Developmental Editing

The difference between the right word and almost the right word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug.

Mark Twain

What is Developmental Editing?

My goal is to help my client create a polished manuscript ready to be sent to agents and publishers. I focus on big picture elements, such as voice, pacing, narrative arc, style, tone, structure, characters, point of view, dialogue, consistency, plot, organization of material, strength of argument, setting, target audience, and attention to industry standards. (Copy editors address punctuation and grammar issues.)

A GOOD FIT FOR ME:

Fiction: adult literary and commercial, women’s literary and commercial, mysteries, thrillers, YA, Middle Grade, short stories for adults and teens. Excerpts of novels.
Non-fiction: Essays, Articles, Health and Medicine, Middle Grade non-fiction, YA Non-Fiction, Web Copy, Blogs, and Memoirs.

I am interested in working on both small and big projects.

MY PROCESS:

You describe your project to me via email. Tell me your goals for the piece, for example, your target audience or target publication, or whatever else matters to you. If you are interested in having your entire book edited, send a 4-5-page excerpt from the beginning, middle and end of the book. If you are interested in having me work on a shorter project (an excerpt, or an essay or a podcast), send me 2-3 pages. Once I see your work, I can determine the hourly rate, give you an estimate regarding cost and project completion date and answer any other questions you have. If you decide to hire me, I will send you a contract. If it is a large project, I will ask for a mutually agreed upon deposit before I begin work.

RATES:
From $40.00 to $60.00 per hour, depending on complexity of the project.

EXPERIENCE:
            *Over fifteen years of developmental editing experience.
            *Over twenty years of facilitating and participating in critique groups.
            *Over twenty years of teaching classes and giving workshops on writing.
            *Over twenty years of publishing articles and essays about writing.
   *Over twenty years of experience in publishing fiction, essays, and articles in major outlets.

EDUCATION:
*University of Connecticut, Magna Cum Laude, Phi Beta Kappa
*Dartmouth College, MALS, Citation for Academic Excellence
*Master Class at Hedgebrook with Jane Hamilton, Whidbey Island, Washington
*Graduate Seminars in Prose Writing, Children’s Literature, and Advanced Technical Writing, Duke University
*Anderson Street Workshop with Alice Mattison, New Haven, Connecticut

ENDORSEMENTS

WENDY BAUCOM

Debby lives by her own advice: always give positive feedback. This is not to say she can’t point out a mistake or a bad piece of writing, but she always couches her advice in terms of what can be done to strengthen a piece of writing. Her help has been invaluable to me in thinking through ways to reshape or even restructure my fiction at the sentence, chapter, and even full manuscript level. My work is unquestionably stronger thanks to her eye.

LORA KELLEY
lorakelley.com

Working with Debby is a dream! She develops and edits the work beautifully, and she also offers opportunities to broaden one’s perspective by bringing new insights and ways to enter the writing. This has only benefited my writing as I now approach first drafts with freshness and expansiveness.

BETTY JOYCE NASH, author of Everybody Here is Kin
bettyjoycenash.com

Debby can help authors see more deeply into their writing, and offer suggestions that strengthen its structure, substance, and impact.

ERIKA RASKIN
Author, Close and Best Intentions
Fiction Editor, Streetlight Magazine
erikaraskin.com/

Debby Prum has a unique, clear-eyed ability to assess a piece of writing — and then provide thoughtful, concrete suggestions on how to improve it. I wholeheartedly recommend her services!

ANDY STRAKA
andystraka.com

Deborah Prum is a gifted developmental editor. As a successful writer herself, she understands firsthand the process of creating prose. She has provided valuable editorial insights during the writing of a number of my published novels. I highly recommend her services.

KATHY KERBER

If you ask five different editors to read your manuscript, you’re going to get five different opinions about what needs to be done. So, it’s a crapshoot! Hooking up with the wrong editor is money down the drain, confusing, deflating and a lot of time wasted.

Someone I respected had just hired Deborah Prum to edit her literary novel. Based on her own good experience with Deborah, my friend recommended I consider having her edit my book. I hesitated because my novel is commercial women’s fiction. I was skeptical that Deborah would be open minded enough to have an appreciation for my genre. But after talking to her, I decided to take the risk. I say all of this because I think it’s so important for prospective clients to know how open she is, and good at working with different genres.

Here’s why I recommend Deborah Prum as a developmental editor:

She treated me and my manuscript with complete respect.
Her rates are reasonable.
She seemed to “get” my humor and have an appreciation for the story I was trying to tell.
She has a nice manner and managed to critique and encourage me at the same time. She is lovely to work with and has a great attitude.
She was specific about what I needed to do. She knew the process of how to write a compelling story. I learned a lot from her. I just wish I’d talked to her before I started writing in the first place😉