The Difference Between a Manuscript Critique and a Developmental Edit

By Michelle Chiappetta

A few months back, we dove into the world of Line Edits but today, let’s zoom out and discuss other editing options available to you by our team.

You’ve just completed the draft of your latest novel, and now you’re contemplating edits. You certainly don’t want to dive into fixing sentences and correcting punctuation without first making sure all the major structural elements of your story—plot, characters, setting, and more—are working as they should.

The overall shape of your clay pot has to be right before you take time to etch in little decorations on the outside, right? The same goes for a novel. And that’s why big-picture editing such as a manuscript critique or a developmental edit is a smart first step in your overall revision process.

So, which approach is best for you? That’s a great question! Here’s what to think about as you choose.

What these editing approaches have in common (and what kind of feedback you’ll get)

Both the manuscript critique (also called an evaluation) and a developmental edit (aka, dev edit) are designed to consider your story’s big-picture elements. They both concentrate on issues that must be fixed for your overall story to hang together, make sense, and compel readers to keep turning pages.

You can expect feedback to cover elements of storytelling and style. Here’s a quick overview of what we include, among other things:

• Your opening chapter and hook: How effective is your manuscript at drawing in readers, indicating genre, setting expectations, etc.? What might help improve your hook?

• Setting: How easy (or hard) is it for readers to envision where and when each scene takes place? Are your descriptions doing double duty, grounding readers in the story’s world while also providing character insights or foreshadowing?

• Target audience: Is it clear whether your story is for children, teens, or adults? Do your approach, tone, and story design fit genre expectations?

• Style: Is there an appealing and consistent writing style that readers will enjoy? Do your sentence structures, word choices, etc., create an engaging feel for your prose—or not?

• Plot: Does the story have a strong, compelling structure in which one event leads inevitably to the next? Are there plot holes, rabbit trails, or confusing elements that will make it hard for readers to get what’s happening?

• Pacing: Does the story move at a steady pace that keeps readers interested? Are there places where things drag? Are there fight scenes that move too fast to keep track off?

• Characters: Does each character have clear and consistent motivations that readers can understand? How likeable or relatable is each character?

• Worldbuilding: Does the internal world of the story make sense? Can readers understand the rules of how the world works? (This applies to any story, but is especially important when the genre is set in a world other than our own (sci-fi, near-future dystopian, magic realism, fantasy, horror, paranormal).

Critiques and developmental edits concentrate on giving feedback on anything at the structural level that we notice happening in your manuscript. Even if it isn’t listed above as a question, if we see it as a big-picture concern, we’ll include it in our comments and notes so you can address it.

How they differ

Though they both cover big-picture feedback, a manuscript critique and a developmental edit are not the same. In a nutshell:

A manuscript critique involves a full read-through of your story, followed by a report that runs 6-10 pages, on average, with a summary of our big-picture feedback. We may provide examples from your story, as well as general suggestions for how to approach your revision process. Additional input isn’t generally included, though you can email us once or twice to ask follow-up questions to see if your solutions to the feedback feel on-track to us.

A developmental edit includes a full read-through, a summary report, as well as comments on just about every page of your manuscript, or an in-depth list of comments per chapter (which can be included at the end of the summary report). You’ll get more in-depth details on big-picture elements as they show up in your story, which gives you much more input that you can use during revision. You may want to schedule in 1-2 calls to review the feedback and strategize on how to approach it.

Tip:

If you want a significant amount of feedback during the editing process, including a full review of your revisions with additional input from us, we offer a discounted second read-through. You could also opt for book coaching, which involves a package of coaching calls to strategize on your revisions, talk through trouble spots, get input on changes as you draft them, and even have help staying focused and on track.

How to tell which type of big-picture editing is best for you

To help you discern whether a manuscript critique or a developmental edit fits you best right now, ask yourself a few questions.

How experienced are you with writing (and editing) a novel in your chosen genre?

If you have written 20 contemporary romances already and your current draft is number 21, you’re experienced and will likely find it straightforward to respond to critique feedback on your own. However, if this is your first novel ever, working your way through big picture edits is something you’re just learning to do. More intensive comments, typical of a dev edit, may be more beneficial for you as you’ll be able to see how to improve your story page by page.

Tip:

If you’ve written several novels but your current story is in a genre that’s “new to you” as an author, an “extended” critique that provides an overview of all the big picture issues, but also takes a deep-dive into genre tropes, reader expectations, and consideration of market trends. We can provide specific feedback on anything you request us to look at.

How much time are you willing to give the process?

We understand you may have different time commitments and scheduling needs for your manuscript. If timing is tight, a critique can be wise because it’s a shorter process—about 3-4 weeks for the read-through and creation of your summary report. Of course, it’s less in-depth too. If you want more feedback, a developmental edit will get you that detail, and the timing will take longer—about 6-7 weeks. That extra detail can be worth the additional time spent.

Tip:

We highly recommend giving yourself sufficient time for your revision process. Include extra time for unexpected hitches before your scheduled publication or querying date, and you’ll be less stressed as you wrap things up on your book.

What’s your budget?

A critique can be an affordable way to get your feet wet in big-picture considerations. You’ll receive a report that encapsulates what’s happening in your manuscript at the big-picture level. A developmental edit is more involved in every way, so it costs more—but you’ll also receive much more insight into how to improve your story. This can be a smart investment if you’re early in your writing career or if your manuscript needs a lot of in-depth reshaping and you need a second set of eyes to help you do that.

Tip:

While budget obviously shouldn’t be the only question you consider, we realize every author is at a different place in their life and career. You may have to get practical about how you break down the costs for every part of your book project, and we’re happy to provide tips on what you can do to get the most bang for your buck.

The Bottom Line

Big-picture editing will help you ensure that your overall story is working together as a whole to engage readers, keep them turning pages till the end, and have a feeling of great satisfaction when they’re finished. And happy readers leave good reviews and come back for more, so it’s well worth investing in the right editing for your needs.

At Two Birds Author Services, we offer a short sample edit (at no charge) for any project we consider, and we’d be happy to skim your manuscript and discuss your goals so we can help you decide whether a manuscript critique or developmental edit is best for you. Reach out anytime if you have questions, or to request a sample edit. We’d love to work with you!