Manuscript Assessment
You’ve written a book. Congratulations! But now what? It’s time to step back and consider the strengths, weaknesses and potential of your book. You’re wondering:
Is the book any good?
How could it be better?
Will the book sell / get published?
As an experienced developmental editor and writer, I can help you to answer these questions – to identify what’s working in the manuscript and what could be improved, and to consider marketability. My manuscript assessments help authors to decide their next step, whether that’s rewriting, editing or publishing the book.
Why commission a manuscript assessment?
As an author, you’re often alone. You write in a bubble, and when you finally emerge with a finished manuscript, you’re not sure what others will think of it. Will readers respond well to this book you’ve toiled over? There’s only one way to find out: share the book and ask for feedback.
Of course, you can ask a friend or family member to give you feedback, and that will be useful. But will they be entirely honest? And how much do they know about writing and editing and publishing and marketability?
Authors come to me for a manuscript assessment because they want insightful, actionable feedback. Sometimes, they think the book is ready to publish, but they want to be sure before they send it out into the world. Sometimes, the author is worried about the manuscript but can’t see the wood for the trees – how can they improve it?
Ultimately, as an author you can be too close to your book to spot problems, weaknesses and inconsistencies. My manuscript assessment shines a light on these, helping you to address issues, develop your book and get a better idea of its readiness for publication.
Accepting feedback can be difficult, I know, but it really does help you to grow as a writer – and to feel supported rather than alone.
‘My manuscript assessments help authors to decide their next step, whether that’s rewriting, editing or publishing the book.’
My manuscript assessment service
The manuscript assessment is a report on the ‘big picture’ of a book. Whereas developmental editing provides detailed feedback, the manuscript assessment gives an overview of key aspects of the book:
Genre
Audience
Title
Content
Structure
Writing style and tone
Readiness for publication
Marketability
The report gives you a clear picture of which areas could be developed and how you may take the book forward for publication.
My role here is not to criticise and knock an author’s confidence, but to offer constructive feedback. I’m sensitive in my approach, and I make a point of telling authors what’s good in their writing as well as where they can develop. Above all, I’m always honest (there’s no point commissioning a manuscript assessment unless you want my professional opinion).
‘Authors come to me for a manuscript assessment because they want insightful, actionable feedback.’
Manuscript Assessment FAQs
How much will it cost?
My rate for a manuscript assessment starts at £7.50 per 1,000 words. For more information on pricing, visit my FAQs page.
How can I prepare?
All I need is the manuscript, ideally as a Word document. You don’t need to tidy it or format it in any particular way.
If you’d like, you can also send me some notes about the book. I’m especially interested to know how you plan to publish the book and into which genre you see the book fitting.
What comes next?
Usually, the author uses my feedback to develop their book further. They may undertake some rewriting or restructuring, for example, or add/remove some content, or review the overall writing style and tone.
Once they’ve developed the manuscript as far as they can, some authors move on to developmental editing and others feel ready for copy-editing.
Find out more
Please get in touch if you’d like further information or to request a quotation for your project.