Elevate Your Voice: Manuscript Assessment Services

Hire an editor for a manuscript assessment.

We explore the importance of manuscript assessments for fiction and nonfiction writers to gain a better understanding of their writing style and the strengths and weaknesses of their stories.

We will also touch on the benefits and value of a professional appraisal by an experienced and dedicated editor, who can assist fiction and nonfiction writers polish their manuscripts in order to achieve their aim of securing a literary agent or landing a publishing deal.

As a writer, you have a great story to tell – but may need some help to really make it shine. Manuscript assessments are a valuable tool to help you take your writing to the next level. Manuscript assessments are a detailed evaluation of your writing, which provides an expert opinion on the structure, presentation, and overall quality of your work.

This service helps writers understand how an outside reader would interpret their work through the feedback of an experienced editor within your chosen genre or field. It can also provide an evaluation on the strengths and weaknesses so you as a writer can approach your work with the confidence carry out any necessary revisions.

Our manuscript assessment service will be able to pinpoint any problem areas in your prose or nonfiction writing, such as awkward sentence structure, a lack of tension or inconsistent characterisation, ineffective dialogue, issues with engagement, flow, pacing, styling, structure and other key areas which may need to be addressed.

The assessor will then deliver a comprehensive assessment report with key recommendations on how to address these issues and help you take your writing to the next level. This can especially come in handy for novice writers who need practical advice on how to progress or ‘level up’ their writing.

A manuscript assessment can also provide assistance to seasoned authors who may already have a number of books under their belts. If you have been writing for a few years and have established yourself as an author, you can still avail of an assessment to get guidance from an experienced editor who will work closely with you to refine your writing and respond to the demands of an ever-evolving field of publishing and book trends.

Our editors can help you brainstorm new ideas and, ultimately, learn how to improve your story so it’s ready to submit to a publisher or to query a literary agent.

If you are looking to unlock your potential as a writer and take your writing to the next level, a manuscript assessment is a cost-effective way to realise your potential as a writer.

Writing a novel or nonfiction book such as a memoir or self-help book can be overwhelming at times, and many experienced writers hit a wall in the creative process after multiple drafts. It’s easy to become lost or stuck in an early draft.

The key to success is a consistent approach and dedication to improving your craft.

We have assisted thousands of emerging writers as well as experienced authors realise their publishing goals by providing insightful, sensitive and professional guidance on a wide range of areas within their manuscripts such as characterisation, dialogue, engagement, flow, style, pacing, plot, themes, tone and the all-important author voice.

For established authors, a manuscript assessment can provide a wealth of insight and advice on what works and what needs to be changed to create a well-rounded, compelling story or an engaging and informative nonfiction book. If you are a first-time author, a manuscript assessment can provide a timely and structured approach to completing your story.

Manuscript assessments vary in scope, and provide basic line editing and plot restructuring to specific feedback on chapter layout and literary techniques. Every assessment is tailored to the individual so the author receives constructive advice on how to improve their novel or nonfiction book while showing utmost respect for your voice and intent as a writer.

A professional assessment is much more in-depth than a beta read and can provide a deeper understanding of specific issues to the author. A manuscript assessment will also help authors get feedback and validation on any story changes they wish to make before submitting a draft for publication through a more personalised service.

The assessment process can help authors identify big-picture areas in the story that require more development or refining, as well as pinpointing areas that may need to be cut or rewritten.

Unlock your writing potential with our invaluable manuscript assessment service, perfect for writers at any stage of their journey!

Our comprehensive manuscript assessment reports provide crucial, thoughtful feedback with additional commentary within the manuscript and markups as Tracked Changes.

Manuscript assessments don’t usually include proofreading or substantive editing but we do offer substantial discounts to authors requesting a manuscript assessment who need to hire an editor for further editing or proofreading.

Your success is our success!

Note: 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!

Manuscript Evaluation Service

Here’s what some of our authors had to say about our manuscript assessment service…

- Nikhil S.

Thank you for your advice on the manuscript. You are right that this is an earlier draft and it needs some more revising, but I think I have some ideas based on your comments. Take care, Nikhil. - Nikhil S.
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- Mary K.

Thanks for your quick turnaround on the report, but even more importantly, thank you for your thoughtful and constructive comments. I've been hesitant to contact the victim's family but you've encouraged me to give it a go and see what happens. Truthfully, in my mind this book is about possibly getting justice for Tatanisha as well as Dell. Thanks again for your excellent suggestions. Sincerely, Mary. - Mary K.
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- Maia F.

Thank you so much, Declan. I’m actually going to submit the manuscript (after editing and polishing as much as possible) to a contest. Then, I’ll see what feedback I get and will go from there. I’m not sure if it’ll be a traditionally-published novel or I’ll self-publish it, but either way…it’ll happen 😊. I really appreciate your help. - Maia F.
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- Anni T.

Thank you so much for the quick turnaround on your beta read! Your report was very insightful and will help a lot in understanding a reader's perspective. I am so glad the story came together for you - that alone is extremely helpful. Yes, the subject matter is dark, which is always difficult when trying to write a story that is entertaining! I have lines that I won't cross, esp. when it comes to writing about children. I think writing for shock value is a race to the bottom. I'll go back and work on the dialogue that is stilted/unrealistic - yes, it would be awful for the narrator to have to read stilted dialogue! Also, I have to thank you for ploughing through the story despite it being so messy! My editor is finding 100s of errors and many inconsistencies. I've been under pressure to make a deadline for my audio publisher and I've had issues caused by the border closure in Victoria (we were meant to be moving there). I agree with the border closure, but it's been a difficult time - as have these past months been for many, many people.
- Anni T.
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- Margaret D.

To cut a long story short. Could you improve the story and if so what would it cost me to do so. I'm thinking that a bit of tweaking will help the story tremendously. Margaret - Margaret D.
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- Jo V.

Thanks so much for arranging this review. I really enjoyed it. I have a bit of distance from the writing now so it’s great to have this feedback and it will fuel my current and future writing.

Many thanks!

Jo - Jo V.
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- Joanne O.

Thank you so very, very much for your feedback. I don't think I was expecting anything quite so resoundingly positive and I feel tremendously uplifted to know that you enjoyed reading my novel! This is my first attempt at writing and I have been working away at this manuscript for a good two years now, through various rounds of feedback, fine-tuning and the like. I'm not quite sure what to say! I would absolutely love to submit the piece and I confess I really have very little clue as to how to go about contacting agents. I will look into that and let's see where it takes me. Thank you once again - it really did make my day! Regards, Joanne. - Joanne O.
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- Rebecca A.

Thank you very much for your work. It is clear to me you have read the manuscript thoroughly and I appreciate your direct feedback. I already feel excited about the potential for improvement you have outlined that I wasn't able to see on my own. What's more, I've also seen clear evidence that I made the right decision in deciding to get a manuscript assessment from your detailed comments alone. This is exactly what I needed. Thank you again.
Rebecca
- Rebecca A.
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- Jodi L.

I just read your comments and am feeling deeply grateful. You've given me a new confidence that the subtleties I was hoping to convey are coming through to a caring and thoughtful reader. I will certainly work on the few words you suggested reconsidering. One one of them ("knacker") I was wondering about myself ... whether it had too many other meanings to be clear in that context. Indeed I struggled with hating to use the language of the era, but knowing it was how the characters would speak. I am glad you felt that was a reasonable choice. Also, as this was a new epilogue (after several tries that weren't working all that well), I am quite grateful that you've given it a stamp of approval. I do feel that I'm finally ready to send this book to agents... to let it out of my own little world. It's been a very long road of discovering this challenging craft, and readers like you make it worth it. Many thanks to you, and I quite expect I'll get back in touch for the next one. Rinse and repeat.... that's a writing life!
- Jodi L.
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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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- Danielle B.

Thank you so much for your detailed responses to all of my specific questions and also your general feedback! This all helps SO much. The two most important things I took from your feedback was that 1.)[...] I just thought of some scenes/ideas of how I can do this so now I just have to write them out and see which ones work best 🤞 2.) There needs to be a stronger hook in the first chapter. I can see now that where I started the story probably isn't the best place to start it. And 3.) there definitely needs to be downtime between the intense scenes. Someone actually suggested this to me before but I was wary because I was afraid of slowing down the story and boring the reader but I think I just have to figure out a balance.
[...]
Best,
Danielle Brown - Danielle B.
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- Chris

How fast you work! Thank you for your beta-reading and yes, your revisions. I feel privileged. Your comments are quite encouraging. In light of what you have written, I will only send you the completed work. It will take a few months. Your feedback tells me this: 1. I am in the right direction, the pace is well set, my English grammar and style are adequate, but will need to be revised by a professional. 2. The story summary is enticing. 3. Judging the first chapter, the book has good marketing potential. All that galvanizes me. If I got it wrong, by all means, tell me. I am looking forward to contacting you when the first draft of the Great Inversion will be tweaked and ready, but not professionally revised. Most cordially, Chris. - Chris
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- Geoff M.

Thank you very much for the comprehensive review, Declan! I very much appreciate it. I am going to see if I can combine the first three chapters into two in order to get things moving more quickly. Thanks again! - Geoff M.
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- Rob D.

I am happy with the advice you have provided, it is practical and identifies real areas on how I can improve it further. Seems I underestimated how “ready” the manuscript is and may explain why there has been a lot of rejection. - Rob D.
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- Mitchell L.

just wanted to thank you for your feedback when reading Last Man’s Last Stand. I found your feedback very fair and helpful. I especially appreciated all the examples you gave me in the notes sections. I am a new writer and I found those examples to be very helpful when studying how to improve my writing. I just wanted to write this up to show you my appreciation. Thank you. Mitch. - Mitchell L.
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- Terry M.

Very helpful, I'll read through your edits a few times and may step into Gus' shoes as you suggest and try the three act - although I have possible further incursions in mind for a second book, if I ever write one. Wish me luck, it was all OK when I was writing for family and friends and children's books for grandchildren - who will be gentle with feedback - and when I made the foray into a novel I knew I was not well positioned - I really did write it for a circle of people who would be used to and appreciated my sense of humour and 'who cares about structure' etc. But I will move outside that circle and rewrite. You have been helpful in giving me that kick. Regards, Terry. - Terry M.
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We accept manuscripts from authors from Australia, Canada, Great Britain, Ireland, New Zealand and the United States.