Have you written your novel, and now you’re not sure what’s next? Have you received conflicting feedback from your beta readers and peers and want a professional’s opinion instead? Do you think you’re ready for publication, want an assessment from a professional prior to submission to agents and publishers or self-publishing to ensure you’re story is ready?
A manuscript assessment, or manuscript appraisal, gives you a big-picture review of your manuscript, and we’re here to make it easy for you!
Essentially, a manuscript assessment highlights what’s good about your novel and what needs work . . . and it does so in a super easy-to-read report format that won’t feel overwhelming (trust us!).
While a manuscript assessment points out specific issues and offers general advice on how to improve it, it doesn’t delve into detailed editing or advice for every scene. You won’t find many comments marked up on your manuscript. Instead, you’ll receive a detailed report that identifies the strengths and weaknesses of the manuscript, as well as suggestions on how to improve and rework it before you take the next step toward editing, publishing, etc.
Manuscript Assessment
Our Manuscript Assessment report covers (but is not limited to):
- Story structure
- Character development
- Pacing, tone, voice, etc.
- Writing style
- Novel strengths and weaknesses
- General feedback and recommendations.
Please note: We work with writers from all over the world. Our prices are in AUD because we are an Australian business, but we also work in American English. If you are from outside Australia, please let us know at the time of booking. 🙂
Who is the MS assessment for?
Great question!
Manuscript assessments are perfect for:
- Writers who aren’t ready for a professional edit of their book yet but they are wanting professional feedback
- Writers who are wondering if their manuscript is ready or nearly ready for publication and want an assessment from a professional prior to submission to agents and publishers.
- Writers who are getting vague or conflicting feedback from readers and would prefer a publishing professional’s point of view.
- Writers who know work still needs to be done on their novel, but they are not sure what work to do or how to go about it.
- Writers who want to assure themselves that their book meets its objectives
Which book genres do you work with?
We work with books in most genres within the realm of fiction.
At this stage, we are not working with non-fiction, children’s books or memoirs.
How long do MS assessments usually take?
Our times vary depending on our calendar, but generally, you will be looking at 4-6 weeks for your manuscript assessment.
We will confirm a deadline when you’re all locked in. 🙂
How long will the report be?
This depends on the individual book and the feedback required to give your book the best chance in the market.
Previous reports have ranged from around 3,000 words up to 8,000 words.
Do you offer partial MS assessments?
Absolutely!
If you want to know if a draft is working so far and is worth continuing, we can do a partial manuscript assessment of anywhere up to 50K words.
We ask for half your novel (until around the midpoint – typically the first 50% of your story) as well as an outline of the remaining chapters.