Structural Editing

In a structural edit, I help you to clarify your claims and arguments in each section of a book chapter or journal article and to arrange your material in a logical, well-paced, and cohesive sequence. I typically begin by creating a Structural Plan, in which I help you to refine and restructure your section-level arguments (and Table of Contents) for coherence and flow. I also identify any sections that need streamlining and any claims or concepts that would benefit from a fuller treatment or explanation. (In some book manuscripts, I might also help to merge or split chapters, or to re-order material across chapters.)

I offer tiered options for helping you to implement the Structural Plan. I can provide fine-grained advice about moving, cutting, expanding, or clarifying material. If desired, I can move and cut material myself, and provide suggestions for new transitional or framing material that would be helpful in “stitching together” the manuscript in its new sequence. I also sometimes suggest “hooks” to capture readers’ attention or offer suggestions for a more effective conclusion to your chapter or article. After you complete your follow-up revisions, you might choose to come back to me for line editing or for targeted feedback on whether your revisions are working.

If your manuscript is already in good shape structurally, then we can skip this phase of the editing process entirely and move right to line editing. And if I am only recommending minor structural changes, then I can do both structural editing and line editing in a single round of edits.

After completing a manuscript assessment, if I think your manuscript would benefit from a dedicated round of structural editing, then I will provide estimates for both the Structural Plan and for tiered options for additional editorial support to help you implement the Plan.