Editor's Manuscript Evaluation

Your review begins with a brief summation of the goals of your book from the POV (point of view) of a new reader. This is often a clear indicator if the goals you have set out for this book have been achieved.

These are vital to your marketing goals, whether you pursue a traditional or Indie publishing path. Small tweaks can often make a huge difference.

A good novel has one, powerful story arc plus several additional ones that are all woven together, seamlessly. An evaluation of these threads helps a weak novel become strong, and a strong novel become outstanding. It is hard for an author to remain objective at this point and to know if your intentions come across to the reader.

Manuscript reviews often mention that a story needs a good "polish" or proofreading, but then provide no clear understanding of exactly how the novel fell short in this absolute necessity. If this is suggested for your novel, you'll receive a short list of quotes from your manuscript (with page numbers) of some of the misses, and how a correctly edited version should look. Then, if you decide to work with a professional proofreader or tackle this task yourself, you'll save time by knowing exactly where you fell short. 

Too many first-time memoirists leave out the best tool for "showing not telling" in any author's toolbox: Dialogue.

For fiction and nonfiction alike, when a story drags, it's usually because the exposition has gone on too long. If your novel has areas where dialogue would improve the pace, I'll point those out. PLUS, you'll receive an edited version of a few passages to show you exactly how that would look.

Sometimes authors have a really great story rejected only because it fell a little short: a solid, unique and interesting tale to tell that just doesn't pop.

But this does not necessarily mean you should start over or write a new book.

Often, strong developmental editing can flesh out the weak points in the overall story plot lines. Or, a simpler copy edit will make it flow.

If either of these is needed, I will show you exactly what that means and how it can save your unique and interesting story. Examples from your manuscript will be used (along with page numbers) with suggestions for revisions. (Please keep in mind, this is to help you rework your piece and is not a replacement for a full edit.)