If you spend any time in the editing and publishing world, you’ll realise that there is a plethora of terms used to describe services offered by editors – developmental editing, manuscript critiquing, manuscript assessment – and that every editor uses different words to describe these services. This can be confusing, especially for inexperienced writers, so I have put together a guide to distinguish between book coaching, developmental editing and manuscript critiquing.
Book Coaching
A book coach is a person who provides one-to-one support to writers while they are planning and drafting their novels. They can help writers create a viable premise for their novels and outline a story structure that suits their genre. Book coaches can use their experience to troubleshoot any issues writers commonly face during their writing process and come up with a plan. Some book coaches may even be able to help you create your marketing materials. Even if you have some experience writing, a book coach can be a useful tool in your arsenal because they might be able to spot bottlenecks or places that require improvement when you can’t, which will hopefully make the whole process easier for you.
Developmental Editing
Developmental editing focuses on the big-picture aspects of story writing: plot, structure, characterisation, narrative voice, style and scene construction. It looks at a usually finished draft of a piece of writing as a whole and fixes book-level issues rather than fixing mechanical errors, such as grammar and punctuation. When you hire a developmental editor, they will provide an editorial report, and most will also provide in-text notes that highlight specific examples of the points they are making. They may even rewrite a scene to show you how to increase conflict, for example. They will be able to spot places that need improvements and provide suggestions about ways you can fix these issues. It’s best to choose a developmental editor that specialises in, or is at least familiar with, the genre of your book because they will be able to analyse how well you’ve handled the conventions of that genre and if you’ve used any tropes (a trope in literature is a common theme/motif of a particular genre; for example, in romances, enemies to lovers is a trope). Editors who know about your genre will give you insights into your novel that you can then use to market your book.
Manuscript Critiquing
Manuscript critiquing goes by many names: manuscript critique, manuscript assessment, manuscript appraisal and manuscript evaluation. These terms are often used interchangeably, but some editors do distinguish between them. What most agree on, though, is that this service also focuses on the big-picture issues, but it only provides the editorial report and not in-text notes or revisions. Some editors will focus on analysing the marketability of the novel (often called manuscript assessment) while others focus on more literary elements (a traditional manuscript critique). This service is particularly useful for more experienced writers or for those who need some advice before getting a full developmental edit.
Summary
Navigating editing services can be confusing because editors sometimes use different terms for the same services. However, many share aspects that we can largely group:
Book coaching occurs before and during the first draft and aims to make the process as easy as possible for the author.
Developmental editing takes place after the first draft is complete and focuses on big-picture issues like plot holes, structural issues and weak characterisation. The editor provides analysis in an editorial report and in-text notes. Editors will sometimes make direct changes to the manuscript.
Manuscript critiquing is similar to developmental editing, but it does not provide in-text notes or direct edits. The editor might be able to provide an analysis of your novel’s marketability.
If you are ever unsure, you should reach out to the editor for clarity.
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