A developmental edit is a substantive critique of the big picture issues in a story to help an author see their work with fresh eyes.
I specialize in science fiction, fantasy, and horror, but am happy to work with other genres.
My goal is to help you make your story the best version of what you want it to be.
I’ll also provide insight into my experience of the story. While I always try to be thorough in my critiques, sometimes the most useful notes an author can get are, “I don’t enjoy reading about this character,” or, “Everything in this scene makes me want to keep reading. I loved it!”
Email me at tommockreads@gmail.com or use the form below and include a brief description of your project and some sample pages.
“Wow! That’s exactly the sort of feedback I needed to hear, and you’ve NAILED what I think needed adjusting! I honestly can’t thank you enough!”
— E.C. Greaves, Author of SPFBO9 Finalist: Daughter of the Beast
Full Manuscript Feedback
Character motivation, plot development, and story clarity and focus are among the details I’ll be paying attention to.
Whose story is it? What are the conflicts? Are those conflicts developed? Does the story create a compelling chain of consequential events that demands the reader keep turning the pages? These are the kinds of questions I’ll be asking as I read.
I’ll provide a few pages of overview notes focusing on the key points of the story, its strengths, and what I think could generally improve. I’ll also take notes while I read to help communicate my experience as a reader. My goal is to understand what you want to do with your story and help you do it as best you can.
My rate is $2.50 / page (250 words), $0.01/word.
An 80,000 words novel would be $800. It usually takes me 3-4 weeks once I start to return feedback, word count and story depending. This rate is affordable because it does not include any rereads, but I’m happy to clarify my notes as much as possible.
Additional readings and feedback of a manuscript can be booked for 1/2 the price (for $400 in the example above) depending on how much the project has changed. This rate could be applied to specific page ranges instead.
Opening Feedback
A developmental edit on a full novel manuscript isn’t always in an author’s budget, nor is it what may be right for you. Sometimes we just need someone to tell us whether the opening of our story is working and to give us some sense of what we should pay attention to going forward in our edits. Book openings are hard (don’t I know it), and we all want to get them bang-on right. Besides the cover, it’s the first thing readers and agents see. Sometimes it’s the last thing they see too.
My rate is $4 / page (250 words), $0.016/word.
This is more expensive per page because I’ll be paying attention to finer details, and this way I can offer more than a single read-through. What constitutes the opening of your work is flexible based on your needs.
“Tom was a delight. He gave clear, actionable feedback to me on the chapters I shared with him.
Being provided a critical reader’s view from an editor who is an accomplished writer in their own right, and who understands the genre conventions you’re using (and breaking?) is really valuable. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend him.”
— Joel Glover, Author of The Thirteenth Prince
What you get with Manuscript Feedback:
Overall Thoughts
I’ll provide several pages of my overall thoughts regarding the manuscript – ie: what I understand the story to be, the things that work well to draw me into the story, and the major issues with the manuscript, such as the things I don’t understand or need further development. Sometimes one or two major plot points or issues with character motivations can bring a story down like a house of cards. Those are the things I want to help with. I try not to critique finer details of style or the beats of certain scenes, though I may comment on them in my reading notes.
Reading Notes
I’ll also provide notes I take as I read (these can be extensive) where I try to provide as authentic and thorough a reaction to the book as possible. This is essentially a reading journal. I try to call out the great moments and things I really like about the novel as I’m reading (I’ve always found it helpful as an author to know what is working), but it’s harder to stretch “Damn, that’s good” across as many words as a critique.
I may also provide some example line edits of a page or two if I notice any consistent issues with the writing or elements of style, or to illustrate a suggestion, but this is not a given.
Once I finish my read and hand back my notes, if you have any questions about anything, don’t hesitate to ask. We can correspond through email or via a 1-2 hour video or phone call. I try to be thorough so that my notes speak for themselves and send you back into your story with purpose and enthusiasm.
One of the reasons I can offer feedback for this reduced price is because it doesn’t include rechecks of the manuscript. For an additional fee, I am willing to reread the work, in part or in whole, and give my sense of what has improved and whether any major issues have been addressed.
What you get with Opening Feedback:
This is necessarily shorter. My opening reads of the SPFBO9 and SPFBOX on twitter is a great example of my thoughts on the beginnings of books. For you, my notes will be more detailed and potentially prescriptive if I do have suggestions. I’ll provide at least a page of what I understand the story to be, what I think it’s doing well, what I’m confused about, and what I think it could do better.
Sometimes this opening feedback is more about helping an author understand how their beginning lands with a reader than it is about me saying what should change. Just because something is fast or slow doesn’t mean it’s wrong. There is so much to be said for style. But it could be helpful to know if what you hoped would be a tantalizing opening is more a slow conundrum. Maybe it’s a firecracker and you shouldn’t change a word. That’s just as great to hear, and I’m always happy when I can say it.
“Tom is as good as it gets when it comes to breaking down a reader’s experience, and providing super helpful feedback on what works, and what may need improving. The feedback I received was extremely useful. To top it all off, he’s just a lovely chap, and will go out of his way to make sure you’re given a leg up!”
— Dawud Grace
Contact
Email me at tommockreads@gmail.com or use the form and include a brief description of your project, what services you’re interested in, and some sample pages.
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