Everything You Need to Know About Developmental Editing

[@nadyap.1532]

I've been working on the same fantasy novel for about 3 years now, it's gone through about 3 rounds of huge developmental edits, each round of which re-framed the original focus of the novel and transformed it into something so much better than before (even with subplot cuts, new characters, huge 'kill your darlings' moments) ! I'm nearly done with what I think will be the last one of these, and it's an amazing feeling to know soon enough i'll be handing this amoral revolution story off to betas! Thank you for your video, this is such a wonderful comprehensive thing, and it would have saved me so much time two years ago 😅😅

[@wilshade]

Working on my first novel. Until I found this channel, I had not heard of either an "editorial assessment" or a "developmental edit". Now I can't imagine not putting my book through both. I'm only about 20K words into the story. Might be just a little bit until it's ready for the process.

[@kevinpeoples8702]

I’d love to hire a developmental editor, but I can’t afford the $1000+ price tag. I have to rely on podcasts, KZbin videos, craft books, and beta readers.

[@WhirledPublishing]

Developmental editing ensures your story has momentum, an arc of emotions generated by internal conflict, resolution of the internal conflict, etc. Do you feel that your readers are close friends of yours and do you write as if they are - or are your readers distant strangers?

[@samp4050]

Same here. No money honey.😅

[@zel0552]

Assessment/critique is just as good at half the price. Some developmental editors offer a developmental “class” or learning materials on their websites that can help you self edit at a lower cost.

[@UrbanSwagger]

I'm in the same boat. I had a stroke two years ago, and it wiped out my savings. What's really helped me are limited edits where I share the first three chapters or the first ten pages of my book. The tips I've received have been invaluable, and I apply them to the manuscript as a whole.

[@arzabael]

But do you think that is an unnecessarily limiting view? Even as a standardized and widely accepted pessimistic procrastinatory technique, do you doubt that it can be circumvented? that is to say do you think 1,000$ is what’s between you and achieving your story’s potential?

[@daviddarley938]

Well said. I had a "beta reader" go through and give me developmental 'suggestions' for only about $500, and that was VERY helpful, both in educating me and in making my story stronger. There is no way I can edit to the level of a professional editor. Also, self-publishing isn't cheaper, but their "Bar" seems to be lower. My manuscript was enthusiastically accepted by all "Self-Publishing" outlets (and enthusiastically endorsed by three out of three beta readers). It's good but I'm not sure it will ever hit the press.

[@tydriskel9878]

Thank you. This video helped direct me in the correct direction in my writing journey.

[@samp4050]

Alyssa, I really enjoy your helpful videos, as I have learnt so much from your videos. Thank you so much for teaching us so many things which we never knew before. ❤

[@andyclark3530]

Looking back, I think a developmental edit might have saved me a year or two of labor on my novel. I made lots of use of beta readers and crit partners, and those are great, but these types of reviewers tend to go chapter by chapter, and I allowed myself to be pushed in lots of different directions, as cool ideas came at me with unsheathed sabers. As a result, 4 revisions passes in, I was up to 180,000+ words as my novel was assaulted by a horde of good ideas after two years of adding things to the story. There followed a year of taking things out. I learned a ton in this process, but I'm sure it took longer.

[@larssjostrom6565]

Very interesting to learn how you as an editor thinks about an author's story. I have taken notes and will make this a part of my journey to become my own developmental editor once my WIP is completed.

[@himcules100]

Learned a lot from your advice. Now to shake out the right editor for my story.

[@zanemarion7211]

Making sure scenes are written right, making certain actions are in the correct order.

[@vicpso1]

Great information! So much detail as a public service. Thank you!

[@rowan7929]

I think I have to do this for the first few chapters in hope an agent will find it more appealing. Doing this type of editing just costs a fortune. Especially for me in Australia were I need to consider the exchange rate.

[@jimgilbert9984]

Hmm... I guess I was doing developmental editing when I was part of a writer's critique group and didn't know it. Sure, I corrected the grammar of the chapters I got every week from the other members in the group, and I fixed sentence structure and awkward wording. However, I also helped them with the flow of their stories, pointed out contradictions from previous chapters, changes in POV, etc. I also wrote copious notes in the margins. In fact, sometimes the notes or rewrites I offered wouldn't fit in the margins (or in the headers or footers), so I'd have to use the blank back of the previous page. The leader of our group (who became a good friend) wrote romance novels. She said that my rewrites of her love scenes made them hotter and sexier without making them pornographic. LOL!

[@tonyface2007]

Your videos are great. I have learned so much from them, Alyssa. I just published my first book on KDP; because it was political, I felt a sense of urgency to get it out before the 2024 election cycle; however, I could have included so much more material. Your assistance expedited the procedure. Most of the other videos on KZbin are all just trying to get clicks by promising fast publishing hacks, but apart from the producers telling you how great they are, there is barely any insight to be found in their videos. Anyway, thank you so much!

[@AlyssaMatesic]

I'm so glad you've found my videos helpful! Congratulations on publishing your first book!

[@rosieradcliffe5578]

Not everyone can afford this kind of polishing of their mss - I was a little disappointed that you didn't mention broad figures for the costs involved.

[@AlyssaMatesic]

Hi there - I do have another video that talks about the cost of developmental editing: kzbin.info/www/bejne/pp_Fl5VsYsh-laM That said, costs can vary widely based on a number of different factors, so the best way to get an accurate estimate is to shop around and request quotes from the specific editors you're interested in!

[@zanemarion7211]

I'm.s professional novelist and I still love your videos.

[@codingwithguyfranciscopoli9887]

What are the ramifications of an unsuccessful developmental edit? Lost time and money?

[@DixieJoJarchow]

Love the pillow!

[@aineraffertyart]

How many chapters would you recommend for per act in the likes of a fantasy romance book? I’m working on the edits of my first draft with a developmental self edit to get my draft to where it needs to be lol 😂

[@A-rogous-1]

I'm leaning to write by writing a seven book series. I know the story because I created it for a game 35 years ago. My question is should I finish the series before I start looking for a editor?

[@jiensuyang3915]

What type of technical skills education is required for becoming a good developmental editor ? How long does the education take? Which diploma or degree ? What are the top institutes in usa that are best for this type of education ?

[@jankurth7445]

I've had a developmental assessment. Is it best to go with the same person for a developmental edit (I was happy with the assessment for the most part), or go for a fresh pair of eyes?

[@keeleyroberts86]

How do you get into developmental editing? Do you need any qualifications? I've done some beta reading, which sounds very similar to this, but in an unpaid capacity 😂

[@AlyssaMatesic]

There are many ways to break into developmental editing, but I talk a bit about my personal journey to becoming an editor here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/iGenhJWcZpicn9E

[@ja6737]

Do developmental editors give credit where they think credit is due or are they just very polite? I don't know if my editor is mean enough to me. lol

[@Chamere]

Ok, but when do you get hired before alpha readers/ beta readers? Or after?

[@boogalingous1]

I signed up to get the self assessment and I can't get it. It's extremely counter intuitive to get to.

[@AlyssaMatesic]

Hi there - please send me an email at [e-mail] and I will make sure it gets to you!

[@yesyes9698]

I’m not a professional. I’m not even into editing. I write on my own as hobby. I am just a teacher/traveler. I want to read some of your books. Is anyone interested in sending me their books to read? I want to see what a “draft” looks like. I could send you mine as well if you want, but as of now, the one I can share is only 12k words.

[@DanRenaudJax]

I have a question, please. I've been working on my second book, and I want to make sure I'm doing everything correctly. I type out the entire book, then use a reading program to listen to it and make changes. After that, I have a ghostwriter or Grammarly go over it to tighten it up. Recently, I proofread a paragraph and ran it through Grammarly Premium, and it came back as 56% AI generated. I find this hard to believe. Even if it is true, is it really a bad thing? I'm writing a nonfiction piece, and I want it to be as factual as possible. What level of AI involvement is considered acceptable in this case? (Delete if not permissable or aggainst the norms of your page.)

[@te31723]

Okay, so I’m late. I’m wanting to be a book editor. I think developmental editing may be the way to go? I’m still trying to figure it out. I’m currently in school for English and Writing. I hope to work in publishing or as an editor one day. I also want to write but it’s not my strong suit yet. I’m still learning!

[@futurestoryteller]

It's interesting how much of a taboo the simple act of giving a writer suggestions is otherwise. In my experience they will never take your advice. I have only ever approached giving advice in the manner you describe, I assess, to the best of my ability, what they're trying to accomplish, then I think about various ways I imagine they could go about doing that, and relay those to them. Doesn't matter if they requested the input or not, they always seem to walk away acting like you shot their dog. Maybe it's different when they're paying you for the advice.

[@futurestoryteller]

I was thinking about this, and one example, I guess, is my brother. He was writing a scene and he said he had three or four different approaches and didn't know which one he liked best. I pointed out that if he really wanted to milk it for suspense he could just do all four of them. He didn't see how, so I explained to him the scene configuration that made the most sense to me, one that easily afforded him the chance to do every idea he had. Instead of being encouraged to write it, he seemed slightly demoralized, and never mentioned it to me again.

[@mattiOTX]

Some of it is some people misunderstand advice as rewriting the story itself. I've gotten good advice and advice tell me how I should have written a sentence. It's stepping on toes when someone tells you how to write the scene instead of telling you what did or did not work and why. Had a dude rewrite my entire opening by adding in more prose when I told him it was a second draft and I was looking to see how the scene came across. Some people think helping is doing the work for us when that is going to upset most people. If I had asked how they would write it I'd be down for that kind of advice but doing my work for me does not work because you might not understand the emotions I'm specifically aiming to trigger and that could change the entire context of a character or theme. I've also spent a few years working on this story so I have done a few revisions already to make it cohesive and having someone come in and tell me how they would write something I find it disrespectful as they could have written their own story like that. It can also be a deviation from my voice on narration which is not going to match the rest of the book which will look sloppy. That's enough of a rant from me.

[@custardflan]

How much can I expext to pay?

[@AlyssaMatesic]

It varies - I talk about the different factors that can influence editing costs in this video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/pp_Fl5VsYsh-laM I suggest reaching out to several editors for quotes to get a sense of how much you can expect to pay for your specific project!

[@emadSciFi]

How much does hiring a developmental editor cost?

[@AlyssaMatesic]

Hi there - I have another video that talks about the cost of developmental editing: kzbin.info/www/bejne/pp_Fl5VsYsh-laM I hope that helps!

[@emadSciFi]

@@AlyssaMatesic I'm sure it will, thanks!

[@emadSciFi]

@@AlyssaMatesic Thanks again. By the way, if I want to know which particular literary agent represented a specific author for a specific book, how do I track the name down? Does Goodreads have that kind of data?

[@soccerguy325]

@@emadSciFi It should be in the back/front of the book.

[@emadSciFi]

@@soccerguy325Thanks! I'm a novice at all this. We don't really have literary agents here in the Arab world. I had to explain the concept to a publisher here once!! Bu the way, how much would 'you' charge for structural editing? And how would you be paid for someone living abroad?

[@beescheeseandwineplease889]

I have a confession to make. I love Alyssa but I 👎🏻 her videos so she won’t get more popular, and I can keep her all to myself! 😈 Lol J/K

[@geovannymorajr.1065]

✋️✋️🙌

[@jermainemerritt3598]

Hello, I would love to connect with you if possible. I look forward to hearing back from you. Have a great day.

[@SI-qp7cm]

The whole Dev ediing thing is perhaps the biggest of scams in my view. Ultimately the work involved is minimal. Reading is generally skim and can be done quickly. The advice is usually greatly needed and it is a vital piece of the puzzle. The price is out of control. Once we find an AI that can do it the game will change. Authors need to push back a little. For example, you are the client.

[@ramtuff9]

She neglected to answer the question we all have. $$$

[@racist_in_recovery2040]

Alyssa, in this video your eyes look like polished metal. It's a little disturbing. Are you a cyborg? Regardless, thanks for the good advice in all of your videos.

[@joeljupp]

Wut.