Content Editing
Content Editing (a.k.a. Developmental Editing) involves looking at the big picture with your book, focusing on large-scale qualities like organization, theme, and structure.
Some of the most common problems with early drafts of stories are inconsistent character and setting descriptions, overuse of exposition, confusing or out-of-character dialogue, and pacing issues (for example, an ending that feels rushed).
You might describe the action taking place at night, and then in the next scene, you mention sunlight pouring through the window – even though one scene took place right after the other!
Or you rely too much on exposition and worldbuilding details, which can slow the tension and make your scenes feel as stuffed as Thanksgiving turkeys.
My job as the Content Editor is to ensure these flaws are flagged, rewritten (so you can optionally include my rewrites…or not!) and summarized at the end of the manuscript in notes I will provide on my overall interpretation of your work and evaluation of your theme and structure.
Cost of Content Edit
*Your book will be read twice
Standard Turnaround Time – $0.0375 per word
Speedy Delivery (half the standard time) – $0.0425 per word
Turnaround Time
5k – 15k words = 4-7 days week
16k – 30k words = 1-2 weeks
31k – 50k words = 2-3 weeks
51k – 70k words = 3-4 weeks
70k+ words = 4+ weeks
Please note: I do not require any sort of contract, and I’m happy to sign an NDA related to the project in question
What Exactly is Content/Developmental Editing?
Here’s how Masterclass.com defines Developmental Editing:
The developmental edit occurs before the publication of a manuscript and focuses mainly on improving big-picture story elements. Developmental editing is a phase of the book editing process where editors give a thorough evaluation of an author’s work to help determine what it needs in order to be ready for publishing. This manuscript critique addresses various story element issues like plot holes, poor character development, confusing dialogue, sentence phrasing, and any other issues that arise in relation to story elements.