A manuscript evaluation is best if all you want is an overview of potential big-picture problems with your manuscript. It will be up to you to figure out the best way to fix them and implement the changes.

A developmental edit is best if you also want my detailed suggestions on how to fix the problems I identify. I will not directly edit your text, but I will provide a thorough editorial note that includes suggested revisions, and some marginal comments on the draft.

Book doctoring is best if you want me to handle the whole process, from assessing the manuscript through implementing the revisions I suggest. After providing my assessment, I will consult thoroughly with you to arrive at mutually agreed-upon solutions before I begin rearranging and deleting text, adding transitions, and rewording sentences to fit the new structure.

If you’re not confident that you want to commit to the more expensive options, you can hire me for a lower tier to begin with, and later decide if you want to upgrade — your initial payment will be counted toward the final total amount.

While both beta readers and dev editors will identify problems with a manuscript, beta readers‘ notes don’t usually explore why the problems are problems. A beta reader’s comments will often be brief, subjective, or opaque (e.g., “This doesn’t make sense”), because they take for granted that the author will understand how to diagnose and fix the problem once it is identified.

A dev editor providing a manuscript evaluation will be much more specific and thorough about what the problem is (e.g., “You seem to be treating these two concepts as distinct, but it’s unclear what the distinction is. If there is no meaningful difference, that would have substantial implications for your overall argument because…”). A beta reader will also not usually provide as much broad, big-picture structural feedback (e.g., which chapters or sections can be cut, what ideas need to be added or embellished, the core narrative that should be emphasized).

No, these are not the role of developmental editors. Correcting spelling, grammar, punctuation, and so on are what copyeditors do. Writing original text based on another person’s idea is the role of ghostwriters. You can learn more about the distinctions between different types of editing in this guide for hiring editors provided by the Editorial Freelancers Association.

You can have anything from an outline to a complete first draft. If you have a more polished draft, you can still hire me, but you will likely have to redo a lot of that work after making broad structural changes.

No: I work part-time, so if you have an upcoming deadline, I will likely not be your best choice.