Developmental Editing

  • Flowers in heart shape

    Specialties:

    MM (Gay) Romance: small town romance, enemies-to-lovers, friends to lovers, detective mystery, socially conscious, royalty, LGBTQIA+ characters, and more.

    Dark Romance: dark fantasy romance, vigilante, dark mafia romance, psychopath/sociopath characters, horror, fairy tale retellings, and more.

    Paranormal Romance: omegaverse, shifter romance (including dragons), vampires, and more.

    Fantasy: urban fantasy, fairy tale retellings, low fantasy, epic fantasy, faeries/fairies, magic, dragons, merfolk, pixies, elves, and more.

    Speculative Fiction: dystopian romance, alternate history, and science fiction.

  • Book with coffee cup in middle

    Other Genres

    Contemporary Romance: sports romance, sci-fi romance, action/adventure, and more.

    YA: coming to age stories, LGBTQ+ themes & characters, fantasy, paranormal, and more.

    Historical Romance: historical romances set in West Virginia, Victorian England, Medieval, Georgian, and Regency.

    Science Fiction

    Erotica

    Cozy Mystery

  • “Leila’s communication was wonderful and the way she set out the editorial letter, by giving my strengths first, it made the weaknesses feel less overwhelming! Her email assistance following the edit was so helpful and it was positive to bounce ideas off you and receive feedback. From the moment I contacted Leila to inquire she was beyond helpful! She communicated clearly throughout the entire process regarding expectations and timeline. Her feedback was extremely constructive, and I immediately became excited to see where my story would go. Her approach ensured I didn't become overwhelmed with edits and her guidance following the edit completion allowed me to productively work through any issues I had. I will definitely be working with Leila again!

    — TT Hanna, romantasy author

Developmental Editing

Open book with text on a white table, a glass vase with green pine branches, a wooden dice cube, and sheer white curtains in the background.

A comprehensive developmental edit typically involves two to three close readings of your manuscript.

Throughout my process, I’ll provide suggestions on big-picture issues, such as plot, structure, characterization, pacing, scene dynamics, world-building, setting, and more.

Here are some specific issues that I might analyze or suggest:

  • Suggest cutting, trimming, or relocating scenes to help strengthen the cause-and-effect chain, pacing, or structure

  • Identify unrealistic characters and character dialogue

  • Pinpoint inadequate world-building and setting details that hinder the story's world

  • Logic and/or believability issues

  • Telling moments that overshadow showing the audience what’s happening in the story

  • The chemistry between the love interests

  • Determine how pacing impacts relationship development and the story engine (what keeps the readers turning the page)

  • Repetition: plot, scene dynamics, and more

Add-ons:

  • A book scene map

  • Manuscript Reviews: Get your manuscript evaluated after you implement my developmental editing feedback.

  • Unlimited email support: Up to one month

Book Scene Maps

A book scene map summarizes what happens in each scene. But it can also cover POV changes, character arcs, foreshadowing, and more.

The categories will vary by manuscript.


For example, a mystery novel might follow the murder storyline, while a romance follows the romantic arc.

Deliverables:

  • A thoroughly annotated manuscript

  • An editorial letter (17 - 34 pages) will cover the manuscript's main strengths and weaknesses.

  • 6 - 8 hours of complimentary email support

  • Free revision guide

  • Extra resources to help revise your manuscript

Rates: $0.023/ word - $0.035/word

Customized quotes are available.

~ Turnaround time can vary between 4 - 8 weeks (depending on length and complexity of the outline).

Developmental edits don’t include any line edits or copyediting.

Receive a Sample Edit