Developmental Editing | LiberScript Book Services

Services › Developmental Editing

What's included

✓A manuscript-wide editorial letter covering structure, pacing, and the big-picture issues
✓In-line margin notes at the specific passages the letter references
✓For fiction: character consistency, plot logic, and pacing across the arc
✓For nonfiction: argument structure, evidence, and chapter sequencing

Priced per project

Based on manuscript length and genre.

How it works

Submit your complete draft. Developmental editing works on a full manuscript, not partial chapters, since pacing and structure only show up across the whole arc.

Receive your editorial letter. A manuscript-wide letter plus margin notes at the specific scenes or sections they reference.

Revise with a clear map. You do the rewriting; the letter tells you exactly where and why, rather than a page of vague notes.

Who this is for

Authors with a complete draft who suspect something structural isn't working, pacing that drags, a subplot that goes nowhere, an argument that doesn't build, but can't diagnose it from inside their own manuscript.

Frequently asked

How is this different from copyediting?

Developmental editing is about structure: what happens, in what order, and why. Copyediting is about sentences: grammar, consistency, and clarity. Most authors need developmental editing first, then copyediting once the structure is settled.

Do you rewrite the manuscript for me?

No. You receive a detailed editorial letter and margin notes; you do the revision. If you'd rather hand off the rewriting itself, see Ghostwriting.

Can I get this on a partial manuscript?

Structural issues are easiest to diagnose across a full draft. Tell us your situation when you order and we'll advise on scope.

Related guides

Prefer to understand the process first, or handle part of it yourself? These guides cover the general approach, independent of any one service provider.

GuideHow to Hire a Book Editor

The different types of editing and how to tell which one you need.

GuideWorking with a Book Editor

What a good editorial relationship looks like in practice.