Manuscript evaluations and developmental editing are two ways to receive professional feedback on big-picture elements of your book. Here are some of the questions these types of editing ask:
- Is the characterization compelling and effective?
- Is the plot coherent and the conflict gripping?
- Does the pacing work for the story?
- Is the theme strong?
- Does the setting support the story?
- Is the book positioned well for its target audience?
- Does the book engage with genre conventions effectively?
These edits will usually result in significant revisions—chapters cut or added, characters adjusted, and prose styles honed for your purpose and tone.
What Each Edit Includes
The main difference between a developmental edit and a manuscript evaluation is the amount of feedback you’ll receive and the degree of detail your editor goes into. Manuscript evaluations are quicker and are less in-depth; developmental editing is the most rigorous editing Looseleaf offers.
Manuscript Evaluation
—Nikhil Sekher, middle-grade fantasy writer
A full manuscript evaluation includes your editor reading through the manuscript in its entirety and reviewing it in light of your publishing goals, your intended audience, and other factors. Looseleaf’s evaluations end with you receiving an extensive editorial letter (usually 8-10 pages at minimum) with big-picture recommendations. Most sections of the editorial letter include at least one reference to a blog post, podcast, online video, or book with more information on the topic at hand. Sometimes those references are to books or movies that are good examples of the technique the letter discusses.
The letter provides tailored feedback and lots of tools for self-editing and self-teaching. (Only a little markup will appear on the manuscript proper.)
The focus for manuscript evaluations is to empower you to identify trends in your writing and self-edit. If you decide you’re ready for more professional input after the evaluation, Looseleaf provides a 10% discount for any editorial or book design services you schedule within 365 days of your evaluation.
Looseleaf also offers partial manuscript evaluations on a manuscript’s first 50 pages (approximately 12,500 words).
Developmental Edit
—J. Michael White, urban fantasy writer
A developmental edit looks at the same things a manuscript evaluation does—character, plot, pacing, tone, voice, dialogue. For the first part of a developmental edit, the editor reads the manuscript at least twice through and provides an overall editorial letter as well as chapter-by-chapter recommendations. The edit also includes comments and feedback provided paragraph by paragraph, page by page on the manuscript.
The editor then returns the manuscript to the author, who can then make appropriate revisions. (Looseleaf’s developmental editing packages include up to 1 hour of phone or Zoom consultation about revisions.) After the author revises, the editor will do a limited review of the revised manuscript so they can report on whether the revisions have successfully addressed the issues in the first pass.
This service provides a robust and in-depth set of feedback that gives authors a lot of direction for their revisions. Because of the quantity of feedback in them, developmental edits are best suited to authors who have experience using feedback and revising. (Not sure if you’re ready? Check out “When Am I Ready for a Developmental Edit?”)
Pricing
- Partial manuscript evaluation (50 pages/12,500 words): $300
- Full manuscript evaluation: $1,000 for up to 100K words (add $125 for each additional 50K words)
- Developmental edit: $0.06/word for one round
Contact Us About This Type of Editing
Learn More
Learn more about the other types of editing Looseleaf offers or visit our resources page for more information.
