Developmental Editing

I offer editing designed to improve the organization and flow of your content—usually books, though I work with all kinds of persuasive writing.

In the publishing industry, this type of editing is called developmental or content editing. In journalism or the business world, some refer to it as substantive editing.

When do you need a developmental editor?

While you're still writing or when you've finished a draft, no matter how rough. The goal of developmental editing is to elevate the quality of your work on a fundamental level by asking the question, "Does it make sense?" (Or, "Are you making your point as clearly as possible?") If not, what needs to be changed to make it better?

Most clients hire me after they've written a draft (or at least a few ideas on a napkin). Developmental or content edits occur before you hire a line editor or copy editor for prose issues and grammar and punctuation.

Is this service only for book authors?

Nope. Any written project can benefit from a developmental edit: blog posts, books, training programs, websites, even a LinkedIn summary. It's always a smart idea to hire a professional to give your work a once-over. Everybody misses something. Even internal writers or marketers can be too close to material to see whether it's any good.

This is where I can be of service. I've critiqued, coached, revised, and polished other peoples' writing since 1994. After working with me, my clients have gone on to get agent representation for their books, make bestseller lists, secure job interviews or school acceptances, and place in writing competitions.

recent Projects

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WHAT CLIENTS SAY

"It was great having Kristen as the substantive editor for my second book, a book which combined both business and technical elements. Kristen did a great job helping me develop content flow as well as keeping an eye on some of the finer points of my writing style. Her perspective helped me focus on the reader experience and be more thorough in my writing. Kristen helped shape critical elements of the manuscript and worked to make terminology and concepts engaging and easy to understand. She was also very responsive and pleasant to work with. I would certainly recommend working with her."

— David Stephenson, Ph.D., Data Science Specialist and Author (Forthcoming)

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