Developmental Editor Needed for Leadership & Self-Development Book – Real Life Storytelling)

I’m looking for a skilled, experienced developmental editor to help shape my first book into something powerful, engaging, and real—while keeping my tone and voice intact.

This book is deeply personal. It’s called Call Me First: The Attitude of Men That Are Leaders—the same name as my YouTube podcast, which is available online.

Most of the manuscript comes directly from my podcast transcripts, real-life stories, and events from my own life as a man, husband, father, and leader. My goal is to use this book to help other men find their way into leadership, personal growth, and emotional maturity. it is extremely important to me to keep this story authentic to my life.

Here’s where I need your help:

The current draft is about 94,000 words.

I wrote it from the heart but also used ChatGPT to help me add some context, structure, and flow. That means there’s probably some AI-style phrasing or grammar in there that needs to be cleaned up.

I need you to preserve my voice and conversational tone while improving the manuscript. Think Mel Robbins meets Myron Golden—real talk, motivational, raw, but structured and impactful.

This isn’t meant to sound like a corporate leadership book. It’s like talking to your brother, your friend, or a mentor who’s lived through the lessons and is giving you the real game.

I don’t want the tone watered down. I want it polished but still personal, direct, and relatable.

What I’m Looking For:

Your job will be to:

Review the entire manuscript (94,000 words)

Help structure the chapters for better flow and connection

Remove redundancy or tangents that don’t serve the message

Strengthen the voice without softening it—keep it motivational, masculine, and direct

Cut the obvious AI patterns or ChatGPT phrasing and replace them with real, human-sounding edits

Help me tighten the delivery, reduce rambling, and make sure the reader feels like they’re in a real conversation with me, not reading a lecture

Make sure each chapter serves a clear purpose and adds value to the reader

Ideal Candidate:

You have developmental editing experience with memoirs, leadership, motivational, or personal development books

You’re comfortable editing manuscripts based on podcast transcripts, real-life stories, and conversational content

You understand how to keep the author’s authentic voice while improving structure and readability

You’ve worked on male-focused self-development or leadership content

You’re familiar with the Mel Robbins / Myron Golden style—motivational, real, no fluff, but life-changing

You’re open to Zoom calls or check-ins if needed, so we stay aligned

You know how to tighten a message without making it sound corporate or scripted

Deliverables:

Developmental edit of the full 94,000-word manuscript

A detailed edit report with structural notes, chapter suggestions, and tone feedback

Tracked changes in Word + clean version

Commentary and margin notes where needed to explain edits or suggest improvements

Timeline:

Looking to start ASAP

Open to discussing milestones and deadlines that work for both of us

Budget:

I’m looking for quality over cheap pricing. This is an investment in legacy, not just a product.

Please submit your flat fee proposal for developmental editing of 94,000 words, or give me a per-word rate if that’s your preference.

How to Apply:

When you respond, please:

Tell me about your experience with similar projects (especially if you’ve worked on memoirs, leadership books, or conversational motivational writing)

Share before-and-after samples if you have them (optional but helpful)

Explain how you would approach cleaning up AI-generated phrasing while keeping my voice real and raw

Let me know your flat rate for the project and your timeline

If you’re familiar with my podcast Call Me First, let me know—that’s a plus but not required

Final Note:

This book isn’t just about me—it’s about helping men lead, grow, and break generational patterns.

It’s about legacy, responsibility, and manhood done right.

If you’re the kind of editor who can help me shape that message without changing who I am, then we’ll work well together.

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