Have you finished the first draft of your novel and are ready to begin the next step in the publishing process? Or perhaps you're ready to receive impartial feedback on your work-in-progress and are ready and partner with a coach to understand where your story is working and where a bit of tweaking might be helpful.

Let me be your Developmental Editor!  

Readers don’t just read; they experience a story with all of their senses and expectations. Allow me to partner with you to assess your reader's experience and identify where you're knocking it out of the park...or could make a few changes to make your story even stronger!

Developmental editing is a phase in the publishing process where editors work with authors to resolve “big picture” issues in their manuscripts, such as a compelling storyline, strong structure, engaging character arcs, and narrative pace.  

TURNAROUND TIME: 9-12 weeks from receipt of your manuscript; excluding weekends and holidays

What you'll receive:

1) A detailed Editorial letter - a written analysis of your full manuscript, including the following elements and more:

• Plot - analysis of the story itself, as well as any plot holes or errors
• Character - analysis of each main character in the story, including character development
• Pacing and Flow - a look at how your story world develops from start to finish, and how quickly each element is presented
• Descriptions and Setting - analysis of how well these elements are done in your manuscript. Can the reader visualize your scenes? Have you given so much information that your story drags? How can you improve the descriptions in your story?
• Style and Voice- comments on how you can improve your writing as a whole (what you have done well and what may need work or revision

2) In-text comments and feedback inserted into your manuscript draft

3) A 1-hour One-on-One Story Coaching & Developmental Editing Feedback Session 

• During our 60-minute session, we'll discuss your manuscript, any questions about my feedback, and I'll provide feedback on viable next steps to take your fiction to the next level. This will take place via video call/Zoom (unless phone is preferred).  For more information on how to download or use Zoom, please click here.

For this package, I will review up to 90,000 words of your manuscript and provide feedback on major story elements. You’ll be surprised by how much you can learn.

The Process:
Once you register, you will receive an email with instructions on how to email over your manuscript for evaluation. You will receive your editorial letter 9-12 weeks from the time you send it (depending upon manuscript length), to allow sufficient time to review and provide meaningful feedback. Coaching calls will take place 1 week after you receive your editorial letter.

Please note: After a First Chapter Critique, if you decide to move forward with having your full manuscript edited with us, you can apply the cost of the first chapter critique toward the full manuscript project.

PLEASE NOTE: The difference between developmental editing and copy editing is that while developmental editors focus on the big picture, structure, readability, and feedback for issues that could be fixed, copy editing is more focused on sentence-level issues such as typos, spelling, and grammatical errors. We do not provide copy editing services in this package. 

All calls will be held via Zoom (unless phone is preferred). The link to join our Zoom meeting will be provided in advance. For more information on how to download or use Zoom, please click here.

 Meet Your Developmental Editor:
Ianna A. Small

Ianna A. Small is the CEO of midnight & indigo Publishing and creator of midnight & indigo, a literary organization dedicated to short stories and narrative essays by Black women writers. m&i is her love letter to Black women like herself, who long to reach the pinnacle of their purpose. As the executive editor of midnight & indigo, she oversees all editorial and creative direction for the digital and print platforms. She has acquired, edited, and published collective works by 300+ emerging and established Black storytellers across the U.S., Africa, the Caribbean, Europe, Canada, Asia, and Australia. In her capacity, she also oversees midnight & indigo's Writing Program for Black women writers. In addition editing for 12 years, Ms. Small has 25+ years of experience developing partnerships, distribution, and content marketing initiatives for entertainment brands including BET, Disney Channel, ESPN, ABC, FX, VH1, MTV, HOT97, and more.

An avid fan of Black and South Asian literature, Korean horror, and all things Jesus + Michelle Obama + The Golden Girls + cultural food documentaries, she dreams of one day running midnight & indigo from a lounge chair overlooking the archipelagos of her happy place, Santorini. Ms. Small is a proud graduate of Syracuse University and active member of ACES: The Society for Editing and the Editorial Freelancers Organization. among others.

 **Once manuscripts are received, refunds are not offered for this service. This service is available for works of fiction only; non-fiction and poetry are not included.