When a book stalls out at any stage, it’s disappointing, but the developmental edit is where I see authors struggle most. When people hire me as their developmental editor, they’re usually hoping for some quick fixes. They want assurance the chapter organization makes sense and maybe some help tightening up an argument or two. They want to know it’s not too long or, if it is, where to cut it down.
They don’t expect me to break their book, and that’s when I see a book stall out.
What it Sounds Like When Books Cry
What does it mean to break a book? If it’s ever happened to you, you know it well enough. You start reading the Developmental Blueprint and things look all right. The editor says some nice things about the book, how your passion really shows, maybe some comments on the quality of research or your use of illustrations and stories.
Then you get to the actual analysis.
It’s broken into five or six subheadings and goes on for a couple pages. You start thinking, “All this is wrong with my book?”
In the first heading, the editor critiques your title and suggests a few new ones. Okay, you weren’t married to the title, and some of these actually sound decent.
Then it gets to the section on organization. Here there are multiple bullet points or even subheadings for some of your chapters. The thesis is hidden in the introduction. Chapter 1 is way too long (that’s the chapter you tell your own story! How can you cut any of that?). Chapters 5 through 8 need reordering, and now he’s saying the last chapter should really be the first?
It only gets worse from there. There aren’t enough examples, some of the illustrations aren’t clear, your sentences are wordy, and you need stronger transitions throughout. You feel like your book has been picked to pieces and you don’t how to get it back together.
It took you years to get to this point where you actually completed a book, and now you find out (you can hardly think it) it’s horrible.
It’s Not Horrible
Your book has not officially stalled, yet, but let’s address the emotions before the book stalls for real.
First, let’s stipulate that getting a lot of comments does not mean your ms is horrible! It only means it needs help, which you already knew — that’s why you hired a developmental editor in the first place. You can peel yourself off the couch and put away the tub of ice cream you were stress-eating.
Second, the fact that the editor took the project means they found something of value in it. Maybe a newer editor at the beginning of her career took it because she needed the money, but editors are generous people who will generally find something they like.
Third, don’t lose sight of the big story here: You are only in this circumstance because you have successfully authored a complete book! Most people will never even get that far. You can do this!
Your developmental editor wants the same thing as you: for your book to be as strong as it can be.
And finally, remember that your developmental editor wants the same thing as you: for your book to be as strong as it can be. The more great books I help into the world, the better I look as an editor. I’m not trying to stall your book under revisions; I’m trying to help you look professional and competent.
But It Does Need Work
However, this feeling you’re feeling — that your book is broken and you don’t know how to fix it — comes from a real place. It reflect your awareness that there’s a lot more work to do, and, frankly, you’re not sure if you’re up to it.
That’s a heavy feeling. A discouraging feeling. This is the root of why any book stalls: It’s more work.
That’s why my policy is to ask you to read the Blueprint a minimum of 24 hours before we have our follow up meeting. I want you to have time to go through the emotional wringer, first. Feel the discouragement. Feel the imposter syndrome. The self-hatred and desire to bury yourself in your own backyard.
At some point during your wallowing, you’ll remember something you read, and you’ll think, “He’s right, though.”
Then you’ll think about how you can fix that thing. Eventually, you’ll remember another comment. “Yeah, I get that. I kinda knew that was a problem,” you’ll say.
What Causes a Book to Stall at the Developmental Edit
If you get to that point, you’re on your way to where you need to be, but you’re not out of the woods. I see a lot of books stall out at this stage, for several reasons.
Feeling Overwhelmed
Sometimes you can’t pull yourself out of the pit. You feel overwhelmed and can’t see your way to how you’re going to fix your book. Also, you hate yourself and your stupid editor and wish you’d never seen his stupid face.
Time Constraints
For a lot of us, finding the time to write a book in the first place is difficult enough. Now, the revisions are making even more claims on your time, and you have other publication issues to think about still, to boot.
Lack of Confidence
This is a tough one. You really want to finish your book, but you’re not sure you have the writing skills to make the changes recommended in the Developmental Blueprint. In some cases, you’re not sure what your editor even means.
Loss of Energy
The thought of having to do still more work on this ms completely wipes you out. You can’t imagine opening that file and starting from the beginning again, and so the book stalls out.
Revision/Research Spiraling
This is the opposite problem. You get into changing one thing and it leads to changing another thing or it leads to researching something else…and it never ends. This is where authors will sometimes decide they need totally new ideas or major changes.
How to Avoid Book Stalls
Successful authors do several things that gets them through this phase.
Take the Developmental Blueprint Seriously
This is the easiest for most people. You hired me to give you my expert opinion, so you’re inclined to believe that the money you spent means something. Most of my clients have felt that the Blueprint diagnosed real problems and showed them the way to make their books stronger. It takes some study, sometimes, but that brings us to the second tip.
Communicate with Me
If you study the Blueprint, take notes, and write down questions, you can bring those to the follow-up meeting and get some answers. Oftentimes, I’ll hit upon a new idea during this meeting that answers a question I had raised for you. By talking about it together, we can find the best solution for you.
Generally, I’m pretty available via email for continuing questions, so even after the meeting I can often help you get through a knotty problem.
Only Change What Needs Changing
If the Blueprint doesn’t say to change something, don’t change it just because you had some sudden new idea as you were revising. This is a judgment call. It may make sense to change, but it may create problems somewhere else. It may not hurt to check with your editor.
You wrote this ms because something propelled you…
Reconnect to Your Passion
You wrote this ms because something propelled you through late nights or long weekends and times when you felt like you were holding your breath. Now you’re learning it wasn’t a marathon, it was climbing Everest. To summit a mountain like Everest, you need to backtrack many times to let your body adjust to the low-oxygen atmosphere. Each morning, you have to recommit to walking back up, or sometimes walking back down, knowing that eventually you’ll make it all the way up.
To reconnect to your passion, you may need to do some journaling or to talk about the ms with someone close to you. Reread your intro or wherever you tell your story. Imagine that ideal reader, the man or woman with a specific problem that your book will speak to. Get yourself to the point where you have that spark again.
Pay for What You Need
In some cases, the answer is to pay a pro to make the changes you simply can’t make. I offer a “ghost revision” wherein I do the developmental revisions, often with lots of line editing, myself. It’s not cheap, but if you really don’t feel you have the skills, it may be what your book needs.
Bonus Tip if Your Book Stalls
My goal as your developmental editor is to help you produce the best book you can right now. “Right now” means different things for different people, but it includes your abilities, time, budget, publication goals (and deadlines), and commitment to the project.
If that means you need more time, then go for it. My only caution is to not overthink it. Your best book right now will certainly not be perfect and will probably not be all that you’d hoped it would be.
But that’s okay — you can always write more books. (Spoiler: None of them will be all that you’d hoped they would be.)
Do you have the stomach to work with a developmental editor? I’m here for you when you’re ready. Drop me a line.
Not sure what kind of editing you need? Try my Editing Self-Test.
Image by Mabel Amber from Pixabay
