Developmental editing

Developmental editing, also known as structural or substantive editing, focuses on content, organization, and presentation of your book. A developmental editor will help you shape your story so that major structural issues are addressed and rewritten. This is an intensive edit that will likely require a complete rewrite once the project has been returned to the writer. The developmental/structural editor’s job is to help you fix what is broken in a big-picture sense. They typically do not address the minutiae (grammar, spelling, punctuation, etc.); that happens at the line and copy edit stages.

WHAT’S INCLUDED

• Annotated manuscript
• Editorial letter
• Style sheet (a running list of the style rules and preferences used as well as character names, locations, businesses, etc.)

PRICING

Starting at $0.03/word

DETAILS & LOGISTICS

Typical Turnaround Time:
I am currently booking clients for 2026. Turnaround is typically two to three weeks, depending on the length and condition of the manuscript.

Formats Accepted:
I prefer to work with Word docs.

TESTIMONIALS

“Approaching editing with an eye for detail and a deep understanding of the collaborative process between writer and editor, Jenn is everything I’m looking for in an editor. For the past seven years, I’ve depended on Jenn to help strengthen my novels with her analytical eye and storyteller’s instinct. I want an editor who knows how to find the balance between what a reader requires from a story with my vision for the story, and that’s what I have in Jenn. I cannot recommend her highly enough!”

~ Samantha Young, internationally bestselling author – https://authorsamanthayoung.com/

“Jenn helps me take a pile of puzzle pieces and fit them together perfectly. She’s a structure and goal, motivation, conflict guru who always shows me how to take my characters and story to the next level. One of my favorite things about working with her is that she doesn’t just suggest general things, she brainstorms with me to find specific ways I can improve my outlines and stories. Anytime I hit a dead end or have a gut feeling something’s not working in an outline, I reach out to her, and she always helps me solve the problems and get excited about writing my story again. She gets my highest recommendation.”

~ Brenda Rothert, romance author – https://brendarothert.com/

MORE INFO

jennifer@plumfieldediting.com
https://www.plumfieldediting.ca/our-services