The Ultimate Developmental Book Editing Checklist // You finished the first draft of your book. Or maybe you've already done a round of edits and sent the book to beta readers, or alpha readers. How do you know when you're done with developmental edits and you can move on to the next stage of editing? Today I'm going to give you the ultimate book editing checklist. These are questions to ask yourself to know if your story is ready to move on to the next stage of editing. We'll be covering plot, characters, pacing, and worldbuilding to find out if your book is done with developmental editing.
Read Save the Cat:
How to Write a Novel Outline 📖 Save the Cat Story Beat Walk-Through:
How to Write a Book with DRAMA Using Character Maps:
Learn more about writing books:
0:00 – Intro
1:14 – What is developmental editing
2:37 – Plot
4:49 – Characters
6:53 – Pacing
→Book Cover Design Courses:
→Book Formatting Course (print & ebook formatting):
→Writing Stickers:
→Newsletter:
→Hiking YouTube Channel:
PLANNERS – – – – – – – – – –
→My Writing Planner:
→My Novel Outline Planner:
→My Book Launch Planner:
→2025 Writing Planner (paperback):
→2025 Writing Planner (printable):
NON-FICTION BOOKS – – – – – – – – – –
→How Your Book Sells Itself:
→Grow Your Author Platform:
→Book Sales That Multiply:
→Secrets to Selling Books on Social Media:
→Plan a Profitable Book Launch:
FICTION BOOKS – – – – – – – – – –
→Meet Me at the Summit:
→Let the Rubble Fall:
→The Trail to You & Me:
→Essence:
→I am Mercy:
→She's Not Here:
→Mr. Moon's Big Move:
FIND ME ONLINE- – – – – – – – – –
Content for writers: @mandilynnwrites
Content for readers: @authormandilynnbell
MY FAVORITE TOOLS- – – – – – – – – –
→Find KDP keywords and categories, PublisherRocket:
→eBook Formatting, Kotobee Author:
→Social media graphics, Canva:
→Music in videos, Epidemic Sound:
→Email software, Kit:
Mandi Lynn published her first novel when she was seventeen. The author of multiple books, Mandi spends her days continuing to write and creating YouTube videos to help other writers achieve their dreams of seeing their books published. Mandi is the owner of Stone Ridge Books, a company that works to help authors bring their books to life through cover design and digital book marketing. She is also the creator of The Book Launch Planner, a planner designed to help authors publish and market their books. When she’s not creating, you can find Mandi exploring her backyard or getting lost in the woods.
#bookwriting #writingadvice #novelwriting
DISCLAIMER: This video and description contain affiliate links. By purchasing a linked product or service, Mandi Lynn will receive a small commission at no additional fee to you.
Thanks, Mandi! Great information delivered clearly!
Glad it was helpful!
If you end up cutting scenes/chapters- save them like Mandi said and use them as “bonus deleted scenes” to get people to subscribe to your author newsletter/mailing list!
Oh that’s such a great idea!
Great idea…. Thanks
Thank you Mandi Lynn. I have written a memoir. By researching the Chicago syndicate, interviewing relatives, going through photos and doing a deep dive into my memories, the story morphed into a family saga, and the antagonist flipped. My problem is I have 125,000 words, which is about 25,000 too many. This has been helpful. Much appreciated.
So glad you found it helpful!
“Is your plot engaging all the way through?” – How the hell do I answer that? I might think it’s cool, or had fun with it. I’m just one person. Everyone else might think it’s boring/stupid/bad/etc. How do you answer a question that basically boils down to *opinion* and not something *objective*
Work with beta readers who can give you feedback on your book
@@MandiLynnWrites – So uh, how do I find beta readers that I can trust, that aren’t just going to trash the work to be an a-hole, or because of difference in style/taste preferences?
@@tearstoneactual9773 I know I’m not Mandi, but I am an editor. Opinion is the name of the game when it comes to developmental editing because—most likely, the people reading your book are normal people, not English professors/professional copywriters. Yes, I look for certain things (mainly what Mandi listed), but every editor is going to notice different things or have a different opinion!
So, sure, some beta readers can be overbearing, get stuck on small, proofreading details, or try to rewrite your book, but you will also get some 1 star reviews that you don’t agree with. Basically, people are going to trash your work to be an a-hole no matter if you’re in the editing stages or are already published. However, if a person is putting in the time and effort to read your story (especially if they don’t like your style or genre), then they are already showing that they care by reading it and leaving comments for you.
In the beginning of my editing career, I made mistakes that might have deemed me an “a-hole” that just wanted to “trash” the work, but, honestly, I just cared a lot about my passion (editing), just as you do for writing and story telling! It takes a lot of time to read a book, make comments, double-check my edits, etc., let alone try to sugar coat each one for an author’s fragile ego. So, I recommend asking a friend who likes to read similar books. They don’t need to be a professional to tell you that the story feels boring or slow in certain areas! Also, remember, that you do not have to take every single comment to heart. I disagree with other editors ALL THE TIME! Best of luck to your story!
@@brandialeece9650 – Brandi, than you for your response. I’m something of an anxious person or worrier. 😀 But I also know my skills. As for Betas, I have setup ways for them to give good feedback, even for first-timers. But I’ve also had experiences where I’ve given stuff to other folks, other writers, to read and just.. tore stuff to shreds. (Granted, that was years ago, and I didn’t have as much experience, tools, or emotional callouses built up.) I love good feedback, even if it’s critical. Or even a good editor going through my stuff because they catch stuff I missed, things that need work. It all makes things better. But when it’s just people trashing the work… that sucks. I pretty much had an experience with that last night.
Five months ago I wouldn’t have been able to handle it. Now? Okay, cool. Move on.
Also you sound dope as hell to work with. ^_^
Off topic but if you’ve already published with KDP, can you then sell that same book through another publisher? I know it will have an ISBN number from Amazon but if I upload the book to say Lulu and they provide their own ISBN, is that some sort of conflict? Also, is it ok to offer the KPD published paperback as an ebook on another site without any issues?