Developmental editors (DEs) are concerned with the structure and content of your book. If your manuscript lacks focus, your DE will help you find the right direction—the “right” direction generally being the most marketable.
Development editing is also where problems of inconsistent tone or an unclear audience often surface. Developmental editors perform many of the same editing tasks as an acquisitions editor, but unlike AEs, whose time is split between editing and the business side of publishing, DEs can often give you more personal attention.
When working with a DE, be prepared to be challenged; while a DE won’t generally dictate to you what the book has to be, you may be asked to justify your position when there is disagreement.
“Successful collaboration allows the author to feel sustained and liberated by knowing that she doesn’t have to bear the burden of creation, development, and refinement alone.”–Scott Norton
While it can be a relief to lean on another’s expertise, this so-called liberation by your DE can feel more like an attack. It helps to remember that you and your editor have the same goal: to make the best book possible. When you consider your DE a part of your publishing team, you’ll be better able to accept his or her critique.
How to Work With a Developmental Editor
- Be open-minded and seriously consider the feedback you receive. Manuscript development can be uncomfortable. The effort you have put into your writing, the time you took to craft the manuscript the best you could—it is difficult to set those aside and let an outsider take apart and piece back together your work.
- Flexibility and good communication are a must. To help smooth the process, discuss your vision of the book with your DE and work together until you can agree on a plan of action. It is essential that you and your DE have common goals and vision for the book for development to succeed.
- Remain focused on the big picture. Once you both agree on the direction your book should take, the DE will help you determine the best order and organization for the chapters, highlight places where the text may have digressed too far from the topic, and point out areas where more explanation is needed. If you are writing nonfiction, the chapter titles, headings, and subheads in the book may need to be rejuvenated, reworked, or eliminated. Artwork, sidebars, and any other special elements may also need to be created or placed throughout the manuscript. With fiction, common errors that DEs deal with include plot points that don’t lead anywhere, inconsistent characterization, or missed opportunities to bring out your main themes. Throughout the process, the DE will help ensure that your intended audience is clear and that you have maintained a consistent tone in your writing. In this type of manuscript development. you are piecing together the big picture rather than focusing on grammar, word choice, and punctuation. Those surface corrections will be made later in the process.
What Your Developmental Editor Expects from You
- Trust and respect. DEs can improve your manuscript in a way that you can’t on your own, and much of this comes from not being emotionally tied to the writing as you are. When they see your manuscript for the first time, they can spot the rough areas more easily than you can. Experienced DEs are good problem solvers and often can fix common problems very easily. If you’re working with a traditional publisher, you may need to work with a DE when you didn’t think one was necessary, which means putting your trust in the acquisitions editor who has sent you down that path.
- Timeliness. Your DE will work hard to meet the agreed-upon deadline for sending you the edited manuscript, and you should work similarly hard to return the reviewed manuscript by the due date you’ve agreed to. Meeting this deadline is important because your DE has other authors to accommodate as well. If you miss your deadline, your DE may need to put your book at the back of the pile when you do return the manuscript. For some authors, scheduling is flexible, but if you are trying to meet a certain publication date and you miss your deadlines, you cannot expect your DE to make up the time. So be realistic about your ability to finish the manuscript review, and communicate with your editor if you need more time.
When the DE and the author agree on a vision for a new project, development can be a thrilling experience. For me as a DE, I love seeing a manuscript transform from one with gaps and excesses into something whole and compelling. Helping an author to achieve the vision he or she had for the book is extremely rewarding. With both an engaged author and editor, editing suggestions are assessed, adapted, and implemented in the author’s own voice and style, and the final manuscript is a point of pride for both.
Need editing or publishing help with your fiction story or memoir? I offer free consultation and personalized quotes. Let’s connect. Send me an email: griffinsmith74@gmail.com
