Story Stream FAQ
- Who is behind Story Stream?
- What will I receive in my developmental report?
- How long does it take to receive feedback?
- Can I resubmit revisions or multiple drafts?
- Which file formats do you accept?
- Do you offer a satisfaction guarantee?
- Will Story Stream preserve my voice?
- Is there a human in the loop?
- How does Story Stream support diversity, equity, and inclusion?
- How will I feel when I review my developmental edit?
- How much does a professional developmental edit cost?
- Compare Plans
- Why pay for Story Stream instead of using ChatGPT?
- How secure is my payment information?
- How can I join the beta or contribute to the project?
- What if I disagree with the feedback?
Who is behind Story Stream?
Story Stream was founded by Will Frasier, a novelist, musician, and former Principal AI Researcher at Microsoft with expertise in emotion parsing and machine learning for sustainability. Connect with Will on LinkedIn. He is joined by a team of professional editors, data scientists, and diversity advocates who share one goal: to help every writer turn a manuscript into a masterpiece at a price that respects your budget.
Learn more about our mission and philosophy in our manifesto: Story Stream: A Journey in Deep Narrative Understanding.
What will I receive in my developmental report?
- Executive summary highlighting strengths and priority fixes
- Publication Readiness Score across pacing, theme, character, plot coherence, and seven other dimensions
- Scene-by-scene heat-map that shows where readers may skim or get confused
- Target-market snapshot with comparable titles and current genre trends
- Action plan with next steps, resources, and recommended reading
How long does it take to receive feedback?
Most reports are ready within one hour of upload. That’s minutes instead of the days or weeks traditional editors need. Very occasionally a processing glitch causes delays; if that happens we’ll email you right away with an updated ETA.
Can I resubmit revisions or multiple drafts?
Not at this time. Each purchase covers a single manuscript draft. We’re exploring multi‑draft support—let us know if it’s important to you.
Which file formats do you accept?
We currently accept .docx and plain‑text .txt files. For full details on size limits and special cases, see our Supported Document Types.
Do you offer a satisfaction guarantee?
We don’t have a formal guarantee yet, but we read every piece of feedback. If something feels off, please reach out through our Contact Us page—your input directly shapes future releases.
Will Story Stream preserve my voice?
Absolutely. The model profiles your unique style and offers recommendations in plain language. It never rewrites your prose unless you explicitly request line edits.
Is there a human in the loop?
Humans—professional writers and editors—played a key role in training Story Stream’s models, and all source material was used with full consent from beta testers. However, the final reports you receive are generated end‑to‑end by the software, with no live human intervention. That automation lets us deliver detailed developmental feedback in about an hour instead of the days or weeks traditional editors need.
How does Story Stream support diversity, equity, and inclusion?
DEI is led by Dr. Jessica Heaton, who ensures our datasets and prompts represent a wide range of voices. Editors receive regular bias training, and we track fairness metrics before every model release. We are building a tool that helps all writers feel seen.
How will I feel when I review my developmental edit?
Expect to feel encouraged, informed, and in control. We start by celebrating strengths, then offer clear, actionable steps with examples so you know exactly how to level up.
How much does a professional developmental edit cost?
Market rates range from $1,500 to $5,000. Our Full Developmental Report starts at $299 for manuscripts up to 100,000 words, with lighter tiers from $199. See the full breakdown on our pricing page.
Compare Plans
| Plan | Cost | Best for | What you get |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blueprint | Free | Quick, high‑level feedback | 3 reports (Plot Coherence, Theme, Pacing), Sequel Potential |
| First Edition | $199 | Deep but focused editorial analysis | Full Editorial Report, 7 core reports including Character, Style, Author Intent |
| Masterpiece (Best Value) | $399 | Full‑spectrum editing for publish‑ready manuscripts | All 17 reports, Roadmap to Published, Story Flow, Character Bundle, Full Editorial Overview |
Why pay for Story Stream instead of using ChatGPT?
ChatGPT is a capable general‑purpose model, but it is not an editorial specialist. Story Stream is built specifically for developmental editing, and the differences show in four areas:
- Purpose‑built models – Trained on annotated edits from professional writers and editors, Story Stream mirrors the workflows used in human editorial rooms rather than generic text completion.
- Multi‑dimensional analysis – Every manuscript is evaluated across 17 craft dimensions such as plot coherence, pacing, character arc, dialogue, theme, tonal consistency, and market fit. These dimensions are then synthesised into a single report so that inter‑dependencies are easy to see.
- Actionable ranking system – Each observation is tagged with a level that tells you how urgently you should address it (see our scoring documentation):
| Level | Indicator | What it signals |
|---|---|---|
| Well‑crafted | Aligns with genre conventions and narrative intent | Needs little or no change |
| Consider revision | Generally solid but has inconsistencies or missed opportunities | Review and adjust as needed |
| Revision recommended | Diverges from best practice or causes confusion | Focused rework is likely beneficial. Deviation can still be a valid creative choice; the flag is a prompt to confirm intent |
- Prioritised roadmap – Recommendations are ordered by impact and effort so you leave with a clear next‑draft checklist instead of a collection of disjointed comments.
A traditional developmental edit provides the same structure but takes weeks and costs thousands of dollars. ChatGPT can provide ad‑hoc insights, but you would have to create prompts for every dimension, aggregate the answers, and decide which points matter. Story Stream handles that analysis for you and delivers a structured report in about an hour.
How secure is my payment information?
Payments are processed through Stripe, a PCI DSS Level 1 provider. Story Stream never stores your card details.
How can I join the beta or contribute to the project?
Join the waitlist at storystreameditor.com/beta. If selected, you’ll receive a free Masterpiece report in exchange for your feedback—spots are limited and not guaranteed.
What if I disagree with the feedback?
You remain the author. Use what resonates and discard the rest. If something feels off, let us know; your comments help us improve the model.