developmental editing
You Don’t Have to Go It Alone
Why Do I Need it?
Through both manuscript assessments and full developmental edits, I collaborate with you to present the best possible version of your work to gatekeepers in academic publishing and your ideal readers. As an experienced reader and editor, I act on behalf of the text’s various audiences, identifying places where your argument sings and places where it disappears from view. While traditional peer review often focuses on problems, developmental editing focuses on generating solutions and possibilities for crafting strong academic writing.
WhEN Do I Need it?
Academic writers typically seek developmental editing at one of two points in the publication process: First, writers who want to feel confident they have made a clear articulation of their arguments and evidence may seek a developmental edit before submitting their manuscript. Second, writers may seek a developmental edit after receiving readers’ reports. Developmental editing helps writers execute requested revisions without losing their voice and purpose for the piece.
What People Are Saying
"Katherine has the ability to thread the needle like few people I've met, professionally or otherwise. Her approach is direct but compassionate, not only describing what revision or alterations should be made, but explaining the reasoning why. When I went onto the byzantine academic job market, she was able to explain why I needed to change my approach to documents and how to best phrase what I had done in the classroom, both from scholarly and teaching perspectives. I credit her advice and guidance on my materials as much or more than anything else for my landing a full-time job my first year on the market. Without Katherine's guidance, I would have been left floundering; with it, I gained a stability that is rare and precious in academia."
— Adam Villalobos, English
"I highly recommend Katherine Fusco. She is thoughtful, methodical, and purposeful in her writing and editing. Not only is she productive and widely respected for her scholarly writing, she is also an excellent mentor, modeling excellence and encouraging others. She presents concrete strategies to help develop a personal writing program. She has challenged me to think more critically about my own writing habits and shared multiple organizational strategies to help me reach my writing and publication goals."
— Sarah Blithe, Communications Studies
“She laid the groundwork for helping me begin publishing at the beginning of my career. Katherine offered insightful tips on tenacity through her own experience when getting rejected from journals. I often used her CV as a guide on where to publish in my adjacent fields and to help me carve out my own research profile.”
— Wesley Graf Lim, German Studies, Dance
The Works
.09 per word
This package gets you a full developmental edit. It may be appropriate for authors who are short on time or do not feel confident executing changes to their document. The edit includes a detailed editor’s report that covers major issues and offers suggestions for revisions to argument, organization, evidence, and development. Additionally, this edit includes direct work on the manuscript itself through track changes and comments. This is not copyediting, but may include moving and blending paragraphs or sections, writing sample transitions or new headers, and condensing repetitive material.
Turnaround for book manuscripts is 30-45 days from project start. Turnaround for articles is two weeks from project start.
*Projects on a rush will be charged a rush fee of 25%-50% and depend on availability.
The Roadmap
.06 per word
This is a manuscript assessment. This service is appropriate for writers who feel confident in their ability to make changes and have the time to do so. The manuscript assessment includes a detailed editor’s report that covers major issues and offers a detailed revision plan with suggestions for changes to argument, organization, evidence, and development.
Turnaround for book manuscripts is 30-45 days from project start. Turnaround for articles is two weeks from project start.
*Projects on a rush will be charged a rush fee of 25%-50% and depend on availability.
Doc review: Job Market Materials
$195 per cover letter, teaching statement, research statement, diversity statement, or cv.
$500 for three-document package
Get the perspective of an editor who has served on numerous search committees, including searches for postdocs, assistant, and associate professors.
Doc review includes:
A detailed report with suggestions for more effectively communicating your experience and research to search committees.
Annotation of job market materials, with changes tracked.
A 30-minute meeting to discuss suggestions and strategy.
Turnaround for book manuscripts is 30-45 days from project start. Turnaround for one document is two weeks from project start. Turnaround for the three document package may take up to three weeks.
*Projects on a rush will be charged a rush fee of 25%-50% and depend on availability.
The Pitch
$995 per Book Proposal
The book proposal is among the most significant documents an academic writes, but it is not a genre in which most of us read. The book proposal package is designed to quickly bring a writer’s ideas into a concise and engaging form. The package includes two rounds of feedback:
· An editor’s report based on an initial read
· A 45-minute follow-up consultation
· A full developmental edit of the revised proposal
The turnaround for the initial read is 10-14 days from project start; the rest of the timeline will be determined based on client need and revision speed.
*Projects on a rush will be charged a rush fee of 25%-50% and depend on availability.