What Is Developmental Editing? Understanding Structural and Substantive Editing
When most people picture editing, they imagine the fine-tuning that comes at the end: smoothing sentences, fixing typos, double-checking grammar. But editing begins much earlier than that. Before a manuscript can be polished, it needs to be shaped. It needs a structure strong enough to hold everything the writer is trying to say. This is the work of developmental editing.
Developmental editing is sometimes called structural editing or substantive editing. The names vary, but the purpose is the same: to look at the big picture. Developmental editing asks not, “Is this sentence correct?” but, “Does the whole book make sense? Does the story or argument hold together?”
Fiction and Nonfiction: Two Paths, One Purpose
What that looks like depends on whether the work is fiction or nonfiction.
In fiction, developmental editing is about narrative craft. Are the characters consistent? Do they grow in believable ways? Does the pacing rise and fall in a way that keeps readers turning pages? A developmental editor might suggest trimming a subplot that distracts from the main arc, moving a scene earlier to build tension, or deepening a character’s motivation so the ending lands. Here the goal is cohesion: a story that carries itself from first page to last.
In nonfiction, the focus shifts from character arcs to clarity of message. Does the argument build logically? Does the structure make sense for the intended audience? Are there gaps where readers will be left confused, or sections that repeat until the point is dulled? A developmental edit might involve reorganizing chapters, recommending headings, or reshaping a section of text into a chart, diagram, or appendix. Where fiction depends on emotional resonance, nonfiction depends on clarity and authority.
Different paths, but the same purpose: making sure the work, in its entirety, holds together.
What a Developmental Edit Looks Like
A developmental editor looks at a manuscript and asks questions of organization, content, and flow.
Organization: Is the structure logical? Do ideas or scenes build in a way that makes sense? Does the order need to shift? Are headings, chapters, or sections pulling their weight? Sometimes this means creating a new outline altogether.
Content: What belongs, and what doesn’t? A developmental edit may recommend cutting sections that are repetitive or irrelevant, adding new material to fill a gap, or balancing parts that feel lopsided. It may also mean flagging inconsistencies, sharpening transitions, or suggesting where information could be presented differently—say, a table instead of a block of text, or an appendix instead of a lengthy digression.
Flow and clarity: Even when all the right material is present, the way it’s delivered matters. A developmental editor looks at how the text moves: does the narrative or argument carry momentum? Are readers guided smoothly, or do they stumble? The focus is always on the reader’s experience.
This work can feel sweeping. Chapters may be moved or cut. Entire sections may need expansion. But the goal is never to dismantle a manuscript—it’s to give it a shape strong enough to stand.
Beyond the Text
Developmental editing isn’t just about words on the page. It also considers how a manuscript interacts with its medium and its audience. A website might need clear navigation. A nonfiction book might need sidebars, captions, or appendices. A memoir might need to signal shifts in time more clearly. Sometimes the role includes thinking about visuals, permissions, and supporting material. It’s about the whole package, not just the paragraphs.
Why Writers Need It
Writers sometimes want to skip straight to copyediting, eager to polish sentences and prepare a manuscript for publication. But polishing won’t fix a shaky foundation. Developmental editing is where a book becomes coherent. It’s where ideas that once sprawled begin to align, where gaps are filled and distractions cut away, where the manuscript takes its real shape.
Whether you call it developmental, structural, or substantive editing, the name matters less than the result: a work that hangs together, that knows what it’s trying to do, and that carries its readers all the way through.
