How a Manuscript Assessment Can Help You Find Your Voice as a Writer and Get Published Writerful Books, 23 February 20236 October 2023 This article will 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. It 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 landing a publishing or literary agent. As a writer, you have a great story to tell – you just need the help to 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 professional 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 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 work of nonfiction such as a memoir or self-help book can seem like a daunting task, and experienced writers may hit road blocks in the creative process after multiple drafts. It’s easy to become lost or stuck in an early draft, and the key to success lies in a consistent approach and dedication to improve your story. 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 closely guided 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 traditional beta reader 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 evaluation 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. In short, our professional manuscript assessment service can be invaluable to writers of any experience level, through a comprehensive report which provides critical, thoughtful feedback with additional commentary within the manuscript as Tracked Changes markups. Your success is our success! *Manuscript assessments don’t include proofreading or substantive editing. We offer substantial discounts to authors requesting a manuscript assessment who need to hire an editor for further editing or proofreading. 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! Here’s what some of our authors had to say about our manuscript assessment service… - Hanif M. Thank you for your concise report which was quite helpful in highlighting the areas which need to be worked on in the manuscript. Indeed the middle part did seem to go off point and there is no need for several characters/situations. Additionally your comments on the appropriate dialogue and South London lingo are well noted. There were some attempts to highlight the disillusionment the protagonist faced when arriving Nigeria. That was also supposed to be part of his journey. However It's clear that the manuscript does require a good plot overhaul/change in the sections mentioned Naturally the services of a developmental and copy editor would be engaged. The point of this assessment was to ensure if the story had some potential. Best regards Hanif - Hanif M.Read Moreread less - 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.Read Moreread less - Frank Thank you for your report by Carrie. Please pass on my thanks to her also, particularly for her involvement in the story. I have made some changes in accordance with Carrie's recommendations. [...] Well Declan I guess it is time to test the publishers. I am still deliberating on whether to use a Literary Agent or just go direct to Publishers. Any ideas on this would be gratefully received. All the best, Frank. - FrankRead Moreread less - Martin O. Thanks for the comments, they were exactly what I wanted. [...] I like your idea of rewriting as a epistolary novel taking the form of a diary though I need to look up exactly what that means and find some good examples. Martin. - Martin O.Read Moreread less - 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.Read Moreread less - Patrick L. Thank you for another wonderful assessment. This is very helpful and I greatly appreciate your suggestions and compliments. Everything makes perfect sense. I'm working on the revisions now and I am very excited to complete the next draft. I was planning to start querying agents/publishers after that, but I was curious if you think feedback from beta-reading might be necessary/helpful before moving forward. Thanks, Patrick. - Patrick L.Read Moreread less - 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.Read Moreread less - 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.Read Moreread less - 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.Read Moreread less - 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.Read Moreread less - Lulu K. Thank you so much for the report and for all your observations within it. Having this professional guidance is what I have been yearning for since I started writing the book. I am an early school leaver and also suffer from dyslexia so I knew there would be many grammar mistakes as well restructuring to be done. I sometimes overwrite things as what I am trying to express gets tied up in my mind in knots of confusion. - Lulu K.Read Moreread less - Maria G. Thank you very much for this. I find it quite helpful, and instructive. Especially the bias, it was definitely not intended. I simply did not realise it. Neither my editors. So, I will work some more on the story, and will take on board all the other raised questions. - Maria G.Read Moreread less - Marlane A. Thank you for your feedback. I’ll work through your editing recommendations, which I found helpful and encouraging. Sincerely, Marlane - Marlane A.Read Moreread less - Matthew L. Very many thanks for this - hugely appreciated! I am grateful both for your highly encouraging compliments and your suggestions for improvement. I do know what you mean about the danger of repetition with the animals chapters - I had looked at them to try and avoid that happening but I’ll go back and look again! Originally it was one long chapter but I split it up so that it didn’t get in the way of the chronology. I shall ponder and play around with it! Meanwhile, I’m delighted you found it so relatable and that it made you laugh! Many thanks again for your work and kind wishes. Matthew. - Matthew L.Read Moreread less - John K. Thank you, Herr Doktor. - John K.Read Moreread less - Tammy A. Thanks for sending it through. Some great feedback. I'm slowly working through your suggested edits.. - Tammy A.Read Moreread less Load More Hire an editor to evaluate your manuscript here Submit Your Manuscript Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.Name *FirstLastEmail *Service Required *Creative EditingDevelopmental EditingManuscript AssessmentManuscript EvaluationOther ServiceCountry / Currency *Australia (AUD)Canada (CAD)Ireland (EUR)United Kingdom (GBP)United States (USD)OtherWord Count *Brief Synopsis *What Are Your Publishing Objectives? *Submit Your Manuscript Click or drag a file to this area to upload. WebsiteSubmit * Acceptance of a manuscript electronically does not automatically imply any contractual obligations. Some manuscript assessments may take longer to complete depending on the workload of individual editors. We accept manuscripts from authors from Australia, Canada, Great Britain, Ireland, New Zealand and the United States. Articles Manuscript AssessmentsManuscript Evaluation