Manuscript Evaluation

Have you ever wished that someone would give you objective and honest feedback

about your manuscript, taking your book from good to great?

 

Getting a manuscript evaluation is one of the best things you can do for yourself as an author. If you intend on this being your career, then you owe it to yourself to get an evaluation on your writing craft, as well as the story you've delivered from you head to the page. Most best-selling authors receive this type of feedback and critique from editors on their early drafts, something that self-published authors rarely get, unfortunately. We strive to balance the scales in this regard, and offer ALL authors the opportunity to receive feedback early on

in the process to allow the author time to rework and polish before publication. 

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Authors submit their unedited drafts to us, to our evaluators, in order to acquire helpful recommendations to boost the story from rough to polished; however, our evaluators are not ghostwriters and an author should not expect the evaluator to rewrite the book. We provide extensive written notes (2,500 - 5,000 words) to guide the author in the right direction. Our goal is to see the author succeed, not to tear down the story or the author's abilities.

 

The manuscript is evaluated according to the following:

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• Does the work have a compelling story?

• Are the subplots fully developed?

• Are the characters engaging? Interesting?

• Are there too many characters? Yes, there can be too many characters.

• Are the characters pathetic, sympathetic, or empathetic?

• Is there inconsistent character development and arc?

• Are there plot holes?

• Does the story ramble or languish?

• Is there “head hopping” or unplanned POV changes?

• Does it take too long to engage the reader?

• Does the story anachronistic?

• Does it follow the “laws” of the setting?

• Does the story sag in the middle?

• Is the ending satisfying?

• Does the beginning intrigue?

• Is the dialogue appropriate?

• Is there too much backstory or foreshadowing?

• Is the writing overly descriptive or fits the time period?

• Does the scenery and setting work with the story?

• Or is it ready for a Line Edit?

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The editor then writes a brief and brutally honest evaluation of the work that addresses the above questions, no matter if you are a traditionally published author or self-published.

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Authors are always welcome to submit for a second evaluation later on in the rewrite process, to bring their novel to the best it can be... the same technique used by top publishing houses across the world. Manuscript evaluation allows the author to concentrate on developing their story, their writing skills, to flesh out their characters, craft their own writing style, and fill in plot holes BEFORE presenting it to the world. Having another set of eyes, someone who is on your side, who wants to see you succeed, is invaluable in this process and prevents an author from wasting valuable time and effort.

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We charge $500 for the manuscript evaluation for manuscripts less than 100,000 words. For each additional 1,000 words, an additional fee of $10.00 per 1,000 words will be sent to the author via an invoice.

How much is the fee for this powerful editing tool?

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After purchase, you will receive a personal email from one of our evaluators to

set up receiving your manuscript, along with any notes you would like to provide

to help the evaluator. If you would like to speak to the evaluator in person,

please arrange an appointment through the email after purchase.

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