Surprising answers to frequently asked questions on developmental editing

Here’s the situation. You have a manuscript, let’s say, 60,000 words. You’ve asked me to do a developmental edit on it. Now you have some reasonable requests regarding my work — and I have some surprising answers for you.

So let’s dive into some frequently asked questions.

Can you edit my novel or memoir? An edit is an edit, right?

Actually, no.

My expertise is in editing nonfiction, especially for books regarding technology trends or media.

That means I will be no help on your novel. I don’t know what kinds of problems to look for and how to solve them.

I’m also too expensive. Based on my experience and expertise, I am probably charging about four times as much as a person who edits novels. It’s got very little to do with relative skill levels. It’s just that there are way more skilled novel editors than people like me, and that people with novels to edit typically want to pay a lot less. It’s a completely different market.

Can you give me a price based on the word count?

Nope.

I need to see some of your book first. I can tell from reading one chapter just how challenging it’s going to be for me to do a developmental edit on your manuscript.

If it’s pretty solid shape, I can make my way through it relatively quickly and suggest ways to make it even better. That’s about $0.25 per word.

If it’s got all sorts of structural problems, that will take longer, and I will charge more.

If it’s a disaster, I’ll tell you what has made it a mess — usually a lot of disorganized, duplicative material. Then I’ll tell you what you have to fix before I can even attempt it.

So I can give you a price, sure, but not based on the word count alone.

Can you send me the first part when you’re done, so I can work on it before you edit the rest?

That’s not going to work, either. I’ll make my way through the first two chapters, taking note of problems. But I may change my mind about edits I identified in those chapters after I read later chapters. My edits address the book as a whole. I’m keeping track of global issues of formatting, terminology, and other conventions and updating that list as I go along.

So my first-pass edit of Chapters 1-2 is going to change before the edit is done, which is why I can’t get you that piece early.

What I can do, when I’m part way in, is give you an idea of what the biggest issues are likely to be (and, as happened with a recent project, answer your questions “Is this book any good?”). So I can reassure you of what’s coming. But unfortunately you can’t go and revise the chapters while I’m working on the other chapters.

Will you take care of the formatting and footnotes?

I really shouldn’t do this, but yes, I will clean up the formatting. Your inconsistent use of spacing and headings is driving me crazy. You’re not really paying me to fix those, but it makes it easier for me to see how the manuscript is organized — and it will also make your copy editor and book production people much happier when they get the manuscript.

The footnotes are different. Managing the footnotes, links, and references is an HPA. (That’s short for “huge pain-in-the-ass.”) I’m an expensive resource to apply to that problem, and it would slow me down. Plus, I’m not a bibliographer, I’m a developmental editor. You need a different resource to take care of that. Your copy editor might be the right choice. (Copy editors have fantastic skills for HPA tasks, a quality for which I’m massively grateful.)

Will it need a second editing pass?

Maybe. It depends on how many changes you’ll be making in response to my suggestions. If it amounts to a major rewrite, yes, it’s likely to need a second editing pass.

That will be cheaper than the first edit, since it’s mostly a cleanup job, but it won’t be free.

Can you do the copy edit?

No. I am not a copy editor.

As a developmental editor, I deal with high-level issues of meaning, structure, and language. I also catch some grammatical errors, but I’ll miss some.

The copy editor who does the pass after me will catch grammatical errors, usage errors, inconsistencies, unclear explanations, and all sorts of other details. They’re a godsend — and I’d no sooner go without a copy edit than I’d drive without a seat belt.

What I can tell you is that once I’ve completed my developmental editing pass, the copy edit will go much more smoothly. I’ll catch a lot of things that would have perplexed the copy editor, so they can concentrate on the remaining details.

Will you do the index?

Here’s an answer that is different for me and for other developmental editors.

Other editors likely don’t have the specialized skills needed to do an index. You’ll need to hire an indexer (or have the publisher do that for you).

I do indexes, though — and I go much faster when I’m already familiar with the manuscript. So if I do a developmental edit, I’ll also do the index (at an additional cost, of course).

Are you my therapist?

No.

But after spending all that time with your manuscript, I’ll have a pretty good idea of what’s on your mind and where your problems come from.

I’m not patient enough to be a therapist. But I will have some therapy-like insights for you. And I’ll be tough but sympathetic. If you like that kind of thing, maybe you can use some of your therapy money to pay me instead.

Sorry, I can’t prescribe drugs. There are limits, you know.