Manuscript Assessment
What you’ll get:
A 4–6 page editorial letter covering structure, plot, characterisation, voice and style, with notes on what is and isn’t working, and how I suggest you make changes.
A one-hour video call to talk through the notes and anything you are unsure of or want to discuss further. We can also talk through a revised outline, or you can ask questions on submitting to agents, the publishing process, or anything else you’d like to chat about.
(Note that this edit does not include comments or mark-up on the manuscript itself. If you’re looking for a more thorough edit including mark-up, you might like a developmental edit.)
Ready to book?
What is a manuscript assessment?
A manuscript assessment is a great first port of call if you have a complete (or very nearly complete) manuscript and want feedback on its strengths and weaknesses, your writing and voice, and how you might look to improve your novel. Similarly to a developmental edit, manuscript assessments focus on the big-picture elements: the structure, the plot, the voice, the characterisation. Compared to a developmental edit, this is a smaller but still thorough edit, and will give you plenty of ideas and tools to revise and improve your manuscript.
For an assessment, I read the full manuscript and write an editorial letter (also known as an editorial memo) covering plot, characters, structure, voice, dialogue and style. My manuscript assessments tend to be 4–6 pages long, and as well as commenting on what is and isn’t working in the book, I will also make suggestions on how and where to make changes.
I always include a one-hour call with manuscript assessments, so that after you have the notes and have read through them, we can talk through all my suggestions and how you can implement them. Editing is subjective, and so there may well be things I’ve suggested you don’t agree with. This is entirely fine; of course it’s your book and your vision for it which we have to work towards! In our call we can talk through anything you aren’t sure on, and I can explain why I’ve suggested what I have, so that we can find an alternative solution that works for you.
If you want professional feedback on your novel without committing to a full developmental edit, a manuscript assessment may be all you need to get your manuscript polished ready for submitting to agents. After you’ve revised your manuscript, I offer query-package reviews for those looking to approach agents, or self-publishing packages if that is your end goal. (And if your book is not yet complete, I also offer book coaching to help you get your ideas on the page.)
If a manuscript assessment sounds like the right step for you and you’d like to enquire about booking in, or if you have questions or want to talk through which kind of edit you need, you can contact me here.