Developmental Edits

Give Each Chapter the Care It Needs

A developmental edit analyzes each layer of your story, showing how subplots, characters, and subtle themes can flow directly into the stunning waterfall of your novel. In-manuscript comments will point out individual examples of bigger issues and flag chapter-specific concerns, clearly illustrating the principles detailed in the extensive edit letter. With a developmental edit, you will be ready to exponentially level-up not just your book, but you as a writer.

Accepted Genres

I specialize in middle-grade and young-adult fiction in the following genres:

However, if you have a theme-rich story that falls into a different genre, I am open to considering it. If you would like to work with me, send in a request, and we will discuss your work to see if it is a good fit.

What You’ll Get

“Laura has a gift for seeing my stories’ themes and emotional core. While she is exceptionally knowledgeable about story structure, her teaching ability is what sets her apart from other editors. Every time she gives me feedback, I learn something about storytelling that I carry into my future stories. She helps me give voice to everything I want to say.” –Rachel

How an Editorial Assessment Works

1. Request an edit. Contact me through the form below and we’ll make sure I’m the right editor for your needs.
2. Hop on the schedule. If my services are a good fit, we’ll put you on the schedule! I will just need $75 up front to hold your spot. The edit is usually done 3-6 weeks after the starting time.
3. Await your hand-crafted edit. After I’ve soaked in your story, I will send you a preview of the assessment with an invoice for the remaining fee. Once that fee is paid, the full edit, book map, and annotated manuscript are yours!
4. Claim your free brainstorming session. I will email you in the next few days to set up a video call. For forty minutes, we can brainstorm solutions and go over questions–whatever you and your story need.

And that’s it! If this is the opportunity your story has been waiting for, fill out the request form at the bottom of the page. I can’t wait to see what you’ve been working on.

Pricing and Discounts

Series Discount: I offer a 10% discount when editing a subsequent novel in the same series.

Second-Look Discount: I offer a 15% discount when developmentally editing the same manuscript after revisions.

“Working with Laura was a dream. . . . Laura provided a depth of review on character development, solid worldbuilding, and fixing threads throughout my plot. Her comments were motivating and clear. After reviewing the edit letter, reviewed manuscript, the book map, and our consultation I felt excited and able to make the necessary changes to my book. I highly recommend her services.” –Liz

Frequently Asked Questions

When in my writing process should I get a developmental edit? Because a developmental edit works with the underlying structure of your story, it should come before any line-level edits. Some authors come to me once they have a readable manuscript, but aren’t sure how to finish pulling together the themes and plots. Others come when they feel their manuscript is complete, but their beta readers or instinct tell them something is missing. I am excited to meet your story in any of these stages.

How is a developmental edit different from an editorial assessment or outline edit? While all of my services examine the foundations of your novel, the developmental edit is the most thorough. The outline edit only works off of your outline. It provides valuable insight and inspiration for the bones of your story, but is unable to comment on its nuance. The editorial assessment works off of your whole manuscript, so it is able to provide feedback with more detail and context. However, the editorial assessment is still meant to give broad strokes, focusing only on the most important issues. The developmental edit, on the other hand, will delve into the depths of the story. Subplots, side characters, worldbuilding, subtle themes, and style will all be examined through the help of in-manuscript comments and a longer edit letter. A developmental edit is the best choice if you are looking to thoroughly polish your story.

How does a developmental edit fit with my publishing goals? A developmental edit is an important tool for any publishing journey. Whether you are preparing to query agents, self publish, or submit to a publishing house, a developmental edit will help you communicate the story you want. Though a traditional publishing house will often provide their authors with editors, even these authors often find an outside edit of their early drafts essential as they search for the most impactful way to share their vision.

What is a book map? A book map is a visual outline of your book. It is a fantastic way to see the progression of your plot and character arcs. You can learn more about book maps at My Approach.

Request a Developmental Edit