What Is Developmental Editing? (And Do You Actually Need It?)
Book-writing is one of the most rewarding creative outlets. My favorite part of my job is seeing authors’ faces light up when they share their book idea to me for the first time. But for every lightbulb moment and surge of inspiration, you better believe there are moments of overwhelm and frustration—particularly when you know what your ideas are, but you’re just not sure how to lay them out.
That’s where many writers find themselves stuck—not because they lack vision, but because shaping that vision into a clear, compelling manuscript is a whole process of its own. It’s one thing to have a story or message in your head; it’s another to structure it in a way that works on the page.
If you've ever wondered what developmental editing is and whether you actually need it—you're not alone.
Developmental Editing Explained
Developmental editing is a service that provides big-picture editing to shape your book’s structure, message, clarity, and flow.
Developmental editing an imperative step in the manuscript development process, one that comes before services like content editing, copy editing, line editing, and proofreading, which are other services you may have been reading up on.
What a Developmental Editor Helps With
Clarifying your book’s core message or argument
Creating a strong outline or structure
Ensuring logical flow and organization
Suggesting reorganization strategies
Elevating your tone, voice, and audience alignment
Identifying what’s missing or off-topic
Strengthening weak sections or transitions
Providing ways to elevate an author’s personal brand within the manuscript
What Developmental Editing Isn’t
There are so many editorial services available, and some authors understandably assume most are interchangeable. Typically, developmental editing does will not cover:
Line editing: a sentence-level edit that focuses on how your ideas are expressed. A line editor works to enhance clarity, style, and rhythm.
Copy editing: the final polish edit performed to ensure technical accuracy with grammar, punctuation, spelling consistency, and applying a style guide.
Proofreading: the final quality check performed when a book is “paged,” usually in PDF form and designed.
Developmental editing also isn’t ghostwriting. A ghost writer will bring your book to life through writing it on your behalf, using your ideas, voice, and goals. A developmental editor helps bring out the unique author voice, and aside from a few short passages here and there or clarifying language, they won’t write a book for an author.
Developmental editing and book coaching are often confused as well. Book coaching is an ongoing, collaborative process designed to support you as you write. (Click here to check out how I approach book coaching.) A book coach acts as both a guide and accountability partner—helping you stay on track, build confidence, and make smart, intentional choices as your manuscript develops.
Check out my blog post Book Coaching vs. Developmental Editing: Which One Do You Actually Need? to explore the nuances of both services.
How to Know if You Need Developmental Editing
These choices depend on how you feel about the state of your manuscript—in the end, that’s all that matters. Here are a few signs that indicate you should at least consider engaging with a developmental editor:
You’ve written 30,000+ words but feel lost in the middle.
You have an idea but no structure.
You want the book to reflect your expertise—but it feels off.
You have a ton of great ideas articulated, but you’re not sure how they can all fit into an organized manuscript.
These are experiences anyone who has written a book has confronted, but there are resources to help you through it!
Unsure if you’re ready for a developmental edit? Let me know a bit about your project here and I can offer some insight.
How to Choose the Right Developmental Editor
There are countless amazing publishing professionals out there ready to help you solve your problems. Everyone has their own unique energy, process, and experiences, so it’s important to evaluate them on some key components. I suggest exploring the following themes:
Experience: Although tenure is valuable, I encourage authors to evaluate potential editors not only in years of service but also in how they share about their past projects. What details can they provide about their favorite and most challenging projects? How much do they share about their work on their website? There is a lot of valuable information there in assessing the best fit for you.
Communication Style: The vast majority of developmental editing work happens within your document, as it should. A developmental editor will have superb written communication skills—it’s a must. However, be sure to ask how open an editor is to jumping on a phone call at the beginning, middle, or end of your project, and how willing they are to chat when confusion of new ideas pop up.
Understanding Your Market: Many editors dabble in several genres, myself included. However, be wary of engaging with an editor who has no experience or perceived interest in your area of expertise. They should be able to speak confidently about your subject matter.
Respect for Your Ideas: This is the most important detail to consider when connecting with any publishing professional, not just a developmental editor. Although we understand how books are developed, marketed, and consumed by readership, the book is yours. Books are a creative expression of your passion and beliefs, so when you have a preference for something and share that with your editor, they should note it, respect it, and carry it out in your project.
Developmental editing isn’t just a revision process—it’s one of collaboration, structure, and helping an author build momentum and confidence in their writing.
Want to know if your manuscript is ready for developmental editing? Let’s talk.
Rebecca Andersen is a developmental editor and book coach helping thought leaders and changemakers bring their books to life.