Manuscript Appraisals
These are also called developmental edits. If you would like to create the best possible version of your manuscript, have it appraised before sending it to a publisher, or publishing it yourself.
Yes, your friends have done a Beta read. That’s important. Now you need a professional
Why?
- It is done by a qualified person who will give you an objective and constructive report.
- You’ll have a better product to submit to publishers or to publish yourself.
- You’ll learn about your strengths and weaknesses as a writer.
- It will reveal problems with storylines or holes in plots.
- It identifies unnecessary or incomplete characters.
- It reduces the time spent rewriting. And yes. There will be re-writing.
Is my work ready for a Writing Appraisal?
- You will learn a lot about your writing from an appraisal.
- Appraisals should come towards the end when you’ve been writing for a while and are comfortable with your work.
- They’re also useful if you’re concerned about the structure or can’t identify what is missing.
- Receiving feedback is a big, brave step for any writer.
- I will be kind, but honest.
- When I submit my own work that is what I expect and I have assumed the same about you. I will help you identify the good parts of your story and I will show you where you can improve.
What is not included in a Writing Appraisal package?
- I do not edit the manuscript.
- I do not represent publishers.
- This is an advisory service and cannot guarantee that the manuscript will be published. The appraisal is a signpost towards creating a publishable manuscript.