Manuscript Appraisal
An objective and honest review of your manuscript
Fee: £520/ $700
Duration: 7days (approx)
A manuscript appraisal is an objective review of your novel to assess its suitability for publication. Maybe your friends, partners, colleagues and loved ones have already done this for you. You can't be objective about your own work, you already know this, but there are several reasons why an experienced editor is the right person to review your manuscript.
1. As an editor, I regularly work with publishers. I know what they look for in novels, and I know what they look for in the market. Even if you are going down the self-publishing route, this is information you need to make your novel stand out.
2. After years of training and experience on precisely this topic, I know what works and what doesn't AND I have a proven record for getting novels where they need to be.
3. Whatever your novel is about, I've seen it all, from the explicit to the downright unusual and I remain very open-minded.
Includes:
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Providing editorial feedback on your plot, characterisation and standard of writing (this includes clarity and language).
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Highlighting strengths and weaknesses in your work.
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Providing constructive criticism and suggestions or techniques for improvement.
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Assessing the suitability of your manuscript for its genre and audience
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Evaluating the marketability of your novel.
How it works:
Head to BOOK EDITORIAL SERVICES to request a time-slot. Once confirmed by deposit I will ask you to submit your manuscript electronically by email to olivia.maclean@calloftheword.com. Please submit all manuscripts in a word doc format to allow for electronic editing. After the agreed time (based on word count and availability) you will receive your manuscript appraisal complete with your marked-up manuscript (any specifics referenced in your appraisal will be highlighted in your manuscript).
Fee:
A 20% deposit is due to confirm all editorial services. Once your time-slot has been agreed I will send you an invoice for 20% of the service fee which must be paid before the agreed start date. Payment is accepted in GBP or USD and can be made by bank transfer or PayPal. All necessary details for payment will be included with your invoice. The remainder of the fee is due upon completion of the service and a final invoice for the remaining fee will be emailed to you followed by your edited manuscript.
What Next?
Your manuscript appraisal is complete and you now have all the information you need to help direct your next step. If your novel is perfect and no improvement is necessary, you now know why. You know what your strengths are as writer and you know how to market your publication, either directly to your audience or to a publisher. However, if your novel needs some work (as they most often do) you know where to start, what to address and why. You now know where your writing excels and where it doesn't. You even have some handy tips for how to improve it. Whatever you learn from your manuscript appraisal, you will be ready to take the next steps with assurance and committed guidance.