Set yourself up for success. Define, conduct and price your developmental editing service your way.
To be a developmental fiction editor, you need more than a good grasp of literary theory. You also need to know how to deconstruct a manuscript, communicate appropriately with authors and make suitable suggestions – which is what this course is all about.
Course outline
Introduction
Available in
days
days
after you enroll
Module 1: How Developmental Editing Works
Available in
days
days
after you enroll
- Introduction
- What you need to know to edit fiction (7:53)
- Different methods of developmental editing (4:26)
- Where developmental editing fits in the writing and publishing process (5:05)
- Tools of the trade: notes, lists and tables (9:28)
- Test your understanding
- Summary
- BONUS: Manuscript tracking spreadsheet (download)
- BONUS: What are beta readers? (6:06)
Module 2: Quoting and Preparing to Edit
Available in
days
days
after you enroll
Module 3: Writing an Editorial Report
Available in
days
days
after you enroll
- Introduction
- Why write an editorial report? (2:00)
- The benefits of using a template (1:34)
- How to use the template (1:34)
- When to use the template (0:45)
- Opening paragraphs (3:56)
- The bulk of the editorial report (9:21)
- Closing paragraphs (1:19)
- Opinions, observations and suggestions (5:26)
- Getting the tone right (2:27)
- What if a manuscript is … really good? (2:22)
- Test your understanding
- Summary
- BONUS: Editorial report template (download)
- BONUS: Example editorial report walkthrough (8:30)
Module 4: Editing the Page
Available in
days
days
after you enroll
- Introduction
- What it means to edit a page (3:58)
- Page-level issues to address (10:55)
- Tracking, commenting and highlighting in Word (4:28)
- How to phrase a query or comment (2:55)
- What to do when authors resist advice (2:26)
- How to encourage innovation (1:29)
- How much should you intervene? (4:34)
- Test your understanding
- Summary
- BONUS: Example differences between line editing and developmental editing (downloads)
- BONUS: How to use track changes and comments in Word (6:59)
BONUS: Finding Work
Available in
days
days
after you enroll