Developmental editing
There's a myth that when writers finish a draft, they're supposed to feel good about it, or even know what they have on their hands.
So you've finished a draft. Celebrate! Most people never reach that phase. They get stuck in first draft purgatory. So congratulations, you've crested the mountain. The true peak lies a little further on.
Every writer and every manuscript needs a full, careful read from someone who can sleuth out what the book wants to become.
For many, this is the most satisfying part of the process, because it's collaborative and the finish line is in sight. And you have someone in your corner, fighting for the book and helping you stay out of the bog.
I read the manuscript, then send you a detailed editorial letter, usually 8 to 12 pages, covering structure, pacing, voice, and my sense of what the book wants to become. You'll also get a revision map, a practical document that turns the letter into a sequence you can follow. Then we talk it through on a 45-minute call.
$950 for manuscripts up to 80,000 words. Longer books quoted. You'll have everything in hand within three weeks of sending the draft.
It's the honest look that tells you whether the book needs a structural rethink, a focused revision pass, or lighter adjustments to the opening, the pacing, or the point of view. Line-by-line editing is a fine thing, but that comes last. At this stage, it matters less how polished or correct anything is.
Send the first ten pages using the form below, with a note on genre and word count. I'll know from the sample whether I'm the right editor for this book, and my read on those pages will give you a sense of how I work. If it's a fit, I'll send dates and we go from there.
For many writers, a manuscript assessment and revision map is all they need. If you want to keep going, we can continue together with a full developmental edit, working through the revision side by side. Book one within 60 days and the assessment fee credits toward it in full.
"My novel was literally transformed in a day. I expected the block I had been feeling to go away, but I didn't expect the floodgates of creativity to open as they did."
Jennifer Sage
I'm the author of seven books, I hold an MFA in creative writing, and I've spent two decades helping writers finish what they start. I have done this through international retreats, developmental editing, and ghostwriting for founders and memoirists. I read manuscripts in poetry, literary fiction, memoir, self-development, and nonfiction.