Our Diary

As you may recall, earlier this year we detailed what the first phase of working with us here at Book Architecture typically looks like when it comes to developmental editing. We call it a Phase One and, in short, it’s about manuscript evaluation. Today, we’re going to discuss what happens next: Phase Two, manuscript revision.

If we get an inquiry from someone wanting to start in this Phase Two, because they have seen the Three Phases document on the website, I will usually decline. If it is an author I have worked with before, or an author whose work has already had extensive editing and I am being brought in to get that project over the finish line, I will consider it. But for the most part, Phase One provides the overview—just as the name says—not only for the author but also for me.

Additionally, if an author does resonate with my Phase One written commentary, and we have had a good follow-up conference, chances are excellent that we have already begun to map out the direction that their revision can take. In the case they choose to continue our work together for a Phase Two, there are two primary options as to how that can happen:

• Option A. I describe this to the author as quite similar to the Phase One process we just completed. First, they finish the work and then I read it closely, adding extensive comments on the pages. I draft a cover note of 2-3 pages detailing the major concerns, which we discuss in a follow-up conference of 1.5-2 hrs that also covers any of my comments that they have questions about.
• Option B. This includes progressed feedback as the author moves through the rewriting of the material; coaching that will help discern which topics to tackle in which order; feedback on the new material via page-by-page commenting and cover letters with live conferences as needed; and notes on how to weave new material together with the old so that the entire hangs together. Together as author and editor we progress through the rewrite until it is ready for beta readers. The advantage of Option B is the continual support authors receive as they rewrite the book once with a clear and confident direction.

In both cases, the comments I provide that come directly from the content of the manuscript are supported and furthered by suggestions that arise from the projective exercises I lead clients through, largely centered around the Book Architecture Method, such as: scene structure, narrative arcs, questions on their way to being answered (or not), thematic work, or anything that was treated in the previous chapter, such as POV, tone, characterization and relationships, the dimensions of a work, authorial intrusion, audience and genre.

The nuts and bolts of Phase Two, whether a client opts for Option A or B, are pretty straightforward: I receive revised sections of approximately 25 pages from the author (around 5,000 words) and comment on the material. The author reviews those comments and we may meet to clarify anything outstanding or brainstorm solutions to agreed-upon problems. The author then revises that section again and sends it to me for a re-read after which we move forward to the next 25-page section. Through this process we work our way through the manuscript doing essentially two revisions at once while feeling secure that we were heading in the right direction at all times.