Developmental Edit.
“If you’ve ever had a character who needs therapy, you need an editor like Claudia Menin.”
— Alex Penland
When you're in the process of writing a novel, it can sometimes be difficult to identify exactly what works and what doesn't, what's not essential and what may be missing to effectively communicate the core of your story. And that's why I'm here: to help you bring out the best version possible of your story, respecting its themes and your authorial voice, so that your novel may deliver a satisfying, engaging, and emotionally impactful experience to its readers.
Before starting, I offer a free 15-minute initial consultation on Zoom to give us a chance to understand if I'm the right developmental editor for you. Here, we will also speak about your vision for the novel so that I can keep your goals in mind when editing your manuscript.
In my developmental editing services, I provide inline commentary of your manuscript as well as a separate editorial letter that will cover and address:
Characterisation (characters, their development, and their arcs)
Story Structure, Plot, and Pacing
Tone and Voice
Worldbuilding and Setting
Scene effectiveness
Emotional pay-off for the reader by the end
I will point out any overarching issues and provide suggestions for improvement by offering feedback that is honest, constructive, and carefully thought-out.
In the editorial letter, I will also include suggestions on what polishing your manuscript may need to reach its full potential, and give advice on how to highlight the greater message of your novel in a way that increases your story’s emotional resonance.
For inline commentary, I will be using comments in Microsoft Word. Please submit your manuscript to me as a Word Document formatted in Modern Manuscript Format.
My standard rate for developmental editing is $0.025/word ($25/1,000 words). All word counts are welcome.
If you wish to compound this service with another editing service, let me know and I will offer you a reduced custom rate based on your needs.