Ready to Hire an Editor for a Manuscript Assessment?

Writing a novel is often a lengthy and complicated process with an order of sorts. However, once you’ve written the first draft, nailed your plot and characters, the next steps in the road to publication can often be daunting.

There is a lot of information in author groups and publishing circles about the editing process, but it is not straightforward, and it can often be confusing to determine what level of editing your manuscript needs.

What are Manuscript Assessments and what should you expect?

In this article, we take a look at manuscript assessments and how getting a manuscript assessment from a professional editor will help your novel.

What get a manuscript assessment?

A manuscript assessment, also called a manuscript critique, manuscript appraisal or manuscript evaluation, is a type of developmental edit and is often the first form of professional editorial feedback many authors will receive. It provides objective feedback on the structural strengths and weaknesses of your novel.

A manuscript assessor will generally read your manuscript once to get a general overview of the novel, before doing an in-depth second read focusing on big-picture or structural elements such as:

► Does the story advance properly?
► How are characters introduced and developed?
► How is the pacing?
► Are the stakes high enough?
► Is the story goal clear?
► Is the character goal clear?
► Is the voice or perspective clear and/or strong?
► Does it require more suspense (or sensuality, or action)?
► Are the characters believable?
► Genre: For genre fiction, does the manuscript follow the accepted conventions?

You will receive a report with feedback that focuses on each of the big-picture elements including plot, pacing, style, character, dialogue, setting, and voice. A manuscript assessment will highlight specific areas that require improvement, or it may recommend developmental editing or copyediting to prepare the manuscript for submission.

A manuscript assessment will also look at the readability and suitability of your novel for your target audience and genre, whether it is ready for publication, and how it fits in the industry, while some assessors may also advise on the challenges the novel may face in getting published.

In terms of the publishing process, a manuscript assessment comes before any kind of sentence-level editing (that is your line editing, copyediting or proofreading). This is because there is no point wasting time fixing grammar errors, syntax, and typos if there are changes that need to be made at the story level.

How does a manuscript assessment differ from a developmental edit?

While manuscript assessments and developmental edits (also known as a structural edit) both deal with the big-picture elements, the major difference between a manuscript assessment and a developmental edit is the depth and amount of guidance you will receive.

A full developmental edit will provide you with a more detailed editorial report with a structural overview analysis of your novel, along with some notes and edits within the manuscript. Often you will continue to work closely with the editor over two to three revisions to ensure the manuscript reaches its potential.

In contrast, a manuscript assessment provides a broader analysis of your novel in the form of an editorial report, usually up to 10 pages in length, and then you are left to revise the novel on your own.

Do you need a manuscript assessment?

A common enough question, and the answer is that all authors can benefit from having their novel assessed. One of the main reasons is because as the author you have been immersed in your fictional world for months (or years) and so everything you’ve written will make sense to you.

As the writer, you have a clear picture in your head of the story that you want to write, and so you may often be blind to any issues with flow, plot holes and other big-picture elements. This gets amplified once you have done several rounds of revisions, moved scenes around, and have looked at your own writing for an extended period.

Hiring a professional editor to objectively assess your novel will allow you to know if what you have written is what you intended to write, and if not, where you can improve to meet your goals.

Value of a manuscript assessment to you the author

No manuscript is ready for publication after the first or even second and third drafts, and a manuscript assessment is the most economical way to have your novel reviewed by a professional editor before you begin the submission process.

Manuscript assessments often have a set price and are more economical than a developmental edit, making it the perfect starting point in the editorial process. You can then decide, depending on the feedback received, if you need to invest in a developmental edit or hire an editor for the sentence-level editing.

A manuscript assessment is often the best first step for new authors, but are just as useful for experienced authors, as it allows engagement with an expert editor early in the development of your novel.

A manuscript assessment will provide you with objective feedback that will help you identify potential problems and provide suggestions that will help strengthen your story without impacting your voice or writing style.

Hiring an editor with expert skill and knowledge in your genre will allow you to get quality recommendations that will empower you as an author to make the necessary changes to your novel to make it ready for submission and publication.

 

Sumudu Narayana is a freelance editor, beta reader and general book addict. Sumudu is passionate about words and the power of stories in our lives, and is strongly committed to preserving a writer’s style, voice, and creative insight in all projects she works on. Sumudu has a background in biomedical science and has a PhD in Biological Sciences. She specialises in literary fiction, romance, YA, fantasy, and crime, with interests in general and historical fiction.

Manuscript Assessment Fees

The fees are calculated per 1000 words. There is a minimum word count of 50,000 words.

AUD $16.25 per 1000 words
CAD $14.65 per 1000 words
GBP £8.75 per 1000 words
EUR €9.95 per 1000 words
USD $10.85 per 1000 words

Note: Manuscript assessments don’t include proofreading or copy editing. We offer substantial discounts to authors requesting a manuscript assessment who need to hire an editor for further editing or proofreading.

** We also have an express evaluation and expert evaluation service which is a more economical option for writers who want a quicker turnaround time while still receiving expert advice from a professional book editor. Highly recommended!

Hire an editor to evaluate your manuscript here

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We accept manuscripts from authors from Australia, Canada, Great Britain, Ireland, New Zealand and the United States.