Development Editing: Getting Your Book Moved in and Settled

Once you’ve finished your book manuscript, you might want to hire a professional editor. This is a necessary step if you plan on self-publishing and want your book to meet the same standards as a traditionally published book. However, many writers hire professional editors prior to submitting work to agents and publishers to increase the likelihood of acceptance.  I get asked quite often about the different types of editing, so I asked two of my best editors to write about them. Today, Melissa Anne Wuske, an editor who works with me at CopyWright Communications and who also edited my book, How to Blog a Book, while she was a development editor (sometimes called developmental editor) at Writer’s Digest Books, gives you her perspective on developmental editing. NA

The writing process creates a new home for your ideas. Like moving into a new home, it’s a process with several parts. (I’ve recently moved, so be gracious as I expand—and maybe even stretch—this metaphor.)

Drafting is hauling the boxes from the truck, up the stairs, and into your new home. You try your hardest to put them where they belong, but the “oh, just set it down somewhere and we’ll move it later” logic prevails sooner or later. At the end of the process, you have a draft: a beautiful, messy, all-my-ideas-in-one-document draft. (To read the rest of this blog post, please click here.)

This post is part of  National Nonfiction Writing Month and the Write Nonfiction in November challenge. To learn more about these events, please visit www.writenonfictioninnovember.com, this blog’s sister blog.

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