Hey there! I’m Jennifer Blanchard and I’m a Developmental Book Editor.
Let me tell you a little bit more about how I work with your manuscript:
First, I don’t work on multiple books at the same time. I may have multiple clients in a month, but I don’t read their books at the same time. I work on one book at a time.
Second, I read your manuscript all in one sitting (or over the course of two consecutive days, depending on the length).
The reason I do this is because it’s easy to forget details or to confuse details with other books. I also do this because I like to have a marination period where I can think about what I’ve just read and really analyze what’s working, what’s not and come up with a plan for how to fix it.
Developmental editors are different than copyeditors, proofreaders and manuscript critiquers.
Copyeditors edit your words, your grammar, your punctuation, spelling, etc. Proofreaders do a final once-over for you right before you publish, to check for any final spelling, punctuation or typos that need to be fixed. Manuscript critiquers will read your manuscript and tell you what’s working and what’s not, but a lot of times they don’t have a whole lot of feedback on how to fix it so that it does work.
What I do is read your story looking at the overall big picture: Does the book work, as a whole?
I look for anything craft-related that may need work, such as your Concept, plot, character arc, story structure, scene execution, voice, pacing, opposition, dramatic tension and conflict, etc.
I look at the stuff that matters more than anything else (’cause let’s face it, you can have the prettiest prose in the world, but if your story doesn’t work, you’re screwed).
After I marinate on what I read in your manuscript for a bit, I record you an audio of my overall feedback, and then put together a detailed feedback document that tells you what’s working, what’s not and how to fix it, along with specific page numbers to reference where things aren’t working.
I turn the edit around in 30 days.
Once I send you my feedback, you get to do a follow-up call with me (via phone or Facebook voice) to discuss the feedback, ask questions, brainstorm with me, etc. so you have everything you need to do a final revision on the manuscript before getting it ready for publication.
Here’s what some of my editing clients have said about working with me:
“I cannot recommend Jennifer enough! From start to finish, she was punctual, professional, and on point. I contacted her for the Read and Feedback Program and heard back the same day. After I sent her my manuscript and the admin stuff was out of the way, I worked on my other writing and waited for Jen to work her magic.
As promised, I got detailed feedback on my novel within 30 days. Not only did I get a document with detailed content notes, but I got an audio overview, a slew of supplementary materials, book and movie suggestions, and we held a phone call to discuss my work and the creative writing process. The best part is not just that I agree 100% with her critique – it’s that I know I can contact her again if I have any questions or need further help on my book project. She’s personable and diligent, and gives value for your money.
So if you’re looking for a comprehensive, no-BS developmental edit of your novel that asks tough questions but spares your ego, Jennifer Blanchard should be your #1 choice.“–Maya Sokolovski
“I hired Jennifer to content edit my sci-fi mystery novel. Her detailed feedback was very thorough and specific.
Most helpful was her sifting through my story to find my plot points which will no doubt strengthen the structure of my book.“–S.L. Felix
“I edited my novel to the best of my ability using additional teaching from Jennifer such as Finish Your Damn Novel, Mindset, etc. I asked Jennifer to content edit it. This was a big step for me as up to this point I relied only on myself with my novels, just writing whatever I came up with and then publishing it. I took the plunge.
Jennifer was very encouraging and could see some of my structure. Then Jennifer proceeded to share where my story was not working. She also gave me some ideas on how to make it work. I have worked through many of those ideas and I am almost ready for the next content edit.“–Barbara Raue
I’m a damn good content editor because I’m not only an expert in book writing and story structure, but I’m also a fiction writer and published author myself. I know what it takes to write a damn good story and keep people hooked from beginning to end.