Developmental Editing

Elevate Your Manuscript

Let's Work Together

An intimate, expert deep dive into your manuscript to shape it for publication.

New York Times Bestseller!

I get it…

Your draft is complete, but turning it into a cohesive, compelling book that resonates with readers is harder than you expected.

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Without an experienced editor, it’s easy to misplace chapters, jumble ideas, or lose the thread of your story, leaving readers confused.

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Relying solely on self-editing risks a manuscript that feels uneven, disjointed, or falls short of industry standards.

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Even strong ideas can get lost in a rough draft. without careful refinement and guidance, months or years of work may not reach their full potential.

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You can publish a book you’re incredibly proud of.

You just need someone with industry experience and a passion for helping people tell their stories.

Developmental editing takes your draft to the next level by digging deep into structure, clarity, and impact. Instead of leaving you to wonder whether your book “works,” you’ll receive a comprehensive editorial partnership that identifies strengths, pinpoints gaps, and provides clear strategies for elevating your manuscript.

From big-picture elements like organization, pacing, and narrative flow to the finer details of tone and audience alignment, developmental editing ensures your book communicates exactly what you intend—and resonates with the readers you want to reach.

This process transforms your manuscript into a polished book ready to compete in a crowded marketplace. With expert guidance, you’ll move beyond a rough draft and create a book that showcases your ideas with clarity, authority, and impact.

Let's Work Together

My developmental editing approach meets authors where they’re at.

I connect with you to understand your goals and frustration points, so I can assess and edit your book through your eyes, ensuring your work resonates with your audience.

Developmental Editing Includes

Discovery Call

This call is more than just logistics and scheduling; it’s where I get to know you, your goals, your challenges, and your publishing dreams, so the edit is deeply aligned with your vision.
Manuscript Assessment & Report

Before editing begins, I assess your manuscript’s structure, tone, credibility, and market fit, then I provide a detailed report explaining what I’d like to refine. This alignment step ensures we’re on the same page and sets your book up for the strongest edit possible.
Hands-on Editing by Industry Expert

This is my premier service: a meticulous, word-by-word edit from someone who knows what it takes to publish successfully. The heavy lifting is done for you, right inside your manuscript.
Refined Manuscript

You’ll receive a sharper, more compelling draft that’s clear, authoritative, and ready for the next stage of publishing.
Author Success Roadmap

This is a personalized resource I create for all my one-on-one clients. It outlines query guidance, market trends, and publishing paths tailored to your goals. This is support you won’t find in a typical edit.

Let's Work Together

I’m Rebecca, an editor, coach, and your personal publishing consultant

About

The publishing world has a reputation for being exclusive.

But here, you and your book are welcome, and I want to hear your story.

I’ve worked on everything from New York Times and USA Today bestsellers and Indie Next picks to self-published debut novels. I’ve worked with authors who have a lot of letters after their names, attended the most prestigious schools in the world, and have a lot of famous friends. But I’ve also helped people who take money out of their retirement to follow their dreams and write a book.

I’m so proud of all the corners of the publishing world I get to play in. No book is more important to me than another. What matters most to me is in the end, it feels like you. I’m so proud to have helped hundreds of authors elevate their voices and amplify their messages. This work is more important now than ever.

Are you ready to get started?

Let's Work together

Success Stories

“Rebecca went beyond the call of duty. She spent time mapping the story, developing a glossary. Above all else, her edits and suggestions brought more profound understanding of my characters. So grateful to her.”

Lori Keesey, award-winning author of Always Think of Me and Second Chance Highway
“To my editor and writing coach, Rebecca Andersen, there are not enough thank yous on the planet to tell you how much I appreciate you. Your help, suggestions, ability to organize my chaotic thoughts, editing, and encouragement are next level. This book would not have been written without you.”

Erin Stafford, high-performance strategist, Cambridge social psychologist, and best-selling author of The Type A Trap
“You are far beyond ‘my editor.’ You are a gift from God. You are my thought partner, the ying to my yang. When I look back on the first chapters vs. this final manuscript, I feel the depth and the transformation that has taken place, and, because of you, this book blossomed into more than I could have done on my own.”

Carolina Migliaccio, brand strategist, founder of Soulful Moxie, author of Emotional Bondage

How Developmental Editing Works

We start with a thirty-minute discovery call where we can get to know each other and discuss your goals. I’ll gather details about where you’re at in the writing or brainstorming process, when you’d like to publish, and other nitty-gritty details.
Manuscript assessments are high-level strategic reviews that assess your work for structure, tone, messaging, etc.
Most industry professionals don’t include these in standard developmental edits, but I do. It’s important to me to give authors an opportunity to see their work at a strategic level before I dive into tactical editing.
I provide a thorough, word-by-word developmental edit of your manuscript. My feedback is a combination of in-line edits directly in your manuscript and queries or suggestions that guide you through structural, narrative, and content-related decisions.
This process ensures your manuscript is strategically aligned with industry standards, market expectations, and reader engagement. You’ll receive a manuscript that has been meticulously reviewed for clarity, flow, tone, credibility, and overall impact—paired with actionable guidance so you know exactly how to move forward.
At the end of your editing package, you’ll receive an author success roadmap compiled specifically for you.
I share best practices and guidance on how the author can navigate things like contacting agents, querying publishers, investigating self-publishing, contacting internal or cover artists—pretty much everything involved in getting your book into readers hands.

QUESTIONS andANSWERS

Developmental editing focuses on the big-picture elements of your book: structure, clarity, narrative arc, tone, messaging, and market fit. I dig into how the book works and how it lands with readers. My process includes a discovery call, a manuscript assessment with a detailed report, in-document editing, and a success roadmap to guide your next steps.
This service does include a manuscript assessment at the start, where I review your draft and provide a detailed editorial letter outlining strengths, challenges, and recommended revisions. That assessment then guides the developmental editing process.
What it does not include is copyediting or proofreading—this is about shaping the content, structure, and impact of your book, not polishing grammar and punctuation. Those services come after developmental editing.
Yes! I know editing is a significant investment, so I offer flexible payment plans. A 20% deposit secures your spot, with the remaining balance spread across milestones as we move through the process. My goal is to make professional editing accessible while respecting the value of your work.
You can request a free quote for developmental editing at the bottom of this page or send me a note here.
Turnaround time depends on the length of your manuscript and my current calendar, but most projects take four to eight weeks from start to finish. During our discovery call, I’ll give you a clear timeline so you know exactly what to expect.

I work with both nonfiction and fiction authors. For nonfiction, that often means business, self-help, memoir, or thought leadership books. For fiction, I’ve edited across genres including contemporary, literary, and select genre fiction. If you’re unsure whether your project is a fit, just reach out—I’ll let you know right away if I can give it the attention it deserves.
Yes! My role is not to overwrite your voice but to refine and elevate it. I’ll point out where phrasing or structure is muddy, but I’ll always respect your style and intention. Clients often tell me their book feels more like them after the edit, not less.
You won’t be left on your own. Once you receive your edit and report, you’ll have the opportunity to schedule a follow-up call or email me with questions. I want you to feel confident moving forward, not overwhelmed with a marked-up manuscript.
If you have a complete draft (even if it feels rough) you’re ready for developmental editing. You don’t need to have everything perfect; in fact, this is the stage where imperfection is expected.
If you’re unsure, we can talk through your project in the discovery call, and I’ll let you know honestly if it’s the right stage for this service.