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Developmental Editing

Congrats! You did it! You wrote your book!

Now it’s time for the next critical step: DEVELOPMENTAL EDITING.

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What’s developmental editing?

Developmental editing is how I make sure your book’s content is strong, makes sense, and engages the reader. This is where I make you look smart. 😉

In a developmental edit, we’re reviewing your content and structure.

For non-fiction writers, I’m evaluating whether your argument is clear to your readers, whether your facts are correct, and whether your structure is logical.

For fiction writers, I’m looking at the world you’re building and ensuring it’s consistent in its logic, evaluating your character development, and keeping our eyes peeled for any plot holes.

Developmental editing provides you with the critical feedback you need to revise your book from bad first draft to fierce manuscript. You’ll receive your edits via the comments in your document and a video explanation of the edits as well.

Sounds good?

Great! You’re in the right place.

I’ve helped hundreds of authors perfect their books to rave reviews.

  • Efficient. Succinct. Correct. All things I am not—but Sarah is. I like to tell stories, ramble, pretend I have a copious vocabulary of words to choose from when I’m writing words on paper that people will read while they are sitting down and reading things when they want to read words. Sarah makes it sound gooderer. Or really, Sarah makes it short and sweet and easy to absorb. Use Sarah. Your readers will thank you for your betterer writing.

    Kent Youngstromexperience.kentyoungstrom.com


  • If you want to look and sound professional, legit, and smart, HIRE SARAH FOX to check your copy (self) before you wreck your copy (self)! I hired Sarah under the wire to make sure my course e-book was up to snuff. Sarah came to the rescue and delivered detailed feedback quickly (not to mention, hilariously) to make sure that I was putting my best foot forward and delivering the highest value possible with my course.

    Jamie Jensen
    www.thejamiejensen.com

  • Allowing Sarah to guide me through her process and listening to her insights caused me to dig deep and write an incredible body of work that hit #1 in six hours of releasing it. Sarah is honest, keeps her to commitments to timelines, and is an all-around pleasure to work with. If you are looking for a high-quality, professional level of support for editing–hire Sarah!

    Danielle Randall, MSC
    Authorize Love
    www.authorizelove.com

  • Sarah did a fantastic job editing my fantasy novel. In fact, when I got it back, it was clear she’d gone over and above. As an author, I’m reluctant to hand my hard work over to just anyone, but seeing the notes and comments Sarah sprinkled throughout the book made it clear she’s 100% invested in the success of my book. Plus, she responds quickly and even had a call with me to clarify some of my editing questions. It’s clear she pours her heart and quality into her work, which means I’ll be a repeat customer.

    Angela J. Ford
    The Four World Series

  • Sarah saved my memoir! After investing in a "highly recommended" editor who failed to delivered as promised, I wound up with a super messy manuscript, and I was tempted to trash it. I trusted Sarah, and I am so glad I did! With her no nonsense approach and commitment to her craft, I have a book I am proud of. I couldn't be happier, and I can't recommend her enough. For anyone seeking to make the best of their book, I have a word of advice: hire her!


    Nichole Sylvester

  • Sarah is a very hands-on editor, which I appreciated as a new writer. She takes the time to explain her comments, highlights lines and sections that she loves, and genuinely cares about helping you write the best book possible. As a writing coach, she has helped me develop my ideas into workable outlines and drafts, and she has given me advice and encouragement where needed. You can tell she really likes working with clients, and it shows in her personal approach and friendly manner. I can’t imagine writing a novel without Sarah in my corner!

    Jennifer Gregson

    THE ART OF LYING

  • Let Sarah do her job! Hiring Sarah was a huge blessing to me and my writing process. After receiving the developmental edits for my manuscript, I can tell you I was taken aback. This was my first book, and I thought I had it all together. Sarah’s questions and attention to detail propelled me into a “writer's mindset” that I was not aware was available to me. Allowing Sarah to guide me through her process and listening to her insights caused me to dig deep and write an incredible body of work that hit #1 within six hours of releasing it. Sarah is honest, keeps her to commitments to timelines, and is an all-around pleasure to work with. If you are looking for a high quality, professional level of support for editing, hire Sarah!

    Danielle RandallI

    MET GOD IN A NIGHTCLUB

  • Working with Sarah was a pleasure. I didn't really know what to expect as this was my first time in writing a book. Sarah was calm and very reassuring. Her editing was very thorough, and I loved the way she explained why she amended things or nudged me in the right direction. There were times I felt I didn't know how I was going to ever finish, but she encouraged me and pushed me in a way that stretched me, which helped my writing immensely. I would definitely recommend working with her. She is such a positive influence.

    Pamela Sommers

    LIFE LESSONS FROM A 40-SOMETHING

  • For my first project (a Christian devotional/workbook), I spent a good deal of time online trying to find a young, hip editor with professional experience that was cross-cultural. That was a tall order and not an easy find, as you can imagine! After learning of her background, I knew The Bookish Fox was the coolest name ever AND the right copy editor for me! I found Sarah's feedback to be concise, genuine, and thorough. The comments she provided opened my eyes to needs in my manuscript that I was previously blind to. Communication with Sarah was helpful and scheduling time together was convenient. I am also happy to say that Sarah is as talented as she is cool :). I highly recommend The Bookish Fox and plan to work with her again in the future.

    Concetta Green, Author

    TOO BUSY, TOO BORED FOR PRAYER

  • As a newbie to the editing world, I could not have been more grateful for the professionalism and ease in which Sarah introduced me to the world of editing. I worked with her on three pieces of fiction and could not be happier or more grateful for the stunning results. Sarah Fox is an absolute gem, and I loved the instant sense of 'team' she brought to our partnership. Sarah has excellent communication skills, an absolute eye for detail, and an uncanny ability to bring out the best in the writing. She is truly gifted in her field and has helped me to produce stories that are polished and professional. I cannot recommend her highly enough and will definitely be a repeat customer. She is a joy to work with.

    Sharon Haste

    THE CAROUSEL AND OTHER SHORT STORIES

  • Working with Sarah has been one of the best decisions of my writing career thus far. Not only is she incredibly helpful and smart, but she consistently went above and beyond to ensure that our work together remained a possibility. The PROLOGUE package that Sarah offers to her clients is amazing and one of a kind. After spending just a few hours with Sarah on Skype, I managed to plot out my entire novel from start to finish, delve deeper into the backgrounds and motivations of my characters, and create a writing schedule. Our monthly calls with one another have been hugely beneficial in ensuring that I remain on task and reach my writing goals. I highly recommend Sarah to anyone looking to start and complete their writing projects. I’ve not only gained a wonderful writing coach throughout this process, but a friend as well!

    Destiny Murtaugh

    FABLES & FAE

  • Sarah brought up some great questions about my novel that I hadn't thought of but needed serious addressing—and basically ended up shifting my story into something that I feel much more confident about releasing! I couldn't be more grateful for her perspective and thoughts into making it a more believable and thorough story. In the time we've worked together, I've noticed that Sarah can be both detail-oriented and big-picture-focused,showing great passion for editing and even writing. Plus, she's a blast to talk to and just a sweet person! Love working with this woman."

    Mikael Short

    CRIMSON OPPRESSION

  • If you want to look and sound professional, legit, and smart, HIRE SARAH FOX to check your copy (self) before you wreck your copy (self)! I hired Sarah under the wire to make sure my course e-book was up to snuff. Sarah came to the rescue and delivered detailed feedback quickly (not to mention, hilariously) to make sure that I was putting my best foot forward and delivering the highest value possible with my course. As a copywriter, typos, grammatical errors, and sentences that feel lofty are bad news for me. But I'm human! Which means sometimes I'll miss mistakes, especially when it's my own work that I'm bored to tears of reading and re-reading. Needless to say, having Sarah to call upon when I need an extra pair of eyes has been invaluable to my business, and I highly recommend working with her if you have the chance. She'll upgrade your writing, save you from the humiliation of glaring English mishaps, and make the entire process fun from start to finish. Thank you, Sarah!

    Jamie Jensen

  • I've needed help with my copy (read typos) for aaaages. And here comes Sarah, surely from the heavens with pixie dust all around her to save the day. She's beyond amazing at creative brainstorming and has helped me shape so, so, so many ideas that were tangled in my head. She’s simply the BEST, and I cannot recommend her highly enough!

    MAYI CARLES

    LIFE IS MESSY KITCHEN

  • Sarah has saved my ass multiple times. Her editing has saved me dozens of hours agonizing over grammar, punctuation, and cohesiveness. Thanks to her superb edits, my products are more effective and professional so I can charge more for them!

    Halley

    EVOLVE AND SUCCEED

  • I was drowning in words until Sarah edited me back to the shallow end! (Concision is not my strong point.) She's been a HUGE help in teaching me how to write in a more clear, concise, and engaging way. I want Sarah to read every single thing I write before the world sees it! Sessions with Sarah are super fun, and her editorial advice has taken my website copy to a whole new level of clarity, professionalism, and action. Thank you, Sarah!!

    KELLY JOHNSON

    WINGS, WORMS & WONDER

View all my Testimonials

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View all my Testimonials 〰️

Here’s how it works when we work together:

I’ll size you up based on your project, word count, and a few other fun Cosmo-quiz style questions.

Step 1:

You’ll book a chat with my book matchmaker, Linda, to make sure we are a good fit.  

Step 2:

You make this official with a deposit. You send us your manuscript in a Word doc, and we get to reviewing.

Step 3:

You’ll get all of your edits delivered as in-line notes and a video with my big-picture thoughts.

Step 4:

You have the option of hopping on the phone with me to get your questions answered. Nobody is left behind!

Step 5: