Hire a Book Editor for a Manuscript Assessment

Writerful Books provides manuscript assessments for writers within Australia, Canada, Ireland UK and USA who require an experienced book editor to undertake an affordable and comprehensive manuscript appraisal.

Our manuscript assessment service hones in on the structure, content and style of your manuscript along with many other elements such as character development, dialogue, pacing, plot and narrative. The service differs substantially from a manuscript critique.

Our manuscript assessment service may also suggest other publishing possibilities such as submitting to a particular literary agent, whether to self-publish or go the traditional publishing route, marketing and building an author or book platform in advance of the manuscript being published.

Why Choose Our Manuscript Assessment Service?

► A manuscript assessment can increase your chances of being signed or being published.

► Our manuscript assessment service will provide you with expert guidance.

► 58% of our clients are repeat customers or come from referrals.

A manuscript assessment differs from copy editing or proof-reading which focuses solely on aspects of the manuscript such as spelling, grammar and punctuation. An in-depth manuscript assessment may suggest to you if your work needs some editing or proof-reading, but it won’t provide this service for you.

A good assessment should pinpoint a manuscript’s strengths and weaknesses, advising the author to focus on the parts of the story or non-fiction work that needs improvement.

Where a professional manuscript assessment service differs from asking family and friends to critique your work is not just the professional treatment that will be given to your manuscript but also the industry experience the aforementioned family and friends most likely do not have. A comprehensive manuscript assessment will give you a substantive appraisal and offer you realistic advice on publishing your work.

The best time to have your manuscript assessed is usually after you have completed the second or third draft and have done your own edits and revisions. It is a good idea to hire beta readers to read and critique your work first and offer their opinion of the story BEFORE you have your manuscript assessed. The reason for this is that the beta readers may find major holes in the plot prompting you to have to do a major rewrite and saving you unnecessary expenses down the track. The exception to this is for first-time authors who we recommend getting their manuscript assessed before they hire a beta reader.

The bottom line is that there are 130 million books already out there along with all the other distractions people have to deal with on a daily basis. You want your book to stand head and shoulders above all the cultural noise. The only way to do that is not just to write an average book but to write an amazing book that will get people talking and be around for generations to come. We can’t write that book for you but we can take your gem of a story and polish it and make it the best possible book it can be.

Here’s what some of our authors had to say…

- Catherine C.

Thanks so much Declan. I’m going to make a few modifications now thanks to your suggestions. Great thanks so much!

As you say good writing is rewriting, and as I re-read the rest of the manuscript I am struck with how many glaring holes there are and how many (lots!) opportunities for improvement!

So, I think I will continue to work on it before I send the rest of it to you.

Thanks for the feedback. I felt my writing had improved, so its nice to know I am not delusional.

BTW, this is a completely new story, with the previous 2 manuscripts as only back story.

Thanks so much. It is a very well written, comprehensive report. I’m very impressed with the quality.

There are some helpful suggestions for improvement and the summary of characters and plot is spot on.

[...]

Thanks again for such an in-depth report, I know that was beyond the realm of a beta read, so I really appreciate it!

Catherine Craig. - Catherine C.
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- Patricia L.

I took a quick read of the report yesterday and will focus in today. It appears I have a lot of work to do to create a book people will buy.
Appreciate the honesty.
Patricia - Patricia L.
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- Mel K.

Thanks for your feedback. Its quite critical, but better to get it now than later. Mel. - Mel K.
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- Sonya S.

Thank you for your professional feedback. I really appreciate your advice and your ability to be direct. You have given me a lot to think about. I look forward to the challenge. Warm Regards, Sonya. - Sonya S.
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- Morgan V.

I appreciate your quick and efficient work on this. As a writer, my biggest fear is that I'll bore people in the process of the read. Hopefully that wasn't the case here, though it sounds like it did a bit in the middle. I think my plan is to go the self publishing route. Perhaps that will make a difference in my word count. I did shave off about 10,000 words before I gave it to you. I don't know how in the world I'd ever get it down to 90. Then again, if it is in the YA category, perhaps it needs to be. Which brings me to that. Where do you think you would find it on a Barnes and Noble bookshelf? And is there a certain niche readership that I would need to find for it to latch on? - Morgan V.
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- Tanya D.

Thank you so much for your report. I sincerely appreciate your swiftness and all the great things you had to say about my manuscript. It was a true blessing to read your responses to the questions from the book; thank you for sharing those with me. I will forever be grateful that you gave me the original source of the quote, “We do not see things as they are; instead, we see them as we are.” I had it listed as anonymous, and the gal who did my citations insisted I change it; I am much happier to reference Talmud! I found your comments especially encouraging and will incorporate many of your suggestions. It has been a pleasure to collaborate with you. My most sincere thanks! - Tanya D.
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- Paul B.

Declan, just read your report. I'm hugely relieved by your comments. Thank you so much for your thorough assessment. I'll ensure you get a mention in the acknowledgements. - Paul B.
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- Tom F.

Sorry it has taken so long to get to you. I’ve been swamped with day-job work. I also want to thank you for reading and providing thoughtful comments.

- Tom F.
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- Janene W.

Thank you for these timely reports. Please pass on my thanks to the beta reader for his or her report. It was extremely helpful and I think I've gained a much better insight into my manuscript from his/her useful and honest comments. I have read them and have been chewing on the comments. There are many points listed in the reports that align with my instincts regarding the manuscript. These give me areas I can directly attack as I head into my next draft, and I appreciate that. - Janene W.
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- Paul B.

Hi Declan,

I will definitely be keeping Writerful in mind for future projects!

Thank you again,

Paul B. - Paul B.
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- Hugh A.

Thanks for your report and your encouraging remarks, as well as your advice and criticisms. Your detailed comments under the various headings are invaluable to me. I accept your point about the beginning, introducing the protagonist rather than the protagonist. I’ll work on it. [...] As for the other issues that you’ve highlighted, I’ll work through the story and fix them as best I can.
- Hugh A.
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- John B.

Hi Declan, I finally got The Last Five Swords published and would like to send you a copy as you were very instrumental in getting it over the line! Thanks for your help, John. - John B.
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- Russell T.

Thank you for the assessment. I will make some of the changes you suggested and go forward. I don't know if the work is good enough for publishing, either by a commercial publisher or by self-publishing. Do you think I should try to publish it? Thanks for your input. RT - Russell T.
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- Phil P.

Thanks for the detailed report and the prompt turnaround. I don't have any questions about the report - it's all pretty clear. I appreciate the great feedback. Thanks, Phil Preckler. - Phil P.
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- Thomas M.

Hi Declan, I am, in a word, speechless. This is not at all what I expected from your beta read. Just to be clear, I'm thrilled! First, you pointed out a lot of things that got me thinking and realized I agree with you. I will make all or virtually all of your suggested changes in the next revision. You have made what I consider vital suggestions that will smooth out some of the rough edges still to be found in the book. Second, regarding your thoughtful commentary. I'm very happy that you found that the plot, characters, dialog, etc., worked well. As you know, the kind of praise in your evaluation is not something writers get to hear too often, if at all. - Thomas M.
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- Alex M.

Thank you very much! I hope it wasn't too raw and disconnected at this stage; there is perhaps too much ranting in there. Is it possible to do another round of beta reading with your company, after I review/edit?
- Alex M.
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Further Reading: How a Manuscript Assessment Can Help You Find Your Voice as a Writer and Get Published

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 getting expert advice from a professional book editor. Highly recommended!

Hire an editor to evaluate your manuscript here

* Acceptance of a manuscript electronically does not automatically imply any contractual obligations. Some editing jobs may take up to six months to complete depending on the workload of individual editors and length of the manuscript. Editing will only commence once a client agreement form has been signed and costs agreed upon.