Why is Developmental Editing important?

Authors often struggle with their own writing. They get fascinated with their own subject without considering general concern/interest. This can apply to fiction and non-fiction writers.

Some authors put their ideas as subjective—and fundamental—as plot and character development in front of someone. There will be no objective authority on how a book should work. 

But professional developmental book editors will examine the entire manuscript in the process, considering all aspects, including its narrative and structure. And they also look out for line-level problems, such as sentence structure, grammar, and punctuation.

Developmental editing is important for all book genres and makes the book connect with the target audience in the most effective way. A professional developmental book editor works at a distance, which means they’re better suited to giving an honest opinion, and they may be a personal story analyst for you.

What is Developmental Editing?

Developmental editing is an editing technique widely used by publishers in order to enhance the content and structure of a document. It can lead to a significant change and improvement in the content.

How to approach?

The approach depends on the intuition and experience of the editor.

1. A good editor may propose changes in the language and writing style of the author and generate creative ideas that can make content interesting.
2. The editor makes changes to the author’s work using the Track Changes feature of Microsoft Word. The author can either accept or reject the changes, thus retaining control over his/her work.

Role of the Developmental Editor in our Organization:

1. To eliminate inconsistencies in the tone and language of the content.
2. Developmental editors are solely concerned with the editing process and spend more time with the authors and writers.
3. The suitability of the editor may vary from author to author.
4. Sometimes authors themselves complete the task of developmental editing.
5. An editor also understands the needs and responses of specific demographics.

Successful Collaboration:

When a developmental editor enters an author’s domain and makes significant edits to the story, vocabulary, or descriptions used throughout the content, they are walking a fine line.

Developmental editing can be a smooth and beneficial process if both the author and editor are aligned in purpose and vision. Authors and developmental editors must work together as partners in developmental editing.

Lapiz excels in content refinement and developmental editing. Also, our experts ensure that a book is of a publishable standard.