Manuscript Assessment

Why are you here?

You want a professional to validate your idea, and/or story at any stage
 

What is manuscript assessment? 

A manuscript assessment, as the term suggests, is an assessment of your manuscript (fiction or nonfiction) in the form of a comprehensive report (or editorial letter or memo). 

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Promise
I help you see whether your writing has literary and/commercial merit, in the form of an easy to read and use editorial letter (20 pages) delivered within 6 weeks.*
 

Features: What do you get? 

• A thorough feedback report (20 pages) 

• A free of cost virtual 60 minute call
   

What will you learn? 

• A clear understanding of what’s working (strengths) in your writing

• A clear understanding of what’s not working (weaknesses) in your writing

• Gaps between author’s intent and target readers’ expectations, if any

• Gaps between author’s intent and industry standards, if any

• Gaps between target readers’ expectations and industry standards, if any 

• Actionable insights as per genre and subgenre

• Steps on how to improve content and/or how to develop the idea 

• Steps on how to improve positioning

• Tips on how to apply common writing rules in your writing 
   

​      Benefits: What do you gain?

• A chat with a friendly cum professional editor who will try to not hide that she knows your story better than you 😁

• A one of a kind diagnosis that can help save you unnecessary blood, sweat and mostly tears! 😆

• Judicious praise that you will want to quote on social media

• Save an additional 10%, if you hire Editor’s Atelier for developmental editing and/or other packages.  
  
  Who is this best for?  

• Authors who want to submit to literary agents and/or publishers

• Anyone who wants to be sure about the merit in their writing and/or is looking for advice from a professional pair of eyes
  
  Did you know?

• Manuscript assessment applies to fiction and non-fiction.

• An assessment is relatively cheaper than a developmental edit.
  
  Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
  
  I have never taken a manuscript assessment. What can I expect? 
  You can expect a thorough editorial report, in which a professional editor tells you in a semi-formal manner the strengths and weaknesses they identified in your writing. In a typical report, you should look for a friendly yet objective and professional editor showing you everything that’s working on the page and everything that’s not working on the page. By everything, I mean the big picture (story driven) aspects.
  
  Ok what does that really mean?
  What this means is that you can expect a professional book editor to show, not tell, whether the characters are rounded enough, whether their desires and fears are credible enough, whether there is enough to drive them to their goals and what is keeping readers from suspending their belief and/or being engaged from the content. In nonfiction, this will mean the editor is able to show you how the content engages the audience (or not) based on the clarity of thought, presence of central message and takeaways, flow and structure, and in general, the heart of the substance. 
  
  What big picture aspects does manuscript assessment cover? 
  All these can be talked about depending upon the story: themes, plot, pace, structure, the point of view, coherence of thought, chapter endings, openings, takeaway, main message, and onwards.
  
  Will a manuscript assessment not point out grammar and language issues?
  If there are recurring issues in sentence construction and grammar, the editor will point it out with examples. However, an assessment is not a copy edit to correct grammatical mistakes. Please note that Editor’s Atelier offers copy editing services but only on request.
  
  My writing is still raw. What if the editor misunderstands and/or misconceives my abilities?  
  The Pre Submission Feedback is typically best suited for writing that is fresh off the table and/or your mind. This is because as writers, we are not distant enough from our work. Remember that the best of the editors write the most passionate but objective reports, essentially arguing, with enough supportive evidence, for the author to retain the good stuff and strengthen the rest. Anything they write, observation or argument, will be substantiated. You can expect quotes from your writing, to show you gaps you could not yet see; gaps that are typically among the author’s intent, industry standards and target readers’ expectations.
  
  What happens after the report is delivered?
  After the submission of the letter, I offer a 60 minute online session at no cost to clarify doubts, if any and discuss next steps and/or strategies to meet your goals. To make the best from this call, spend quality time reading the report. Remember that post assessment, the author is free to revise independently and/or can seek support from the editor.
  
  Will I get published after an assessment?
  As a professional editorial agency, Editor’s Atelier doesn’t guarantee publication by the sale and/promotion of any editorial service(s). The purpose of an assessment or any other service offered by professional editors is to help you meet your intent and/or industry standards and/or readers’ expectations, ideally all of them.  In case you want to learn more about how your story can gain from an assessment, you can also consider booking an author editor no obligation session, called What’s on the Page. Submit your first three chapters, synopsis and author bio and I can schedule the 60 minute online session within three working days to share quality feedback. To learn more about the session, please click here. 
   

*Typical turnaround time is within six weeks. However, if you want the report to be delivered earlier, additional charges up to 25% apply depending upon my availability and the complexity of the work.