Professional Developmental Editing Services for Authors
You have a complete manuscript, or perhaps a strong draft, but something isn’t quite working. Maybe the plot loses momentum, a character’s motivation isn’t convincing, the organization feels uneven, or you simply know the book could be stronger.
That’s where developmental editing can help.
Alice Osborn provides professional developmental editing for authors who need an experienced editor to look beyond individual sentences and evaluate the manuscript as a whole.
With almost two decades of professional editing and book coaching experience, Alice helps writers identify what’s working, discover what isn’t, and develop a practical plan for making their books stronger.
Ready for an experienced editor to look at the big picture?
What Is Developmental Editing?
Developmental editing is a big-picture examination of your manuscript.
Instead of concentrating primarily on grammar, punctuation, or individual sentences, a developmental editor evaluates how the major elements of your book work together.
Depending on your manuscript and genre, Alice may evaluate areas such as:
The goal is to identify the changes that can make the greatest difference to your book before you spend time polishing individual sentences.
Sometimes the Biggest Problem Is What’s Not There
One of Alice’s particular strengths as an editor is finding what’s not there.
Authors naturally know far more about their stories and subjects than their readers do. That can make it difficult to recognize when something important never made it onto the page.
A character’s motivation may make perfect sense to you because you know the character’s history, but the reader doesn’t.
A nonfiction argument may seem obvious because you’ve spent years studying the subject, but your reader may need another step in the explanation.
A scene may depend on information mentioned 100 pages earlier that the reader is unlikely to remember.
Alice looks for those gaps as well as the problems that are already visible on the page.
She has an eye for plot holes, missing information, logic problems, inconsistencies, and connections that may be clear to the author but not to the reader.
Developmental Editing for Fiction
A novel can contain beautiful writing and still struggle to hold a reader’s attention if the underlying story isn’t working.
Developmental editing for fiction focuses on the elements that make readers care about the characters and want to know what happens next.
Alice may evaluate:
She can help identify scenes that aren’t moving the story forward, characters who need further development, plot points that aren’t convincing, and opportunities to make the story more engaging.
Authors who need ongoing guidance while developing or revising a novel can also explore Alice’s fiction writing and editing services.
Developmental Editing for Historical Fiction
Historical fiction presents a unique challenge: the history needs to feel authentic and convincing without overwhelming the characters and story.
Historical fiction is one of Alice’s specialties, and because she is currently working on a historical novel herself, she understands firsthand the challenges writers face when transforming extensive research into an engaging narrative.
Alice can help you evaluate the larger elements of your manuscript, including plot, structure, character development, pacing, and the strength of the historical setting.
She also considers how effectively research and historical context are woven into scenes, looking for places where exposition becomes too heavy or where additional historical detail may be needed to help readers understand the characters, events, or circumstances.
Developmental editing can also examine whether characters behave in ways that are believable for their time, whether dialogue feels appropriate to the period, and whether dates and events remain consistent throughout the manuscript. Just as importantly, Alice looks at the overall balance between history and story.
The historical details should make your fictional world richer and more convincing, but they should never bring the narrative to a stop.
Alice can help you preserve the history that makes your novel distinctive while ensuring that the characters, conflict, and story remain at the center of the reader’s experience.
Developmental Editing for Memoir
A life happens chronologically. A compelling memoir doesn’t necessarily have to be told that way.
One of the challenges of memoir is deciding which experiences belong in the book and how those experiences work together to tell a meaningful story.
Alice can help memoir writers evaluate:
The goal isn’t simply to record what happened. It’s to shape those experiences into a book readers can follow, understand, and connect with while preserving the author’s authentic voice.
Developmental Editing for Nonfiction
Strong nonfiction requires more than accurate information or expertise in a subject. Readers also need a clear path through the material so they can understand how individual ideas connect and why each chapter matters to the larger purpose of the book.
Alice can help nonfiction authors determine whether their material is organized effectively and whether readers are receiving the information they need at the right time. She examines the overall organization and chapter structure, looking at the logical progression of ideas and whether the book consistently serves its intended audience and central purpose.
Developmental editing can also uncover missing information, unnecessary repetition, weak transitions, pacing problems, or ideas that need greater clarity. Alice can evaluate whether examples and supporting material strengthen the author’s message and whether each section meets the expectations established for the reader.
Most importantly, Alice helps authors step outside their own familiarity with the subject and experience the book from the reader’s perspective. This fresh perspective can reveal places where the structure, explanations, or supporting material need to be strengthened so the author’s ideas come across clearly, logically, and persuasively.
Developmental Editing vs. Line Editing
Developmental editing and line editing examine a manuscript at different levels.
Developmental Editing Looks at the Book
Developmental editing focuses on big-picture questions such as:
Line Editing Looks at the Prose
Line editing focuses more closely on how the writing communicates from sentence to sentence, including:
If your book still needs significant structural changes, developmental editing should generally come first. Once the structure is working, line editing can focus more closely on strengthening the prose.
Developmental Editing vs. Copy Editing
A developmental editor concentrates on the content and structure of the manuscript, while a copy editor concentrates more closely on correctness and consistency.
Developmental editing asks: Is the book working?
Copy editing asks: Is the writing correct, clear, and consistent?
Copy editing may address grammar, punctuation, spelling, usage, capitalization, hyphenation, and other sentence-level issues.
Because developmental editing can lead to substantial rewriting, it usually makes sense to complete those revisions before investing in professional copy editing.
A Developmental Editor Who Is Also a Writer and Writing Coach
Alice has been a professional editor and book coach for almost two decades.
But she doesn’t approach a manuscript only as an editor.
She’s also a writing teacher and published author.
Alice has edited fiction, nonfiction, memoir, children’s writing, poetry, and screenwriting, with particular experience in historical fiction, memoir, and nonfiction.
She has published four books of poetry and is currently working on a historical novel. She is also the former editor of Wake Living magazine, where she edited and wrote articles for the quarterly publication.
Alice has been a member of the North Carolina Writers’ Network for 20 years and served on its Board of Trustees for the past ten years.
Her experience as both an editor and a writer allows her to understand the challenge from both sides: identifying what needs to change and helping an author determine how to make those changes while preserving the book they set out to write.
What Happens After Developmental Editing?
Developmental editing often leads to the most significant round of revisions in the editorial process.
Depending on Alice’s recommendations, you may need to restructure chapters, rewrite scenes, develop characters more fully, add missing material, remove unnecessary sections, or reconsider parts of the manuscript.
Once those revisions are complete, your manuscript can move through the remaining stages of editing.
A typical editorial process might look like:
- Developmental Editing
- Author Revisions
- Line Editing
- Copy Editing
- Proofreading
- Publication
Not every manuscript needs every service. Alice can help you determine which stages are appropriate for your book.
Frequently Asked Questions About Developmental Editing
Do I need to finish my manuscript before developmental editing?
For a full developmental edit, having a complete manuscript usually allows Alice to evaluate the entire structure, character arcs, pacing, and ending. If you’re still writing and need help developing the book, Alice’s book coaching services may be more appropriate.
Will developmental editing correct my grammar and punctuation?
Alice may notice and flag writing problems during the developmental edit, but grammar and punctuation are not the primary focus. Those details are generally addressed more thoroughly during line editing and copy editing.
Will Alice rewrite my manuscript?
No. Alice identifies problems, explains why they may be affecting the manuscript, and provides guidance for strengthening them. You remain the author and make the final decisions about your book.
How do I know whether I need developmental editing?
You may benefit from developmental editing if you have completed a manuscript but have concerns about its plot, structure, characters, pacing, organization, logic, or overall effectiveness—or if you know something isn’t working but can’t determine exactly what it is.
Can Alice developmentally edit both fiction and nonfiction?
Yes. Alice has editing experience across many genres, with particular experience in historical fiction, memoir, fiction, and nonfiction.
What comes after developmental editing?
You’ll typically revise the manuscript based on the developmental feedback. Depending on the condition of the revised manuscript, the next step may be line editing, copy editing, or eventually proofreading.
How much does developmental editing cost?
The cost depends on factors such as manuscript length, genre, complexity, and the amount of editorial work required. Contact Alice with information about your manuscript so she can discuss your project and provide appropriate pricing.
Ready to Make Your Book Stronger?
You’ve spent months or years creating your manuscript. Sometimes the most valuable next step is having an experienced editor step outside the work and see what you can no longer see yourself.
Alice will look at your manuscript from the reader’s perspective, identify strengths and weaknesses, find gaps and inconsistencies, and provide practical guidance for making your book stronger.
Tell Alice about your manuscript and where you are in the writing and editing process.