Where the term comes from
Wikipedia describes developmental editing as writing support that comes into play before or during the production of a publishable manuscript, in fiction, non-fiction and academic writing. It quotes Scott Norton's handbook on the subject, which defines it as involving significant structuring or restructuring of a manuscript's discourse. A complete developmental edit addresses organisation and restructuring, such as moving content between chapters and requesting additional content. The article adds that authors keep control of the manuscript and supply the content, that developmental editors typically give guidance and suggestions instead of changing the text directly, and that many publishing houses now do little developmental editing and rely on agents to submit manuscripts already in shape.
Wikipedia's page on copy editing places the role in context. It describes substantive editing, also called structural or developmental editing, as the level that addresses content structure and organisation, including pacing and plot development in fiction, and which may involve reordering sections or suggesting additional content. Copy editing comes later and deals with consistency and correctness.
An example
Rosalind Pierce has finished a cosy mystery and hires a developmental editor, Hamish Teague. His report is eleven pages long and has no corrections to commas. It says the killer is revealed in chapter thirty but is absent from the middle third, that two secondary characters have the same function and that the best clue is buried in a scene with no tension. He suggests moving the reveal to chapter twenty-four, merging the two characters and giving the detective a personal reason to care. Rosalind makes the changes herself over six weeks. Only then does the manuscript go to a copy editor, who finds that the new draft has a fresh set of typos.
Common mistakes
- Paying for a polish when the structure is still changing, so the editor's line work is rewritten away.
- Expecting the editor to rewrite the book. They advise, and the author writes.
- Sending the manuscript before getting feedback from beta readers, who can catch obvious problems for free.
- Treating the editor's letter as a verdict instead of a set of options to weigh.
- Skipping the edit because a traditional publisher might do one. Many houses do very little.
How to check your manuscript
Before hiring anyone, write a one-page summary of the book and a list of what you are unsure about, such as the middle, the ending or a character. These give an editor a place to start. Afterwards, rank their suggestions by how much of the book each would change and do the largest first. For related terms, see pacing, character arc and subplot.
In Musael, versions let you keep a named snapshot before a large restructure, so you can try an editor's suggestion and return to the old draft with a click.