follow-up sessions after that.
So, do I need a developmental editor?
You need developmental editing if . . . you have a partially formed idea, aren’t entirely sure of the demands or expectations of the genre you’re writing in, or if you have a stalled, incomplete, disorganized, or unappreciated manuscript and you don’t know what to do next.
A developmental editor helps you develop your concept, your thesis and your structure and organization. Beyond that, they show you what passages to rearrange, what to cut, and what is missing. And they’ll help you adjust your pacing, tone, and voice. They’ll also help you choose optimal and appealing epigraphs, chapter titles, and visual elements.
Developmental editing doesn’t come cheap, but it can be a great investment and a great learning experience.
You can always start with a single chapter or with a manuscript assessment, to see if you want to invest more fully.
You do NOT need a developmental editor if . . . your book is well organized, written to market and consistent with readers’ and publishers’ expectations for the genre, and has well thought-out chapter titles and epigraphs, or if your book is already under contract and you feel things are going well.
If you have a completed book already under contract with a traditional publisher, or if you’re writing the next book in a well-received series following a similar template, you probably don’t need a developmental editor.
What to do next
Get a developmental editing quote or a quote for my other editing services for nonfiction authors in the US.