What is developmental editing?

A developmental edit is an in-depth edit of an entire manuscript, examining all the elements of writing from word choices and phrasing to overall structure and style. It bears in mind the intended audience and brings the work up to professional industry standards. Each editor works a bit differently, but books are collaborative creations, regardless of publication by a traditional publishing house or self-published. The author should be open to critique and revision. Copy editing and proofreading after a developmental edit reviews grammar, punctuation, fact-checking, etc.

What is ghostwriting?

Ghostwriting is a commonly acceped practice in the publishing industry. Many (some say up to 40%) of today’s best selling books have been ghostwritten. It isn’t cheating. The author’s concepts and stories create the book, often told to the ghostwriter in hours of recorded interviews. The ghostwriter does the writing, but it is the author's stories and knowledge that form the book's content.

Personally, I love to work on books with a spiritual focus that offer hope and inspiration, memoirs, and books that help an author become established as an expert in their field.