"He asked the questions that made every chapter answer for itself, pushed me to say things my way when I was reaching for someone else's, and told me the truth even when it meant more work for both of us. If you're a first-time author wondering if he's worth it: he's the reason mine became a real book."

Sohrab Ansari, author of Passenger

What is developmental editing?

It's the difference between a rough manuscript with good bones and a potential bestseller.

Very few manuscripts become books without first undergoing substantial editing and revision.

For some reason, new writers dread approaching an editor. Yet, time and time again, I have heard from clients saying it was the most rewarding part of the journey to publication.

In 1957 Harper Lee handed her editor a manuscript called Go Set a Watchman. Tay Hohoff told her the real story was in the flashbacks, in the child and her father. Lee revised, and what came out was To Kill a Mockingbird.

Maxwell Perkins did the same kind of work at Scribner's. One letter from him sent Fitzgerald back to the galleys until Gatsby himself came into focus, and he helped Thomas Wolfe cut a sprawling first manuscript down into Look Homeward, Angel.

And it's by no means only a literary tradition. When Leon Shimkin, a young executive at Simon & Schuster, took Dale Carnegie's public-speaking course, he saw a book in it. Carnegie wasn't convinced, so Shimkin had the lectures transcribed and worked with him to shape the transcripts into a manuscript. The result was How to Win Friends and Influence People.

How it goes

1. Send me a quick message to let me know about your manuscript. If you'd like to try before you buy, try the free sample edit, and you'll know within two business days whether it's a fit.

2. We agree on terms and I do a substantive review through the full manuscript, leaving in-text comments and suggestions, then write the editorial letter: usually 8 to 12 pages on structure, concept, pacing, voice, and what needs to happen so the manuscript matches your vision for it. You also get a detailed revision map, which turns the letter into a sequence you can choose how to implement. Afterward, if you'd like, we meet for a 45-minute call to work through everything and develop a clear plan.

3. Guided by the steps in the revision map, you turn the book into what it always wanted to be.

What it costs

A developmental edit starts at $2,200 for manuscripts up to about 50,000 words and $3,000 up to 80,000. Longer books, heavy structural work, and technical subject matter are quoted. Half on signing, half on delivery. Delivery is within three weeks of my receiving the manuscript and the deposit, and the date is confirmed in writing that day.

Once you've revised, the next step is usually a line edit. For drafts that came together with AI assistance, voice restoration is a must. Each service is its own engagement, scoped against the revised manuscript.

If you want the book produced as well as edited, see the studio.

Which service do you need?

	Manuscript assessment	Developmental edit
Question	What's working, and what should I do next?	How do I fix everything, chapter by chapter?
Readiness	Early drafts, first completed drafts, or writers unsure whether the project is viable.	Best on a complete draft you've already revised at least once.
What you get	The memo about the book: an editorial letter on structure, character, pacing, point of view, and market fit.	The memo plus the marked-up manuscript: margin comments throughout, a chapter map, and the revision map.
Fee	$1,500 up to 50,000 words; $1,800 up to 80,000.	From $2,200 up to 50,000 words; from $3,000 up to 80,000.
Timing	Two weeks.	Three weeks.
Best fit	Writers who want to revise on their own or who want to see the big picture from a different perspective. Useful before committing to a bigger edit.	Writers who want granular feedback and line suggestions.

Common questions

"What if the draft is a mess?"

Then you're in the right place.

"What genres do you edit?"

• Founder and expert nonfiction. Business, technology, and engineering books by people who know their field and need the book to convey that authority without reading like a lecture. I assess for voice, structure, argument, and the through-line a reader can follow from chapter one to the close.
• Memoir and personal essay collections. Lived experience shaped into a book. As a form, one memoir can be remarkably different from another. My job is to help the book take on the shape that matches your vision.
“He protected the things that made Luca’s story his own while finding the places where it could become sharper, stronger, and more true to him. He made us rethink important passages without ever imposing himself on the manuscript.” Jerry and Sue Baker
• Literary fiction. Whether a novel or a prose collection, I'll read your book to understand how you want voice and structure to shape the reader's experience. I read for character, point of view, pacing, line-level vitality, and the myriad other concerns that constitute good literary writing.

Not sure your book fits one of these? Send five pages anyway. I've worked with genres ranging from poetry to romance to self-development and engineering leadership guides.

"My draft was written with AI."

It used to be that writers were confounded by messy drafts. Now the most common challenge is how to deal with artificially-shaped writing. Learn more about voice restoration.

Get your manuscript ready for publication.

Working on a book? Tell me about it. If you'd like to try before you buy, attach five pages and I'll send back a free sample edit within two business days.