Why It’s Okay to Hire a Developmental Editor—and Not Keep It a Secret
I am at a literary party in some important person’s loft in Manhattan, talking with five different authors, some traditionally published, a few self-published. The subject turns to the people who read our work for us, in stages from our first chapter to the whole manuscript before it is ready for agents, or editors or publication, all of us needing to make sure the story works and resonates.
(When Is My Novel Ready to Read?)
A few writers mention their beta readers—sometimes friends, sometimes partners, but mostly other writers—who willingly, and for free, read their work and comment on it. Listening, I learn that some beta readers do a better job than others. Some track changes on the page, others just call and tell you what they think.
“I actually hired a developmental editor,” one New York Times bestselling writer blurts, and her cheeks flush with shame. “I can’t breathe a word of this to my agent or editor because they’d be hurt. They’d think they weren’t enough—and they are! Or even worse, they’ d think I wasn’t good enough to figure this out on my own. Please don’t tell anyone.”
“Of course, we won’t—we would never,” another writer says.
Puzzled, I shake my head. “I’ve been hiring a developmental editor to help me for the past three novels,” I say, “and it’s been a life saver.” I tell them that if you go to this editor’s website, you can see that she’s worked with prize-winners, with big, familiar names, as well as not-so-familiar ones. The reviews praise her ability to strengthen a book’s skeleton, to revive a plot, to make a good novel truly great. You saved me, they say. You made me a better writer.
I can feel the air in the room change, the doubt, and the curiosity that not only did I, a New York Times bestselling author, hire a developmental editor, but I admit it. They want to know why, how it works, why I recommend it, and I’m more than happy to tell them.
It wasn’t always this way. When I first started out many years ago, I showed my work only when I had to, to my agent and editor. I was simply too shy, too worried about being criticized. But then I realized that no writer can really do it alone. That even if you can critique another’s writing brilliantly, you’re just too close to your own to be able to do it for yourself. You’ll miss too much.
I graduated to showing my work to friends, writers and non-writers alike, but I began to realize they were being too kind to me. While it’s lovely to hear, “This is a masterwork!” it’s much better to have concrete suggestions to make a story better. Writer friends sometimes don’t know how to fix the problem. Or sometimes they inadvertently put their sensibilities on my work.
But as I grew as a writer, and my books grew more complex in their drafts, I knew I needed more help. I started small, at first hiring a developmental editor just for the synopsis I needed to sell my novel on a partial.
When I got the results, I was astounded. Not only had this professional developmental editor solved a plot problem elegantly and easily, but she brought up issues I hadn’t even thought of. The synopsis sold the book, and when it was written, I hired her to vet the whole novel. And it made all the difference in presenting a more polished, layered book to my agent, who also knows the value of an extra polish for editors to wield their particular genius.
It’s important to realize that publishing has changed. Traditional publishing has gotten much more difficult and many agents no longer edit. The editor you are assigned may not be the best editor for you. The marketplace is more difficult, too. Book sales are down for both traditional and self-published books. Your book must really shine. And a developmental editor can help with that.
So when and why to hire a developmental editor?
To make sure that the skeleton supporting your book is strong
There are different kind of editors. Copyeditors check your grammar and punctuation. Developmental editors look at the whole structure of your book. Did you start in the right place or is there somewhere that’s stronger? Do all your characters have completed arcs? Does the pacing slow down in spots and how can you fix it? And does your ending answer the question your opening proposed?
When you are stuck
Sometimes, no matter what you do, a book isn’t quite working, and you have no idea why. I’ve been in this place. I’ve mapped out character arcs, fiddled with the timeline, had my writer friends read and discuss it—and to no avail.
I once had a book I felt was so unworkable, I was going to ask the editor to take back the advance. But it was a developmental editor who knew what the problem was—a character I hadn’t even thought of cutting, who really didn’t belong in the story. Once I got rid of that character, the book began to flow. And it became successful, too.
When you are trying something new
You might hire a developmental editor when there is something new that you are trying and you aren’t sure you nailed it. I had never written a dual timeline before, but in Days of Wonder, I had to flip back and forth between two stories, the present day one where my young felon Ella is out in the world desperate to discover what really happened the night of her crime and to find her child, and the one in the past, which shows the two teenage lovers obsessed with one another. Two separate stories on two twin lines. I couldn’t figure it out.
What went where and how was each story going to impact the other? My developmental editor not only talked through the lines, but she gave me structural tips to figure out what should go where…and why.
Check out Caroline Leavitt’s Days of Wonder here:
When you think you’ve done all that you can do
By the time I turn in my manuscripts, I almost have them memorized. There’s nothing more that I can do. I might think the book is solid, but I always hire a developmental editor to give it another look, because there are always amazing new layers to add, taking things up to the next level. Every version of a manuscript—and I do about 18 drafts before I turn the book over, and then another two or three drafts with my editor—is a revelation. Every sentence in the 10 or 20 pages of notes I get back fills me not with dread or shame, but with excitement, because now I can make my book even better.
Right now, I am revising a new novel. I gave it to the same developmental editor I’ve been using since I started. And I gave it to her after four writer friends I trust read and commented on the book. Looking at her detailed notes, I know I have a major rewrite involved. But I was smiling as I read it. And I’m betting my agent and editor will be smiling, too, because that extra creative muscle makes all the difference.
How to find a developmental editor
This is most certainly not a one size fits all endeavor. The fit of editor and writer has to be right. Ask friends for referrals. You can find developmental editors at Grubstreet.com and at Reedsy.com or simply by Googling.
I absolutely can’t put the finishing edits on my own work without help, but I’ve learned to successfully develop edit others’ works, which have gone on to publication. But no matter who you choose, ask if they will do a sample one page edit. You’ll know immediately if they are the right editor for you. Did they show you something that makes the work better? Do you agree with what they said? Is their tone supportive and professional?
Then go forth and write the absolute best version of your book that you can.