Manuscript Assessment (Developmental Editing)

Don’t Publish a Manuscript That Will Embarrass You

You’ve worked hard on your book manuscript. You cannot risk it to the sugar-coated opinions of relatives and friends who read your final draft, or the often emotional responses of random “beta-readers” you find on places like Facebook. YOU NEED THE INSIGHT OF A PROFESSIONAL.

I provide a detailed, objective assessment of your manuscript so you can see what is working, what needs attention, and what to improve before you move on to final revisions, copyediting, and publication. The strengths and weaknesses I highlight are genuine and trustworthy. See my credentials here.

My goal is to give you what every author needs at this stage: clarity and confidence in your book. I do my analysis of your manuscript as your colleague, not your critic. I don’t alter your manuscript; I offer suggested changes, and you decide whether to implement them.

>>> SEE AN UNEXPECTED BONUS INCLUDED IN MY FEE BELOW.

Contact me and tell me about your manuscript.

Developmental Editing: “Beta Reading” on Steroids

Developmental editing—sometimes called substantive editing— typically finds the problems with a manuscript that authors simply don’t see because they are too close to their work. These include plot holes, character and chronology issues (see list below).

Finding major problems at this stage can save you considerable time, frustration, and expense later. Authors are often amazed by the issues they missed and that I uncover.

I have graduate-level academic training in Communications and decades of professional experience as a writing educator. I keep my fees intentionally affordable for independent authors by:

1. Reading every word of your book myself and forming professional insights I share with you, and

2. Using AI-assist literary forensic tools I crafted myself. No, my tools WILL NOT add AI artifacts of any kind to your manuscript.

Because I approach your book as an independent professional rather than someone emotionally connected to you or the project, I can give you candid, constructive feedback focused on one thing: helping you make the book stronger.

Key Elements I Evaluate in Your Manuscript

The Big Picture. I evaluate your manuscript as a complete work. I look at its structure, pacing, organization, themes, effectiveness, and overall reader experience. The central question is simple: Does the book accomplish what you want it to accomplish?
Your Vision and Purpose. I consider what you are trying to achieve and whether the manuscript supports that goal. For nonfiction, I look at the book’s purpose, target reader, central promise, organization, and positioning. For fiction, I consider genre expectations, story direction, reader engagement, and whether the manuscript delivers the experience you intend. My job is not to turn your book into someone else’s book. I help you strengthen your vision, not replace it.
Story and Structural Strength. For fiction, I evaluate the plot, subplots, narrative arcs, conflict, tension, and resolution. For nonfiction, I examine how you organize your ideas, chapters, arguments, examples, and supporting material. If the book would benefit from restructuring, moving material, combining chapters, eliminating sections, or expanding important ideas, I will tell you.
Character Development. For fiction, I assess your major characters for depth, consistency, motivation, credibility, development, and reader engagement. I also look for characters whose roles may be unclear, underdeveloped, unnecessary, or inconsistent.
Pacing and Momentum. I identify places where the manuscript moves too slowly, rushes important material, becomes repetitive, or loses momentum. I then suggest ways to improve the reader’s experience and keep the book moving.
Voice and Tone. I evaluate whether your voice and tone are appropriate for your intended audience, subject, and genre. Where needed, I suggest ways to make the manuscript more consistent, engaging, convincing, or authentic.
Plot Holes, Gaps, and Inconsistencies. I look for unanswered questions, contradictions, logical gaps, unresolved storylines, confusing sequences, and other issues that may weaken the reader’s confidence in the book.
Themes and Messages. I evaluate whether important themes and messages develop naturally throughout the manuscript. I also identify places where themes may be inconsistent, repetitive, too subtle, or stated too heavily.
Chapter and Scene Structure. I may recommend moving, combining, expanding, shortening, or eliminating chapters, scenes, or sections. These are recommendations. You make the final decisions about every revision.
Transitions and Flow. I look at how smoothly the manuscript moves from one chapter, scene, section, or idea to another. Poor transitions can make otherwise good writing feel disjointed. I identify those areas and suggest ways to improve continuity.
Actionable Feedback. I do more than point out problems. Whenever possible, I explain why something isn’t working and suggest practical ways to improve it. My feedback is intended to help you revise—not leave you wondering what to do next.
Your Goals as the Author. Developmental editing should be collaborative.I respect your voice, your goals, and your ownership of the manuscript. I provide professional recommendations, but the book remains yours. You decide what to change, what to keep, and what direction the final manuscript takes.Plus my other reading observations.

Constructive Feedback Without Taking Over Your Book

I believe Developmental Editing should be completely honest, open, and truthful, without being destructive to the content or the author.

No unnecessary harshness. If I identify a problem, I explain it and, whenever possible, suggest alternatives.

No attempt to impose my personal taste. I evaluate the manuscript in the context of your goals, audience, and genre.

No loss of author control. You decide which recommendations to accept.

I will tell you what I believe is working and what needs improvement. I will be kind, but I will not mask the truth. I offer honesty about your manuscript’s strengths and weaknesses.

My goal is to help you become more confident about your book and better equipped to create a final draft you are proud to publish.

Developmental Editing Fee

My base fee for developmental editing is $195 for manuscripts of up to 50,000 words.

For manuscripts longer than 50,000 words, add $5 per additional 1,000 words or portion thereof. Word count is based on Microsoft Word statistics.

Your fee includes:

My complete manuscript review
Chapter-by-chapter feedback
Structural and developmental recommendations
A detailed 15–25 page (or more) written assessment
BONUS! Basic market and competition research. As part of my developmental assessment, I also research your book’s potential market at no extra fee.
- Comparable or competing books
- How similar books are positioned
- Potential pricing considerations
- Your likely target audience
- Possible promotional approaches
- General commercial strengths and challenges
I include my bonus marketing observations in your written report. It is not a guarantee of commercial success—no responsible editor can promise that—but it can help you think more strategically about how your book may fit into the marketplace.

Payment is due when you submit your complete manuscript and reserve my time. I will send you an invoice you can pay with any credit card. See my refund policy here.

I Keep Agreed Deadlines

My typical turnaround time is 7–10 business days (M-F). The exact date depends on my workload when I receive your manuscript. Once I accept your project, I will give you a delivery date and meet the deadline we agree upon. The deadline clock begins the next business day after I receive payment.

Your Next Step

1. Send me a short email

Tell me your book title, offer a three-sentence synopsis, and your word count. Please share a little about yourself. No need to reveal any secrets; I just like to get to know a bit about the authors I serve. Feel free to ask me any questions in this email.

Contact me and tell me briefly about your book.

2. Attach your complete manuscript if you wish

Yes, I will give it a quick survey at no charge and tell you whether or not I can earn my fee.. That may speed the process. No worries if you wish to send your manuscript after our initial email and I have answered any questions you may have.

I strongly prefer receiving what you consider to be your final draft. After I send my report, you will see it needs one more revision before copyediting. Developmental editing is most useful when you’ve taken the manuscript as far as you reasonably can on your own and are ready for an experienced outside perspective.

NOTE: I can sometimes evaluate a work in progress if it is substantially complete, but the fee covers one assessment of the manuscript you submit. It does not include ongoing evaluation of multiple revised drafts.

Copy Editing (Line Editing) is not included in this Developmental Editing service. Once you complete your revisions, your manuscript may then be ready for professional copy editing.