Manuscript Assessment Service

Finishing a book is a huge effort in itself. For months, maybe even years, you’ve slogged over every word, page and chapter.

Now you want to find a publisher who will love your story as much as you do.

If only it was that simple. Write down your story, hand it over to an eager editor and…presto! You’re an author!

I hate to tell you this, but you’re just starting out on the road to publication. Many rewrites lie ahead of you before you can safely start sending your prized work off.

But rewriting doesn’t mean editing for typos and gramatical errors. That won’t jettison your book out of the slush pile.

In my writing career, I’ve learned bucketloads from having my manuscripts assessed by professionals. And I quickly saw how invaluable this advice was in improving my chances of catching an editor’s eye.

With that knowledge and experience in hand, I’m offering you the same level of help I received.

What you can expect from a fiction manuscript assessment

A comprehensive report on:

  • the story’s structure and flow
  • plot and subplots
  • characters – their unique voice and believability
  • strengths of the novel
  • weaknesses – things that let the story down, don’t fit or just aren’t clear

Feedback and suggestions on:

  • point of view
  • use of dialogue
  • pacing
  • transitions between scenes
  • plot problems
  • emotional punch
  • identifying mixed metaphors and overused descriptions/action tags

    • What you can expect for a non-fiction manuscript assessment

    A comprehensive report on:

    • the book’s structure
    • voice
    • use of flashbacks
    • depth
    • clarity
    • possible additions

    How can a manuscript assessment help you?

    Even experienced writers have their manuscripts assessed by a professional. It’s amazing how you can miss tiny errors. Those tiny mistakes might be enough to send your beloved work into the reject pile.

    For those new to the game, it’s so easy to fall into little traps.

    How many times has your character shrugged his shoulders? Has your view point slipped when you weren’t watching? And maybe you sent your protagonist down a road she’d never dream of taking, just for convenience sake.

    I remember when my first book, ‘Beyond the Red Door’, came back from the copyeditor employed by Allen and Unwin. She remarked that only a little editing was required. But when I saw her report, it staggered me just how much rewriting needed to be done.

    When you write non-fiction, you can make assumptions that the reader understands what you mean. And you can skip over bits that the reader wants to know about.

    The bottom line is that you want your manuscript to be of high quality. You want it to be read by an editor, with a view to it being published.

    I can help you polish your work to boost it up to that level.

    How much will it cost?

    Each project is different. I’d rather discuss that with you, so please get in touch.

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