Substantive Editing (also called Developmental or Structural Editing) is the first phase of editing. During this hands-on process, your editor shapes, refines, and restructures the narrative or book’s content to support the optimum flow of story, development of ideas, character, plot, and storytelling or narrative methods to make for a dynamic and engaging read.
During this initial “sculpting” phase of the substantive (developmental or structural) edit, the editor:
A substantive/developmental edit is done in two passes; during the first, your editor will make their initial notes both to themselves and to the author in the margins; during the second, now familiar with the project and the author’s intensions and voice, the editor will make deeper alterations to support the manuscript meeting its target as a dynamic work in that genre.
The edit is complete once the structure of the work is solid; the essential purpose of the story or work is clear and develops cleanly; and there is a solid feeling of progression and change (for the characters in a fictional work and for the reader in a nonfiction work) that comes from engaging with the narrative world or nonfiction material.
After you meet with your editor to discuss the edit and review their notes and suggested changes, you may either ask them to step in and adjust those areas, or you may revise the work yourself to implement their changes and make any further adjustments you like.
You are also welcome to collaborate with your editor as you revise the manuscript or share the work with them again either for spot editing or for a full second-round edit as needed.
Many of our writers remain with their editors throughout the full revision process to benefit from their guidance and insights prior to the work being ready for line and copy editing.
This article provides a terrific explanation of what each level of editing entails.
Our article, “The 5 Stages of a Manuscript” also clarifies what you can expect at every stage of editing.
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To get started, you may either purchase your initial block of time (above), or you’re welcome to contact us directly to sign on to begin.
In both cases, we will ask you to fill out a detailed questionnaire, which helps us match you to the most appropriate member of our team. After being matched with your editor, which typically happens within 1-3 days, you’ll be invited to connect with your editor in a private team in our editors’ platform. There, you may securely upload your files, live chat, and schedule calls. Your editor is also a writing coach, and you may find them a valuable resource not only throughout the substantive edit but afterwards and wish to continue collaborating with them into the revision, through subsequent editing, and to publication.
Your editor will be selected based on their area of specialization, their availability, and other criteria as shared by the author. You are welcome to review our editorial team to see if one of our editors suits you and your project best, or based on your personal needs and the specifics of your project, we will be happy to match you with the most appropriate person.
To provide an estimate for the full project, your editor will begin by completing 3 hours of substantive editing. This length of time is typically sufficient for them to establish a rhythm and get acclimated to the author’s vision, voice, and work’s purpose. After the initial 3 hours, they will return the edited portion to the author with their average rate of speed (e.g. how many pages/hour they are able to edit), which is then multiplied across the total number of manuscript pages to provide a cost estimate for the full manuscript.
*Note: an editor’s rate of speed will vary usually between 6-11 pages/hour based on a number of factors.
To ensure your manuscript is ready for substantive (developmental) editing, check out our article on the stages of editing, book a free call to tell us about your project and where you are with it, or talk to your editor, who will review a section of the manuscript and chat with you about their recommended next steps.
All time your editor spends either consulting with you or working on your manuscript is billable. Your time is recorded in 5-minute increments, so you only pay for the time used (the sole exception being phone/virtual meetings with a 30-minute minimum). Your editor will track your billing on a timesheet you can access any time so you always know where you stand in your billing. If you prepay for a block of time, and your editor completes the work, or you decide to stop work, with paid time remaining, that time will be refunded less applicable payment processing fees.
We ask that you submit your manuscript in Microsoft Word or Pages, so your editor can use Review or Track Changes to deliver comments to you for your approval. PDFs are not advised as they are difficult to annotate and cost the editor additional time.
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The first stage of the editing process. Assesses the structural elements of your book: plot, characters, setting, world, dialogue, scenes, etc.
When your manuscript is further along, and you need line or copy editing or proofreading to prepare to submit for publication.
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