Description
Developmental editing is usually the first step of refinement that a manuscript will go through with an editor, before line edits or proofreading. This type of editing may be applied to books, academic papers, research papers, or articles. Developmental edits dig deep into the content of a paper. The editor will consider the big picture and ask questions like, does the paper or book make sense? Does it flow well? Are the ideas clearly developed and articulated? Are there any major logical holes or flaws? If you hire a developmental editor to do this for you, the editor will usually leave notes for you to consider and recommend big changes. The editor may delete sections or suggest adding more information.
Source: https://www.enago.com/author-hub/what-are-the-different-types-of-editing
Rachael Needham (verified owner) –
Sarah does such excellent work. Her developmental edit affirmed me and what I’ve written. She called out things that I’ve done well, while also giving me suggestions for possible improvement.
The way she refers to the author takes away any sense of judgment on me as a person and focuses in on the writing and the message itself. She helps think about where there might be possible hurdles to my reader, anything that might cause them to put the book down and not pick it up again.
With the developmental edit, she’s giving me suggestions on ways to make the information even more reachable and digestible for my readers.
Sarah’s developmental recommendations for my book were very rich, and I found myself going back to the document as I made edits. She left space for me to take the edits or not, without feeling any sort of condemnation.
I highly recommend working with Sarah.