Frequently Asked Questions

What exactly is developmental editing, and how is it different from copyediting or proofreading?

Developmental editing works at the level of story—structure, voice, point of view, pacing, thematic layers, character arc, narrative engine. It asks whether the manuscript is doing what it's trying to do, and where it isn't yet. Copyediting addresses grammar, syntax, and consistency. Proofreading catches errors before publication. These are different stages of the process. Grace Editorial works at the developmental level only.

Does my manuscript need to be finished before I reach out?

For a full developmental edit, yes.

For  most other services, no.

For a full developmental edit, a complete draft is essential. Developmental feedback on an unfinished manuscript can't account for the whole shape of the story, which is where the most important structural work happens. 

For most of the other services:

If you're mid-draft and want support as you write, the Odyssey, coaching or per-chapter review options are better suited to where you are. A Discovery Call can help you understand what the best service will be for where you are right now.

What does the Discovery Call actually involve?

It's a 45-minute conversation—we talk about your manuscript, where you are in the process, what you're struggling with, and what kind of support you're looking for. It's also a chance for both of us to get a real sense of fit. Not every project is right for every editor, and that's worth knowing before anyone commits. Forty-five minutes gives us enough room to actually get into it.

Do you work with writers outside the US?

Yes. Grace Editorial operates remotely and works with writers across time zones. I am physically located in Lisbon, Portugal (American expat), but my time can be flexible. All sessions are conducted via video call. Investments are invoiced in USD

What genres do you work with?

Dark stuff. Historical fiction, speculative fiction, horror, dark literary fiction, and genre-blending work — particularly manuscripts that engage with myth, psychological complexity, sexuality, trauma, identity, and embodied experience.

If your manuscript doesn't slide neatly onto a genre shelf (and wasn't meant to) that's often a good sign we're a fit.

If your manuscript terrifies your friends and family, that’s another good sign we’re a fit.

Do you work with authors who write with AI?

No AI-written manuscripts, please.

How long does a full developmental edit take?

Timelines are discussed and agreed upon during the discovery call and confirmed in your contract. Generally, a full manuscript read and editorial letter takes four to six weeks depending on manuscript length, complexity, and current availability. Turnaround for partial critiques is typically two to three weeks, though timelines can vary.

What do I actually receive at the end of a developmental edit?

A detailed editorial letter (think term-paper)—usually substantial—covering the manuscript's structural strengths and challenges, voice and POV observations, pacing and tension, and specific notes on what needs attention in revision. (I’ll also talk about what’s going really well on the page.)

Additionally, you'll receive the manuscript itself with inline annotations. And a follow-up call of up to two hours to work through the feedback together.

A full manuscript is a lot to digest—that conversation is where the editorial letter becomes feedback you can genuinely use to get the book in your head down on the page for your readers.

I'm deep into a long-form manuscript but nowhere near finished. Is there actually a service for where I am, or do I need to wait until it's done?

You don't have to wait.

Most editorial services require a complete draft—and for good reason. The whole shape of a story is where the most important structural work lives, and you can't fully assess that until the ending exists. That's a real limitation and I'm not going to pretend it isn't.

But some manuscripts are long journeys. Years, not months. (Go ahead, ask me how I know this…) Ambitious, layered, the kind of work that keeps insisting on being harder than you planned. Waiting until completion to get any structural support at all can mean years of working without a sounding board—writing into the void and hoping the architecture holds.

The Odyssey service is built specifically for that situation.

It works in two phases. Phase 1 is an orientation read—I read what exists (100 to 200 pages, whichever gives us the most useful structural picture), deliver a written briefing on where the manuscript currently stands, and we work through it together on a 60 to 90 minute call. Not a full editorial letter—a map of the territory as it currently is, built so the ongoing work has solid ground to stand on.

Phase 2 is flexible by design. Monthly retainer, per-chapter review, periodic sessions, or a combination that fits how you actually work—because some writers draft every day and some disappear for three months and resurface with a hundred new pages. The Odyssey accommodates both.

What makes it different from just booking coaching sessions is this: by the time we're deep in Phase 2, I know your manuscript. I know its terrain, its characters, what it's reaching for and where it keeps pulling back. That changes the quality of everything that follows—the support becomes specific to this story rather than generally useful to any story.

If you're several hundred pages into something ambitious and the distance between where you are and the end feels genuinely uncertain—this is where I come in.

I'm not sure if I need editing or coaching. How do I choose?

If you have a complete draft and want a comprehensive structural assessment, that's developmental editing. If you're still in the writing process and want ongoing support— someone to think through problems with, review chapters as they're drafted, and help you stay oriented—that's coaching. Some writers start with a partial critique and move into coaching from there. The discovery call is the right place to figure this out together.

Can coaching sessions run longer than 60 minutes?

Yes, by arrangement. Some manuscripts and some conversations need more room than an hour allows. If you know going in that a session is likely to run long, just let me know in advance so we can plan accordingly. (Full disclosure, I run long by nature, I’d rather take the time needed to complete the task, so please feel free to ask about flexibility.)

Does working with Grace Editorial guarantee I'll get an agent or be published?

No—and I want to be straightforward about this because your investment deserves honesty.

Developmental editing is not a publication guarantee. What it does is give you the clearest possible picture of what your manuscript is doing and what it needs—so that the version you're sending to agents or readers is the most fully realized version of itself and your creative ambition. That's meaningful work and it matters. But the publishing industry involves variables far outside the scope of editorial feedback: market timing, agent taste, genre trends, perseverance, plain luck. 

I wish I had a magic pill to guarantee you all the success in the world, but the honest truth is I believe in the work. When your vision is on the actual page, it has its best foot forward into its own future, because if you’re querying a manuscript that’s phoned-in, confusing, structurally collapsing, you could have the best querying tactics in the world and still get no bites. The work itself needs to be strong, and that’s what I’m here to help you do.

If an editor is promising you publication outcomes in exchange for their fees, that's a red flag worth paying attention to. Please be wary of that and protect yourself. What Grace Editorial promises is rigorous, honest, specific feedback delivered with genuine investment in your work. What you do with it—and where it takes you—is yours.

I'm an introvert. I'm terrified of phones. And video calls. And maybe people.

Yep, I get it. Me too, honestly.

Twenty-five years of corporate life helped me get over that a bit, but given a free choice I will always pick the writer cave over the networking event. Every time. Without hesitation.

Here's what a discovery call with Grace Editorial actually looks like: it's a conversation, not a pitch. There's no agenda to get through, no sales script, no moment where I pivot to closing the deal. It's two people who both care about dark fiction talking about your manuscript. If your cat walks across the keyboard halfway through, we stop for the cat. (Always.) If you lose your train of thought mid-sentence (same, constantly, welcome to the club) we just pick it up again.

I run long by nature. I get distracted by interesting tangents. I will probably say something slightly unhinged about a book I love and then have to find my way back to the point. The call is 45 minutes probably for that reason. (We don’t have to use the full time either. Or… we may decide we need some more if we’re really clicking.)

Most writers I work with are introverts. The work attracts a certain type: people who would rather spend four hours inside a character's head than make small talk at a party. People who find it easier to write the thing than say the thing out loud. People for whom the manuscript is more articulate than they are in person, which is frankly relatable.

You don't have to perform anything on this call. You don't have to have your elevator pitch ready or your synopsis perfected. You just have to be able to talk about your manuscript—which, if you're anything like me, is the one topic you can talk about indefinitely without running out of things to say.

Come as you are. Cave-dweller energy welcome.