As a developmental fiction editor, you’ll help authors improve their novels – and get paid for it.
Developmental editors provide feedback to authors before they publish, looking at the story as a whole and figuring out how it could be told better.
To be able to offer this as a professional service, though, you need more than a good grasp of literary theory. You also need to know how to: deconstruct a manuscript, communicate appropriately with authors, and make suitable suggestions.
Which is what this course is all about.
In this course, I’ll provide you with a broad overview of the service.
You’ll learn how to write an editorial report (also known as a manuscript critique or assessment) as well as how to edit a manuscript page-by-page.
By the end of the course, you’ll have a much clearer idea of what your developmental editing service will include and how to offer, price and conduct it.
Karen McKellarI thoroughly enjoyed this course. The modules were well-presented, clear and insightful. Having taken both [the] practical and theory courses, I would definitely recommend them to anyone interested in developmental editing.
Alexandra DawningIt really was a super valuable course, and I’m so glad that I invested in it!
This course isn’t for you if you aren’t already knowledgeable about writing-craft theory and don’t know how to offer suitable suggestions on how a manuscript can be improved.
The three-act structure. Close third-person narration. Character motivation. Narrative thrust. Universal theme … If these terms mean nothing to you, don’t take this course. (Take this one first!)
There are two version of the course: self-study and tutored.
SELF-STUDY
*Refers to lifetime of the course. If/when the course retires, access will be revoked – but you are able to download and keep all the written resources.
TUTORED
Everything in the self-study version, but:
ON SALE: Tue 4th March, 2025 (7pm GMT)
COURSE START DATE: Tue 18th March, 2025
PRICE: £299*
(The buy button at the bottom of this page will change when the tutored version is on sale.)
Melina RodriguezI am very glad that I took this course. […] I had been reading a lot of books on the subject, but I wanted someone with more experience than me to guide me a bit in the smaller details of actually performing a developmental edit. And I was not disappointed. I learned a lot from Sophie. Her feedback encouraged me to improve my editing skills and to learn how I could become a better editor. I would definitely recommend her course to anyone interested in it. Thank you, Sophie.
Howard WalwynThe course more than met my expectations because I did not appreciate that so much of it would be directly re-useable in my business. I really enjoyed it. I thought the exercises were excellent, the feedback, the notes, the videos, really everything about it.
Bonus resources:
Bonus resources:
Bonus resources:
Bonus resources:
In this additional mini module, I’ll outline ways of finding your first paying clients.
Aly KidwellI took this course hoping it would provide more knowledge on the administrative side of developmental editing, and that’s exactly what I feel I’ve gained! I appreciated how the course started out with the more administrative sides of editing and then delved deeper into the real legwork of editing in the last two modules. I’ll certainly be recommending this course to my friends!
Janina RusieckiThe class has been great. Thank you! I really liked your bonus material on finding work. It was excellent!
I studied English Literature with Creative Writing at UEA. I also hold an MA in Creative Writing, used to work for publishing-giant Pearson, and have completed in-depth editing training through the Publishing Training Centre and the Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading (where I’m an Advanced Professional Member).
I’ve been running my own freelance editing practice since 2011, with manuscript critiquing and developmental editing forming a cornerstone of my work.
You’ll receive a PDF certificate confirming you’ve completed the course. You can include this in your training credentials!
In the editing industry, training is recognised based on the provider’s credibility. My courses, for example, are recognised by the Chartered Institute for Editing and Proofreading and count towards membership upgrades.
Certification, however, is different. It requires an assessment to meet a certifying body’s standards, and there are ongoing requirements to maintain it. It’s quite complex, and rare in the editing industry. Liminal Pages does not offer certification.
Nope. This is an online course.
Forever. (Or for as long as I’m in business!)
No. This course relates exclusively to fiction. There’s some crossover in the skills involved, but the focus of this course is on how to develop a novel.
No. This course assumes you already have a solid understanding of what goes into a well-written novel, and that you know how to analyse a piece of writing. If you’re looking for a course that teaches this, try Developmental Editing: Fiction Theory.
Not as long as you feel confident in your knowledge of writing craft theory. Perhaps you’ve got a degree in English Literature, or perhaps you’re an established writer, or perhaps you’ve just read a lot of books on literary analysis and writing craft.
I recommend carefully reading the outline for each course and seeing if it fits with what you think you need to learn. You can always do this course another time if you decide you do want to learn more fiction theory – the courses don’t necessarily need to be done in order (see above).
Absolutely. In fact, I encourage it. Different genres handle different aspects of storytelling in different ways, so if you specialise, you’ll be able to offer more useful feedback.
No, unless you don’t have Microsoft Word – in which case, I recommend you buy it as this is the industry’s standard software and I’ll be teaching you how to use some of its functions to conduct your edits.
Typically, students spend an hour or two studying each module. It varies from person to person.
Not at all. Americans, Canadians, Australians, Europeans, Wakandans … everyone is welcome. Editing is a global community, and I won’t be addressing any UK-specific publishing conventions.
No, so please purchase mindfully. I like to think I’ve included enough detail for you to make an informed decision about whether this course is right for you, but if you’re still hesitant about buying, feel free to email me first.
Since I don’t know the details of all the other editing courses out there, I can’t really answer this question, I’m afraid. I recommend you take a close look at all the information on this web page, including the details of the course outline, and do the same with the other course you’re looking at. If the other course doesn’t offer the same level of information, you could ask the provider so you’re able to make a more accurate comparison.
You’ll be the best judge of this, so take a close look at all the information provided on this web page and have a think! If there’s something you’d like to know to help you make your decision and I haven’t mentioned it on this page, feel free to drop me an email and I’ll do my best to help.
No, I don’t provide grades. This is because I want the course to be all about exploration rather than assessment. The goal of this course is to give you an accessible and encouraging space to think about the practical side of developmental editing. Instead of grades, I provide detailed feedback on what you’ve done well, and advice on what you might think about changing.
ON SALE: Tue 4th March, 2025 (7pm GMT)
COURSE START DATE: Tue 18th March, 2025
PRICE: £299*
(The buy button at the bottom of this page will change when the tutored version is on sale.)
If you subscribe to my newsletter, I’ll keep you in the loop. However, if you’ve purchase the self-study version, you can upgrade to the tutored version. There’s a discount code inside the self-study course.
No, sorry. I used to, but these were getting abused, sadly.
Indeed I do! You can puchase both courses with a whopping 20% discount, but have to buy them both at the same time: buy the bundle here.
Absolutely. I don’t want you paying twice for the same material, so you’ll find a coupon code within the self-study course that you can use to redeem the price of the self-study course against the tutored version.
SeselisThe course definitely met my expectations. In fact, this is by far the best online course I’ve taken. This course was wonderful, and I’ll certainly be attending more of your courses. Thank you!
Tara AveryYour style is engaging, knowledgeable, and approachable. I’ve been a professional writer and editor for many years [and] your course affirmed that I’ve been on the right track while also providing a lot of streamlined, useful information I’ll enthusiastically incorporate into my business. Oh, and I used the new client questionnaire I developed in this course and the client loved it so much he hired me almost immediately.
