February 4, 2025 • 32 mins
It’s the most common developmental editing service you’ll see. Know what to look for and when (or if) you need one.
If you google “developmental editor” and start looking through editors’ websites, you’ll see a common service appear again and again:
A manuscript evaluation.
(Or assessment, or diagnostic, or critique. A rose by any other name, etc.)
Typically, in a manuscript evaluation, an editor will offer to read your manuscript and tell you what’s working and what to focus on next to make it even better.
It sounds like the dream, right? Someone who will read the book you’ve spent months and months writing, tell you what they think of it, and give you a to-do list.
And manuscript evaluations sell like hotcakes because what they’re offering is exactly what writers want.
Or at least—
what writers think they want.
But when you don’t know what you really need, you risk wasting hundreds or thousands of dollars on a service that leaves you disappointed, stuck in the same spot, or even feeling false confidence that your story’s problems have all been solved when they’re not.
What if you don’t need someone else’s to-do list for your story? What if you have access to all the evaluation you need right now, without paying a single cent?
And if you don’t need someone else’s to-do list, what do you need instead?
In this episode, I’m giving you a crash course on manuscript evaluations. You’ll hear:
- What they are,
- When they work,
- Why they go wrong,
- And the rare occasion when I will agree to do one.
Here’s the thing: there are no regulations in the author services industry.
That means it’s up to YOU to vet every professional you work with.
I’m equipping you with everything you need to know to make the most of manuscript evaluations—or find the service you need instead.
Links mentioned in the episode:
- See what I do inside Story Clarity (instead of doing manuscript evaluations)
- Hear author John Green read from editor Julie Strauss-Gabel’s editorial letter for The Fault in Our Stars
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
If you Google developmentaleditor and start looking through
(00:03):
editor's websites, you'll see acommon service appear again.
And again.
Uh, manuscript evaluation.
Or assessment or diagnostic orcritique.
A rose by any other name, etcetera.
Typically in a manuscriptevaluation, an editor will offer
to read your manuscript and tellyou what's working and what to
(00:23):
focus on next to make it evenbetter.
It sounds like the dream, right.
Someone who will read the bookyou've spent months and months
writing.
Tell you what they think of itand give you a to do list.
And manuscript evaluations selllike hotcakes because what
they're offering is exactly whatwriters want.
Or at least.
It's what writers think theywant.
(00:45):
But when you don't know what youreally need, you risk wasting
hundreds or thousands ofdollars.
On a service that leaves youdisappointed, stuck in the same
spot, or even feeling falseconfidence that your story's
problems have all been solvedwhen they're not.
What if you don't need someoneelse's to do list for your
(01:05):
story.
What, if you have access to allthe evaluation you need right
now.
Without paying a single cent.
And if you don't need someoneelse's to do list.
What do you need instead?
Let's talk about manuscriptevaluations.
What they are when they work,why they go wrong?
And the rare occasion when Iwill agree to do one.
(02:16):
Welcome to your next draft.
Before we jump into all mythoughts on manuscript
evaluations, and I have a lot.
I have a quick favor task.
Would you mind sharing thisepisode with a writer friend?
One of the best ways for peopleto discover podcasts is through
word of mouth.
In fact, that's one of the bestways for people to discover any
content, really, Includingsomeday.
(02:38):
Your book.
So if you're enjoying what youhear on your next draft and you
have writer, friends that youthink would enjoy it too.
I'd really appreciate it.
If you sent them the link.
This episode in particular is agreat one to share, especially
with new writers writers, who'vejust finished their first drafts
and writers who are steppinginto the world of working with
an editor for the first time.
(03:00):
We're going to talk about one ofthe most common editing services
out there.
And my goal is to prepare you sothat you know what you're
getting into, what you need.
And what to expect.
You can share the link,alicesudlow.com/ 77, or share
the episode from your favoritepodcast app.
Thank you so much.
(03:21):
I am honored to be a source ofediting guidance.
You trust.
And every share is a really bigdeal.
Thank you.
Now let's get into the episode.
All right.
I've got to start this off bysaying I have some pretty strong
opinions about manuscriptsevaluations.
Manuscript evaluations were theprimary service that I offered
(03:42):
as an editor for six years.
And in that time I learned a lotabout the role.
These evils can play in awriter's process and an editor's
packages And the significantgaps that they can't fill.
So I admit.
I'm coming to this topic with alot of bias, but my bias is not
ungrounded.
It's based on my years ofactually doing manuscript
(04:04):
evaluations by several differentnames and in several different
forms and continually coming upagainst the same fundamental
limitations in every form theytook.
And manuscript evaluations cantake a lot of names and a lot of
forms because the other thingyou need to know going into this
is that there is nostandardization or regulation in
(04:25):
the author services industry.
No outside body is assessingeditors to ensure that we are
all offering services that meetany objective standards.
On the bright side, that meansthat editors like me have total
freedom to craft offers thatbest serve our writers and
ourselves.
On the dark side, that meansthat anyone can put up their
(04:45):
shingle as an editor, regardlessof the quality of the service
they're offering, which puts theburden on you, the writer to
determine whether you're gettingthe kinds of quality support you
need and deserve.
And that's why it's important tome to share with you what I know
of manuscript evaluations.
Because if it's yourresponsibility to vet the
professionals you're workingwith and the services they offer
(05:07):
you.
You need to know what you canreasonably expect from those
professionals and services.
If you go peruse editorswebsites, which may or may not
be a little hobby of mine.
you're going to see manuscriptevaluations on offer.
I want you to know what thosewords mean when you see them,
what you're likely to get whenyou purchase one And when an
(05:27):
evil is the service you need.
A little spoiler alert.
I no longer offer manuscriptevaluations, at least not as the
first service that I do with awriter.
There is a time and a place formanuscript evaluations and some
editors genuinely love doingthem, but for me, they are never
the right place to start.
This is the positive side of noregulations.
(05:50):
Where I don't think manuscriptevaluations are useful.
I don't have to offer them.
I can design the exact path thatdoes work best for my writers.
And there is no governing bodyto require anything less of me.
But before we get into why Idon't offer manuscript
evaluations or the rare reasonsthat I'll make an exception.
Let me lay some slightly moreobjective foundations.
(06:13):
So we're all on the same page.
Consider this your manuscripts,evil primer.
Starting with.
What is a manuscript evaluation?
A manuscript evaluation.
Is a service in which adevelopmental editor.
We'll read your manuscript.
Evaluate big picture elements,like story structure, plot,
(06:33):
theme, and character arcs.
And give you high level feedbackon what's working.
What's not, and what to focus onnext in your editing process.
You might see it called amanuscript assessment Or a
manuscript critique ormanuscripts diagnostic.
These are all names for the samekind of package.
What does a manuscriptevaluation typically include?
(06:55):
The specific deliverablesincluded in a manuscript
evaluation will vary dependingon the editor.
Remember no standardization, noregulation.
Every editor determines forthemselves what they will offer
in a manuscript evaluation.
That said there are someelements that you'll typically
see most editors offer.
(07:16):
First, the editor will read yourentire manuscript.
They won't just read a synopsisor skim a few pages.
They'll read the whole thing,whether it's 50,000 words or
250,000 words.
Next, the editor will evaluatewhat's working and what's not.
They'll focus on storydevelopment, concerns, the plot
(07:36):
that pacing, the character arcsthe point of view, the theme.
if those things are allgenerally working, some editors
may consider the writing styleas well, but I've never
encountered a manuscriptevaluation where all of the big
picture stories, developmentareas were firing on all
cylinders and didn't need anyadditional Polish.
Once the editor determines whatthe manuscripts needs.
(07:59):
They'll write an editorialletter.
In this letter, they'll sharetheir feedback, the things that
work, the areas where the storystill has weak spots and a
handful of prioritized nextsteps for the writer to focus
on.
The length of this letter variesby editor.
A really short one might be justa couple of pages.
A really long one might be 20pages or more, but a comfortable
(08:20):
range is somewhere between fiveand 10 pages.
The editor may also leave inlinecomments on the manuscript.
Some editors leave detailedcomments on the first chapter or
two.
Other editors leave scatteredcomments throughout the
manuscript and other editorsdon't offer in-line comments.
Regardless of the approach, thecomments are generally designed
to illustrate the feedbackThey've outlined in the
(08:41):
editorial letter, which is wherethe bulk of the feedback comes.
Finally, the editor may offer acall to discuss what they found
in their evaluation.
They might send you theeditorial letter and inline
comments first, and then followup with a call to answer any
questions you have about theirfeedback.
Or they might have the callfirst, then adjust their
feedback in the editorial letterbased on your discussion.
(09:03):
Or they might not offer a call,but email support.
Instead, Some editors prefer tostick with written
communication.
All that is the scope of atypical manuscript evaluation.
To recap, generally, the editorwill read the entire manuscript.
Evaluate what's working andwhat's not in the big picture
story development.
Prepare an editorial letter.
(09:25):
Right.
A small number of inlinecomments on the manuscript.
And discuss their feedback withyou on a call or over email.
As you can probably imaginethat's a pretty big investment
of time and energy for theeditor.
Just reading the manuscriptstakes several hours and then
figuring out what feedback togive and how to communicate it
to the writer.
Is a hefty project.
(09:46):
I say that to contextualize thenext question.
What does a manuscriptevaluation cost?
Again, There are no standardshere.
So the prices you'll see ondifferent editors, websites will
vary widely.
That said trustworthy editorsare likely to charge upwards of
(10:06):
a thousand dollars or more for amanuscript evaluation.
They may charge$1,200,$1,500 ormore.
I've seen some editors offerprices much lower than this,
too, But be aware of prices thatseem far below this range.
Keep in mind that you'repurchasing 10 to 20 hours of a
skilled professionals, time andexpertise.
(10:27):
And for an editor to truly giveyou their best feedback, they'll
have the charge for it.
And I know this is my constantdrum beat, but I'll say it
again.
This is an industry with noregulations and things that seem
too good to be true often are.
Personally, I would be wary ofany manuscript evaluation that
costs less than a thousanddollars.
(10:48):
All right.
That's our basic primer onmanuscript evaluations.
Now we're all on the same pageand you know, what kind of
service that I'm talking about?
So let's dig deeper.
Let's get into all that juicybias.
I promised right at the top,Let's look at the role
manuscript evaluations typicallyplay in a writers and editors
(11:08):
process and the role that Ithink they should play.
In order to do that, we have togo back.
Where did manuscript evaluationscome from anyway?
Why are they a thing?
Disclaimer here.
I am not a publishing historian.
I'm going to make some claimsand educated guesses here.
And I don't have sources topoint you to, to confirm them,
(11:30):
but this is how I believe we gothere.
And I think it's a prettyreasonable explanation.
Back in the days whentraditional publishing was the
only kind of publishing.
Or at least when self publishingwas way more difficult.
The standard way a writer wouldwork with an editor was by
putting a paper copy of theirmanuscript in a great big
envelope, shipping it off to theeditor and waiting.
(11:53):
The editor.
And I should specify here thatwhen I say editor, I'm referring
to the acquisitions editor at atraditional publishing house.
The editor would read the pages,scribble in the margins and
write up a letter, then they'dship the whole package back.
That was the bulk of thefeedback the writer would get
from the editor.
There might be conversations to.
Uh, phone calls on a landline orin-person meetings.
(12:15):
If you were in New York city.
New York city specificallybecause that's long been the hub
of us book publishing.
But the primary way editorsdelivered their critique was by
mailing the manuscripts backwith an editorial letter.
Personally.
I'm inclined to believe that theconstraints of technology played
a big part in the evolution ofthat method of feedback.
(12:36):
Hemingway couldn't email hismanuscripts to Maxwell Perkins.
They couldn't text each otherideas or hop on a quick zoom
call to hash things out.
So they shipped the manuscriptback and forth and waited for
the mail to deliver a letter.
Technologically.
We are well beyond that now.
But the traditional publishingindustry is not known for rapid
(12:57):
change.
And the editorial letter isstill a staple of the way that
acquisitions editors andpublishing houses deliver their
feedback.
If you want an example of that,you can go to the show notes And
I've linked a video of JohnGreen discussing his editorial
letter on the fault in our starsfrom his editor, Julie Strauss
cable.
And yes.
Manuscript assessments are aservice offered by independent
(13:18):
developmental editors, nottraditional publishing houses,
But independent editing evolvedalongside and continues to be
heavily influenced by thetraditional model.
Some independent editors begantheir careers in the traditional
world as acquisitions, editors,or agents before leaving to
start their own businesses.
Other editors started Indy, butmodel their services off of the
(13:40):
common packages they see in thefield.
And every avenue I know of foreducation and training as an
editor is either directly basedon traditional publishing.
Or it's led by someone who spenta lot of time in the traditional
world before breaking off tobuild something new.
And even when people buildsomething new, if they came from
(14:00):
traditional publishing, they arestill influenced by the
structures they learned in thetrad world.
And so we have the manuscriptevaluation.
Uh, package by indie editors forauthors before they get
traditional deals or who may noteven want traditional deals.
A package that is yet modeledoff of a traditional structure
(14:22):
Designed within thetechnological constraints from a
hundred years ago.
What I am saying.
Is this.
The manuscript evaluation is notdesigned by today's editors for
today's writers, leveragingtoday's technology.
It has worked fine enough fordecades.
(14:43):
But we can do better.
And so we come to my beef withmanuscript evaluations, my bone
to pick.
Why don't I offer manuscriptevaluations.
Like I said at the start, I didoffer manuscript evaluations for
the first six years that Iworked as an editor.
I think I called them manuscriptassessments at first and then
(15:05):
diagnostics and thenevaluations.
Every time the name changed thescope and deliverables of the
service changed to.
I would offer my feedback as aletter or a folder full of
documents and spreadsheets.
I'd offer a single one hour callto discuss my feedback Then one,
two hour calls, then two, twohour calls, then two calls that
(15:26):
were meant to be two hours, butstretched way longer.
When I struck out on my own in2022, I realized that the price
I charged had to be enough tocover the work I was doing.
So then the price began toballoon as well.
That thousand dollars surfacebecame$1,200, then 1500, then
2000, then 2,500.
(15:50):
And it still wasn't working.
No matter how many iterations Itried, the manuscripts
evaluation was still not servingmy writers or to be honest me.
It was no longer an entry levelprice for an entry level
service.
At$2,500, it was a seriousinvestment.
(16:11):
And for that$2,500, the writergot a lot.
I was pouring my heart and soulinto these evils, reading the
manuscript closely.
So I wouldn't miss any crucialdetail.
Then spending hours, craftingextensive reports on what I
found and then brainstormingwith the writer on long rambling
calls to try our best toworkshop our way to solutions.
(16:32):
And when our eval engagementended and I finally sent them
away with an amount of feedbackthat was honestly overwhelming.
I would still feel like my workwas inadequate because I knew
how much farther the writer hadto go.
Now, my writer's never told methat my work was inadequate.
They walked away really happythanking me for all our
(16:54):
breakthroughs and insights,feeling clear and confident now
that they had ideas to explore.
But honestly, that just made thetension.
I was feeling worse.
Because as they smiled and toldme how excited they were to go
work on their stories, all Icould see were the structural
gaps that were still there, theproblems that we still hadn't
solved.
(17:15):
We'd scratched the surface.
Yes.
In four hours of calls, we'dgathered some good ideas to
explore and some potentialdirection the writer might take.
But we had not solved theproblems.
We only barely begun.
And every time I cut a writerloose, I worried that they
didn't have enough support tosucceed.
(17:35):
It felt like sending someone togo walk along, train tracks,
believing the tracks wereabandoned and completely safe.
When I knew there was a traincoming along just a few minutes
away.
I worried that the writer wouldtry to develop the ideas.
We came up with, run into a walland get stuck again in the exact
same spot.
Or that they'd make a few minoradjustments to the story.
(17:57):
Think that they had fixed it.
And mistakenly believe that theywere ready for the next stage.
Line editing or copy editing orworst of all, querying.
I worried that they thought themanuscript evaluation ought to
be the whole entire engagementwith a developmental editor, not
simply the first step Into morecomprehensive collaboration.
(18:18):
I knew that the manuscriptevaluation might be the only
opportunity that I would everhave to help the writer find
solutions.
I could see the problems wehadn't yet solved.
And as hard as I tried, and asmany times as I changed the
scope, I could not make thecontainer of a manuscript
evaluation, large enough to fixthose problems.
(18:38):
Until one day.
A writer came to me with amanuscript he'd set aside for a
few years while he worked onother projects.
Now he was coming back to it andhe wanted to know if there was
potential there.
We'll call this writer, Henry.
Henry asked me to read hismanuscript and give him my
impressions so he could decidewhether the project was worth
pursuing.
I thought.
(18:59):
Aha.
He doesn't want my$2,500manuscript evaluation where
we'll dig in together to solveas many problems as we can.
And two calls over four hours.
He wants something smaller,just, just a read and a general
review of the story's strengthsand weaknesses.
So I charged under a thousanddollars to keep the price low.
(19:20):
I kept my deliverables extremelytight.
I read the manuscript and we goton a one hour call.
Nothing more.
No written feedback, no folderfull of documents and notes, no
series of brainstorming sessionswhere we'd workshop the problems
together.
Just to read a call and my recapof the problems in the story.
I read the manuscript.
(19:40):
I found the problems we got onthe call.
I told them what they were.
And under 45 minutes, we'dcovered everything I planned to
discuss.
I said, so there you go.
That's what I've got for you.
Anything else you wanted tocover?
And I watched the light fade.
From Henry's eyes.
I was worried about these issueswhen I brought you the
(20:01):
manuscript, the things I wasthinking are exactly what you
found.
So I guess they really are themain issues.
He said tentatively.
I was hoping you'd help me solvesome of those problems.
I was floored.
I thought I had finallydelivered what a writer had
(20:22):
asked for had finally slimmedthe package down into a budget
friendly under a thousanddollars scope.
Had gotten the sign off from thewriter right at the start that
yes, that's what he wanted andthen restrained myself to stay
within that scope rather thanletting it creep way beyond what
that container could reasonablydeliver.
I thought I'd given the writerthe most valuable insight I
(20:43):
could within the size of thepackage.
We agreed on.
And yet.
Right in front of me on zoom.
I could see Henry swimming anddisappointment.
I scrambled to help him to getin the direction he needed in
the few remaining minutes.
We'd allotted for thisengagements.
I haven't prepared any solutionsto pitch him, but we spent the
next half hour workshoppingideas.
(21:03):
He might try.
Still.
When he left, I knew I'd missedthe mark.
Henry's edit was a turning pointfor me.
It's sent me back to the drawingboard to rethink everything
about the way I engage withwriters at this stage of story
development.
Here is what I found.
First the actual purpose of anactual manuscript evaluation.
(21:29):
Is simply to identify what typeof editing the manuscript needs
next.
In other words to tell writerswhat the problems are that they
should focus on next.
My$2,500 and ballooning out ofcontrol manuscript evaluation.
Wasn't a manuscript evaluationat all.
I had left the purpose of thatpackage far behind if I'd ever
(21:51):
fully grasped it.
Henry service, where I simplyread the manuscript, identified
the problems and reported themto the writer was actually what
a manuscript evaluation isdesigned to be.
I mean, think about the words,evaluation, diagnostic
assessment.
All those words mean to observewhat is.
(22:13):
Uh, doctor's diagnosis does notheal your illness.
It merely tells you what illnessyou have.
The container of a manuscriptevaluation was never designed to
hold solutions.
It was actually designed toidentify problems.
Which means that technically Ididn't do anything wrong in the
report I delivered to Henry thatreport was in fact exactly what
(22:36):
a manuscript evaluation wasmeant to be.
And that brings me to the secondthing I found.
Writers do not need me to tellthem what their manuscripts
problems are.
Before I do any work with anywriter, I get on a call with
them to talk about their bookand what it will look like for
us to work together.
And one of the most importantquestions I ask is what
(22:59):
challenges are you facing inyour writing right now?
What problems do you see in yourmanuscript that you would like
feedback on?
Take a moment right now to thinkabout that question.
What problems do you see in yourmanuscript?
I'm willing to bet quite a lotthat you just made a list.
(23:21):
And I'm willing to that just asmuch.
But you are right.
Your instincts are good.
You know, where your manuscriptis working and where it's not
like Henry, you don't need me oranyone to tell you what the
problems are.
You already see them?
What you need.
Our solutions.
(23:42):
If you knew how to solve thoseproblems, you already would have
like Henry you're stuck.
Not because you don't know whatthe problems are.
But because you don't know howto solve them.
When you already know what theproblems are, you don't need to
pay someone to tell you.
And when you need someone tohelp you find solutions, it is
unfair to both of us to try tofit that into the container of a
(24:05):
manuscript evaluation that wasnever designed to hold it.
Finding solutions needs acontainer.
That's completely different.
And so armed with theserealizations.
I built something completelydifferent.
I built story clarity.
Where you and I walk in thedoor, assuming we both already
(24:26):
know what the problems are.
And our only goal is to findsolutions.
and because findingdevelopmental level solutions
for a novel is a Herculean task.
This container is big andspacious.
Four calls over eight weeks.
And with the knowledge that ifyou need more support after
that, I've got a path for thattoo.
(24:46):
We don't waste our time or yourmoney on a manuscript evaluation
that will only tell us what wealready know.
We jumped straight into the realwork.
The story development youactually need.
Zero regulations.
Remember, this is the beauty ofworking in an unregulated
industry.
I can take all my years ofexperience struggling to make an
archaic structure work.
(25:07):
Toss the whole idea ofmanuscript evaluations right out
the window and build somethingnew from scratch.
Based on what I've learnedactually works for you and me
both.
Now I know, I literally justsaid I've thrown manuscript
evaluations out the window.
I know I've been ragging on themfor probably 20 minutes or more
(25:28):
But I do believe that there area couple of contexts in which
manuscript evaluations areuseful.
In fact when they're exactlywhat you need.
Here's the first one.
And manuscript evaluation isuseful.
When you believe that you aredone with a specific stage in
your editing process.
Do you think that you'vecompleted all the developmental
(25:50):
editing that your story willneed?
And you're ready to move on toline editing, copy editing or
querying.
Get a manuscript evaluationhere, and an editor will confirm
that you're ready to moveforward or point out lingering
developmental issues, stillworth addressing.
Or have you gone through storyclarity with me taking the
outline we built together andused it to revise your
(26:12):
manuscript.
At this point, I will happily doa manuscript evaluation.
And I'll be watchingspecifically to see whether our
hypothesis worked and you'reready for the next stage of
story refinements or whetherthere are any gaps that we can
still address with more bigpicture story development.
In short manuscript evaluationsare excellent tools to help you
(26:33):
determine whether your done.
That you're simply not innecessary place to start.
At that stage, they'll just tellyou things you already know, and
you'll pay a lot of money tohear them.
The other context in which youmight benefit from an eval, is
this.
And manuscript evaluation can beuseful when you're vetting an
editor to determine whetherthey're the right collaborator
(26:56):
for you and your book.
This is a benefit that I haven'tmentioned yet, but it's really
important to consider.
Uh, manuscript evaluation is afinite service with a small
scope compared to larger storydevelopment work.
That gives both you and youreditor, a relatively low stakes
chance to test the waters andsee what it's like to work
together.
(27:16):
Your editor will get a feel foryour story, your writing, and
the way you engage withfeedback.
You'll get a feel for theeditors, working style, their
method and tone when deliveringfeedback and the type of
feedback they give.
If you're considering an editor,but you're not sure whether
they're the right fit for you.
You can start off with amanuscript evaluation to get a
taste before you commit tolarger services.
(27:38):
Just.
Be aware that that's what you'redoing.
And don't be disappointed whenthe container of a manuscript
evaluation can't hold all thesolutions that both you and the
editor wish you could findtogether.
Make sure you understand wherethe manuscript evaluation falls
in the editor's ecosystem ofservices and ask them what kind
of support they might recommendonce it's complete.
(28:00):
If you and the editor vibe,well, consider it the beginning
of a longer engagement whereyou'll do the real work
together, not the end of yourcollaboration.
I want to end by acknowledgingwhat's at the root of the appeal
of manuscript evaluations.
You made a thing.
And it was big and difficult andit took a really long time.
(28:22):
And you want more than anythingto hand it to someone else and
hear them tell you it's good.
Like a student handing a majorproject to a teacher Or a kid
Handing their latest crayondrawing to their mom.
I usually send analogies not toput you down for having this
impulse.
Not at all.
Quite the opposite.
In fact, I use them toillustrate that this is a freely
(28:45):
normal human impulse that weexperience throughout our entire
lives.
You made something.
You walked into the void ofnothing.
Toiled alone there for months oryears.
And the merged With your ownunique and original creation.
That is amazing.
(29:05):
If your first impulse is to goto Google search editor and pull
out your credit card to buy themost affordable manuscript
evaluation you can find.
I get it.
But let me save you that timeand money right now.
If you have just finished yourfirst draft, here's my
evaluation of your manuscript.
You heard it right here from aprofessional editor.
(29:27):
Is your work good.
Abso-freaking-lutely you haveaccomplished something amazing,
something so many people want todo.
And so few actually do.
This story is worth tellingbecause you see value in telling
it.
And I fully believe in yourcapacity to tell it well, Does
(29:48):
the manuscript have problemsthat need work?
Yes.
At this stage, they are storydevelopment problems, plot
character arc, point of view,timeline theme.
What are the specific problems?
The specific problems in yourmanuscripts Are the problems you
think are there?
Your instincts are telling you.
(30:09):
And your instincts are right.
What do you need next?
What you need next, our storydevelopment solutions.
They're easier to find withhelp, like working with me and
my story, clarity service, orfinding a critique partner to
workshop your story with you.
But you can make a lot ofprogress on your own too, by
(30:29):
reading craft books and usingwhat you find to guide your
revision process.
And there you go.
That's it.
That's your manuscriptevaluation.
Congratulations.
It's free.
Now if you are well beyond yourfirst draft, you've edited your
story thoroughly and you knowthat you're ready to move
forward into late stage editing.
(30:49):
Then that manuscript evaluationI just shared is not for you.
By all means.
Go ahead and purchase amanuscript evaluation from an
editor whose feedback you trust.
Don't just go looking for thecheapest one.
Look for the editor whosefeedback you want.
They can help you see if thereare any blind spots that you've
missed or send you happily intolate stage editing.
(31:12):
But when you know that there'smore work to be done.
You don't need to pay someoneelse to tell you there's more
work to be done.
You need to do the work.
And if doing the work alone isconfusing or overwhelming.
Or you just like the support ofa storytelling professional to
help you find the rightsolutions for your story.
Then invite a developmentaleditor in Just make sure that
(31:36):
the service you choose is onethat's designed to hold the
pursuit of solutions.
After all, you don't needsomeone else's to do list.
You need the right creativepartner to support you as you
work through your to-do list.
You've got this.
You've got a story worthtelling, and I trust that you
know, what it needs in order totell it well, I invite you to
(32:00):
trust yourself to.
Until next time.
Happy editing.
If you Google developmentaleditor and start looking through
(00:03):
editor's websites, you'll see acommon service appear again.
And again.
Uh, manuscript evaluation.
Or assessment or diagnostic orcritique.
A rose by any other name, etcetera.
Typically in a manuscriptevaluation, an editor will offer
to read your manuscript and tellyou what's working and what to
(00:23):
focus on next to make it evenbetter.
It sounds like the dream, right.
Someone who will read the bookyou've spent months and months
writing.
Tell you what they think of itand give you a to do list.
And manuscript evaluations selllike hotcakes because what
they're offering is exactly whatwriters want.
Or at least.
It's what writers think theywant.
(00:45):
But when you don't know what youreally need, you risk wasting
hundreds or thousands ofdollars.
On a service that leaves youdisappointed, stuck in the same
spot, or even feeling falseconfidence that your story's
problems have all been solvedwhen they're not.
What if you don't need someoneelse's to do list for your
(01:05):
story.
What, if you have access to allthe evaluation you need right
now.
Without paying a single cent.
And if you don't need someoneelse's to do list.
What do you need instead?
Let's talk about manuscriptevaluations.
What they are when they work,why they go wrong?
And the rare occasion when Iwill agree to do one.
(02:16):
Welcome to your next draft.
Before we jump into all mythoughts on manuscript
evaluations, and I have a lot.
I have a quick favor task.
Would you mind sharing thisepisode with a writer friend?
One of the best ways for peopleto discover podcasts is through
word of mouth.
In fact, that's one of the bestways for people to discover any
content, really, Includingsomeday.
(02:38):
Your book.
So if you're enjoying what youhear on your next draft and you
have writer, friends that youthink would enjoy it too.
I'd really appreciate it.
If you sent them the link.
This episode in particular is agreat one to share, especially
with new writers writers, who'vejust finished their first drafts
and writers who are steppinginto the world of working with
an editor for the first time.
(03:00):
We're going to talk about one ofthe most common editing services
out there.
And my goal is to prepare you sothat you know what you're
getting into, what you need.
And what to expect.
You can share the link,alicesudlow.com/ 77, or share
the episode from your favoritepodcast app.
Thank you so much.
(03:21):
I am honored to be a source ofediting guidance.
You trust.
And every share is a really bigdeal.
Thank you.
Now let's get into the episode.
All right.
I've got to start this off bysaying I have some pretty strong
opinions about manuscriptsevaluations.
Manuscript evaluations were theprimary service that I offered
(03:42):
as an editor for six years.
And in that time I learned a lotabout the role.
These evils can play in awriter's process and an editor's
packages And the significantgaps that they can't fill.
So I admit.
I'm coming to this topic with alot of bias, but my bias is not
ungrounded.
It's based on my years ofactually doing manuscript
(04:04):
evaluations by several differentnames and in several different
forms and continually coming upagainst the same fundamental
limitations in every form theytook.
And manuscript evaluations cantake a lot of names and a lot of
forms because the other thingyou need to know going into this
is that there is nostandardization or regulation in
(04:25):
the author services industry.
No outside body is assessingeditors to ensure that we are
all offering services that meetany objective standards.
On the bright side, that meansthat editors like me have total
freedom to craft offers thatbest serve our writers and
ourselves.
On the dark side, that meansthat anyone can put up their
(04:45):
shingle as an editor, regardlessof the quality of the service
they're offering, which puts theburden on you, the writer to
determine whether you're gettingthe kinds of quality support you
need and deserve.
And that's why it's important tome to share with you what I know
of manuscript evaluations.
Because if it's yourresponsibility to vet the
professionals you're workingwith and the services they offer
(05:07):
you.
You need to know what you canreasonably expect from those
professionals and services.
If you go peruse editorswebsites, which may or may not
be a little hobby of mine.
you're going to see manuscriptevaluations on offer.
I want you to know what thosewords mean when you see them,
what you're likely to get whenyou purchase one And when an
(05:27):
evil is the service you need.
A little spoiler alert.
I no longer offer manuscriptevaluations, at least not as the
first service that I do with awriter.
There is a time and a place formanuscript evaluations and some
editors genuinely love doingthem, but for me, they are never
the right place to start.
This is the positive side of noregulations.
(05:50):
Where I don't think manuscriptevaluations are useful.
I don't have to offer them.
I can design the exact path thatdoes work best for my writers.
And there is no governing bodyto require anything less of me.
But before we get into why Idon't offer manuscript
evaluations or the rare reasonsthat I'll make an exception.
Let me lay some slightly moreobjective foundations.
(06:13):
So we're all on the same page.
Consider this your manuscripts,evil primer.
Starting with.
What is a manuscript evaluation?
A manuscript evaluation.
Is a service in which adevelopmental editor.
We'll read your manuscript.
Evaluate big picture elements,like story structure, plot,
(06:33):
theme, and character arcs.
And give you high level feedbackon what's working.
What's not, and what to focus onnext in your editing process.
You might see it called amanuscript assessment Or a
manuscript critique ormanuscripts diagnostic.
These are all names for the samekind of package.
What does a manuscriptevaluation typically include?
(06:55):
The specific deliverablesincluded in a manuscript
evaluation will vary dependingon the editor.
Remember no standardization, noregulation.
Every editor determines forthemselves what they will offer
in a manuscript evaluation.
That said there are someelements that you'll typically
see most editors offer.
(07:16):
First, the editor will read yourentire manuscript.
They won't just read a synopsisor skim a few pages.
They'll read the whole thing,whether it's 50,000 words or
250,000 words.
Next, the editor will evaluatewhat's working and what's not.
They'll focus on storydevelopment, concerns, the plot
(07:36):
that pacing, the character arcsthe point of view, the theme.
if those things are allgenerally working, some editors
may consider the writing styleas well, but I've never
encountered a manuscriptevaluation where all of the big
picture stories, developmentareas were firing on all
cylinders and didn't need anyadditional Polish.
Once the editor determines whatthe manuscripts needs.
(07:59):
They'll write an editorialletter.
In this letter, they'll sharetheir feedback, the things that
work, the areas where the storystill has weak spots and a
handful of prioritized nextsteps for the writer to focus
on.
The length of this letter variesby editor.
A really short one might be justa couple of pages.
A really long one might be 20pages or more, but a comfortable
(08:20):
range is somewhere between fiveand 10 pages.
The editor may also leave inlinecomments on the manuscript.
Some editors leave detailedcomments on the first chapter or
two.
Other editors leave scatteredcomments throughout the
manuscript and other editorsdon't offer in-line comments.
Regardless of the approach, thecomments are generally designed
to illustrate the feedbackThey've outlined in the
(08:41):
editorial letter, which is wherethe bulk of the feedback comes.
Finally, the editor may offer acall to discuss what they found
in their evaluation.
They might send you theeditorial letter and inline
comments first, and then followup with a call to answer any
questions you have about theirfeedback.
Or they might have the callfirst, then adjust their
feedback in the editorial letterbased on your discussion.
(09:03):
Or they might not offer a call,but email support.
Instead, Some editors prefer tostick with written
communication.
All that is the scope of atypical manuscript evaluation.
To recap, generally, the editorwill read the entire manuscript.
Evaluate what's working andwhat's not in the big picture
story development.
Prepare an editorial letter.
(09:25):
Right.
A small number of inlinecomments on the manuscript.
And discuss their feedback withyou on a call or over email.
As you can probably imaginethat's a pretty big investment
of time and energy for theeditor.
Just reading the manuscriptstakes several hours and then
figuring out what feedback togive and how to communicate it
to the writer.
Is a hefty project.
(09:46):
I say that to contextualize thenext question.
What does a manuscriptevaluation cost?
Again, There are no standardshere.
So the prices you'll see ondifferent editors, websites will
vary widely.
That said trustworthy editorsare likely to charge upwards of
(10:06):
a thousand dollars or more for amanuscript evaluation.
They may charge$1,200,$1,500 ormore.
I've seen some editors offerprices much lower than this,
too, But be aware of prices thatseem far below this range.
Keep in mind that you'repurchasing 10 to 20 hours of a
skilled professionals, time andexpertise.
(10:27):
And for an editor to truly giveyou their best feedback, they'll
have the charge for it.
And I know this is my constantdrum beat, but I'll say it
again.
This is an industry with noregulations and things that seem
too good to be true often are.
Personally, I would be wary ofany manuscript evaluation that
costs less than a thousanddollars.
(10:48):
All right.
That's our basic primer onmanuscript evaluations.
Now we're all on the same pageand you know, what kind of
service that I'm talking about?
So let's dig deeper.
Let's get into all that juicybias.
I promised right at the top,Let's look at the role
manuscript evaluations typicallyplay in a writers and editors
(11:08):
process and the role that Ithink they should play.
In order to do that, we have togo back.
Where did manuscript evaluationscome from anyway?
Why are they a thing?
Disclaimer here.
I am not a publishing historian.
I'm going to make some claimsand educated guesses here.
And I don't have sources topoint you to, to confirm them,
(11:30):
but this is how I believe we gothere.
And I think it's a prettyreasonable explanation.
Back in the days whentraditional publishing was the
only kind of publishing.
Or at least when self publishingwas way more difficult.
The standard way a writer wouldwork with an editor was by
putting a paper copy of theirmanuscript in a great big
envelope, shipping it off to theeditor and waiting.
(11:53):
The editor.
And I should specify here thatwhen I say editor, I'm referring
to the acquisitions editor at atraditional publishing house.
The editor would read the pages,scribble in the margins and
write up a letter, then they'dship the whole package back.
That was the bulk of thefeedback the writer would get
from the editor.
There might be conversations to.
Uh, phone calls on a landline orin-person meetings.
(12:15):
If you were in New York city.
New York city specificallybecause that's long been the hub
of us book publishing.
But the primary way editorsdelivered their critique was by
mailing the manuscripts backwith an editorial letter.
Personally.
I'm inclined to believe that theconstraints of technology played
a big part in the evolution ofthat method of feedback.
(12:36):
Hemingway couldn't email hismanuscripts to Maxwell Perkins.
They couldn't text each otherideas or hop on a quick zoom
call to hash things out.
So they shipped the manuscriptback and forth and waited for
the mail to deliver a letter.
Technologically.
We are well beyond that now.
But the traditional publishingindustry is not known for rapid
(12:57):
change.
And the editorial letter isstill a staple of the way that
acquisitions editors andpublishing houses deliver their
feedback.
If you want an example of that,you can go to the show notes And
I've linked a video of JohnGreen discussing his editorial
letter on the fault in our starsfrom his editor, Julie Strauss
cable.
And yes.
Manuscript assessments are aservice offered by independent
(13:18):
developmental editors, nottraditional publishing houses,
But independent editing evolvedalongside and continues to be
heavily influenced by thetraditional model.
Some independent editors begantheir careers in the traditional
world as acquisitions, editors,or agents before leaving to
start their own businesses.
Other editors started Indy, butmodel their services off of the
(13:40):
common packages they see in thefield.
And every avenue I know of foreducation and training as an
editor is either directly basedon traditional publishing.
Or it's led by someone who spenta lot of time in the traditional
world before breaking off tobuild something new.
And even when people buildsomething new, if they came from
(14:00):
traditional publishing, they arestill influenced by the
structures they learned in thetrad world.
And so we have the manuscriptevaluation.
Uh, package by indie editors forauthors before they get
traditional deals or who may noteven want traditional deals.
A package that is yet modeledoff of a traditional structure
(14:22):
Designed within thetechnological constraints from a
hundred years ago.
What I am saying.
Is this.
The manuscript evaluation is notdesigned by today's editors for
today's writers, leveragingtoday's technology.
It has worked fine enough fordecades.
(14:43):
But we can do better.
And so we come to my beef withmanuscript evaluations, my bone
to pick.
Why don't I offer manuscriptevaluations.
Like I said at the start, I didoffer manuscript evaluations for
the first six years that Iworked as an editor.
I think I called them manuscriptassessments at first and then
(15:05):
diagnostics and thenevaluations.
Every time the name changed thescope and deliverables of the
service changed to.
I would offer my feedback as aletter or a folder full of
documents and spreadsheets.
I'd offer a single one hour callto discuss my feedback Then one,
two hour calls, then two, twohour calls, then two calls that
(15:26):
were meant to be two hours, butstretched way longer.
When I struck out on my own in2022, I realized that the price
I charged had to be enough tocover the work I was doing.
So then the price began toballoon as well.
That thousand dollars surfacebecame$1,200, then 1500, then
2000, then 2,500.
(15:50):
And it still wasn't working.
No matter how many iterations Itried, the manuscripts
evaluation was still not servingmy writers or to be honest me.
It was no longer an entry levelprice for an entry level
service.
At$2,500, it was a seriousinvestment.
(16:11):
And for that$2,500, the writergot a lot.
I was pouring my heart and soulinto these evils, reading the
manuscript closely.
So I wouldn't miss any crucialdetail.
Then spending hours, craftingextensive reports on what I
found and then brainstormingwith the writer on long rambling
calls to try our best toworkshop our way to solutions.
(16:32):
And when our eval engagementended and I finally sent them
away with an amount of feedbackthat was honestly overwhelming.
I would still feel like my workwas inadequate because I knew
how much farther the writer hadto go.
Now, my writer's never told methat my work was inadequate.
They walked away really happythanking me for all our
(16:54):
breakthroughs and insights,feeling clear and confident now
that they had ideas to explore.
But honestly, that just made thetension.
I was feeling worse.
Because as they smiled and toldme how excited they were to go
work on their stories, all Icould see were the structural
gaps that were still there, theproblems that we still hadn't
solved.
(17:15):
We'd scratched the surface.
Yes.
In four hours of calls, we'dgathered some good ideas to
explore and some potentialdirection the writer might take.
But we had not solved theproblems.
We only barely begun.
And every time I cut a writerloose, I worried that they
didn't have enough support tosucceed.
(17:35):
It felt like sending someone togo walk along, train tracks,
believing the tracks wereabandoned and completely safe.
When I knew there was a traincoming along just a few minutes
away.
I worried that the writer wouldtry to develop the ideas.
We came up with, run into a walland get stuck again in the exact
same spot.
Or that they'd make a few minoradjustments to the story.
(17:57):
Think that they had fixed it.
And mistakenly believe that theywere ready for the next stage.
Line editing or copy editing orworst of all, querying.
I worried that they thought themanuscript evaluation ought to
be the whole entire engagementwith a developmental editor, not
simply the first step Into morecomprehensive collaboration.
(18:18):
I knew that the manuscriptevaluation might be the only
opportunity that I would everhave to help the writer find
solutions.
I could see the problems wehadn't yet solved.
And as hard as I tried, and asmany times as I changed the
scope, I could not make thecontainer of a manuscript
evaluation, large enough to fixthose problems.
(18:38):
Until one day.
A writer came to me with amanuscript he'd set aside for a
few years while he worked onother projects.
Now he was coming back to it andhe wanted to know if there was
potential there.
We'll call this writer, Henry.
Henry asked me to read hismanuscript and give him my
impressions so he could decidewhether the project was worth
pursuing.
I thought.
(18:59):
Aha.
He doesn't want my$2,500manuscript evaluation where
we'll dig in together to solveas many problems as we can.
And two calls over four hours.
He wants something smaller,just, just a read and a general
review of the story's strengthsand weaknesses.
So I charged under a thousanddollars to keep the price low.
(19:20):
I kept my deliverables extremelytight.
I read the manuscript and we goton a one hour call.
Nothing more.
No written feedback, no folderfull of documents and notes, no
series of brainstorming sessionswhere we'd workshop the problems
together.
Just to read a call and my recapof the problems in the story.
I read the manuscript.
(19:40):
I found the problems we got onthe call.
I told them what they were.
And under 45 minutes, we'dcovered everything I planned to
discuss.
I said, so there you go.
That's what I've got for you.
Anything else you wanted tocover?
And I watched the light fade.
From Henry's eyes.
I was worried about these issueswhen I brought you the
(20:01):
manuscript, the things I wasthinking are exactly what you
found.
So I guess they really are themain issues.
He said tentatively.
I was hoping you'd help me solvesome of those problems.
I was floored.
I thought I had finallydelivered what a writer had
(20:22):
asked for had finally slimmedthe package down into a budget
friendly under a thousanddollars scope.
Had gotten the sign off from thewriter right at the start that
yes, that's what he wanted andthen restrained myself to stay
within that scope rather thanletting it creep way beyond what
that container could reasonablydeliver.
I thought I'd given the writerthe most valuable insight I
(20:43):
could within the size of thepackage.
We agreed on.
And yet.
Right in front of me on zoom.
I could see Henry swimming anddisappointment.
I scrambled to help him to getin the direction he needed in
the few remaining minutes.
We'd allotted for thisengagements.
I haven't prepared any solutionsto pitch him, but we spent the
next half hour workshoppingideas.
(21:03):
He might try.
Still.
When he left, I knew I'd missedthe mark.
Henry's edit was a turning pointfor me.
It's sent me back to the drawingboard to rethink everything
about the way I engage withwriters at this stage of story
development.
Here is what I found.
First the actual purpose of anactual manuscript evaluation.
(21:29):
Is simply to identify what typeof editing the manuscript needs
next.
In other words to tell writerswhat the problems are that they
should focus on next.
My$2,500 and ballooning out ofcontrol manuscript evaluation.
Wasn't a manuscript evaluationat all.
I had left the purpose of thatpackage far behind if I'd ever
(21:51):
fully grasped it.
Henry service, where I simplyread the manuscript, identified
the problems and reported themto the writer was actually what
a manuscript evaluation isdesigned to be.
I mean, think about the words,evaluation, diagnostic
assessment.
All those words mean to observewhat is.
(22:13):
Uh, doctor's diagnosis does notheal your illness.
It merely tells you what illnessyou have.
The container of a manuscriptevaluation was never designed to
hold solutions.
It was actually designed toidentify problems.
Which means that technically Ididn't do anything wrong in the
report I delivered to Henry thatreport was in fact exactly what
(22:36):
a manuscript evaluation wasmeant to be.
And that brings me to the secondthing I found.
Writers do not need me to tellthem what their manuscripts
problems are.
Before I do any work with anywriter, I get on a call with
them to talk about their bookand what it will look like for
us to work together.
And one of the most importantquestions I ask is what
(22:59):
challenges are you facing inyour writing right now?
What problems do you see in yourmanuscript that you would like
feedback on?
Take a moment right now to thinkabout that question.
What problems do you see in yourmanuscript?
I'm willing to bet quite a lotthat you just made a list.
(23:21):
And I'm willing to that just asmuch.
But you are right.
Your instincts are good.
You know, where your manuscriptis working and where it's not
like Henry, you don't need me oranyone to tell you what the
problems are.
You already see them?
What you need.
Our solutions.
(23:42):
If you knew how to solve thoseproblems, you already would have
like Henry you're stuck.
Not because you don't know whatthe problems are.
But because you don't know howto solve them.
When you already know what theproblems are, you don't need to
pay someone to tell you.
And when you need someone tohelp you find solutions, it is
unfair to both of us to try tofit that into the container of a
(24:05):
manuscript evaluation that wasnever designed to hold it.
Finding solutions needs acontainer.
That's completely different.
And so armed with theserealizations.
I built something completelydifferent.
I built story clarity.
Where you and I walk in thedoor, assuming we both already
(24:26):
know what the problems are.
And our only goal is to findsolutions.
and because findingdevelopmental level solutions
for a novel is a Herculean task.
This container is big andspacious.
Four calls over eight weeks.
And with the knowledge that ifyou need more support after
that, I've got a path for thattoo.
(24:46):
We don't waste our time or yourmoney on a manuscript evaluation
that will only tell us what wealready know.
We jumped straight into the realwork.
The story development youactually need.
Zero regulations.
Remember, this is the beauty ofworking in an unregulated
industry.
I can take all my years ofexperience struggling to make an
archaic structure work.
(25:07):
Toss the whole idea ofmanuscript evaluations right out
the window and build somethingnew from scratch.
Based on what I've learnedactually works for you and me
both.
Now I know, I literally justsaid I've thrown manuscript
evaluations out the window.
I know I've been ragging on themfor probably 20 minutes or more
(25:28):
But I do believe that there area couple of contexts in which
manuscript evaluations areuseful.
In fact when they're exactlywhat you need.
Here's the first one.
And manuscript evaluation isuseful.
When you believe that you aredone with a specific stage in
your editing process.
Do you think that you'vecompleted all the developmental
(25:50):
editing that your story willneed?
And you're ready to move on toline editing, copy editing or
querying.
Get a manuscript evaluationhere, and an editor will confirm
that you're ready to moveforward or point out lingering
developmental issues, stillworth addressing.
Or have you gone through storyclarity with me taking the
outline we built together andused it to revise your
(26:12):
manuscript.
At this point, I will happily doa manuscript evaluation.
And I'll be watchingspecifically to see whether our
hypothesis worked and you'reready for the next stage of
story refinements or whetherthere are any gaps that we can
still address with more bigpicture story development.
In short manuscript evaluationsare excellent tools to help you
(26:33):
determine whether your done.
That you're simply not innecessary place to start.
At that stage, they'll just tellyou things you already know, and
you'll pay a lot of money tohear them.
The other context in which youmight benefit from an eval, is
this.
And manuscript evaluation can beuseful when you're vetting an
editor to determine whetherthey're the right collaborator
(26:56):
for you and your book.
This is a benefit that I haven'tmentioned yet, but it's really
important to consider.
Uh, manuscript evaluation is afinite service with a small
scope compared to larger storydevelopment work.
That gives both you and youreditor, a relatively low stakes
chance to test the waters andsee what it's like to work
together.
(27:16):
Your editor will get a feel foryour story, your writing, and
the way you engage withfeedback.
You'll get a feel for theeditors, working style, their
method and tone when deliveringfeedback and the type of
feedback they give.
If you're considering an editor,but you're not sure whether
they're the right fit for you.
You can start off with amanuscript evaluation to get a
taste before you commit tolarger services.
(27:38):
Just.
Be aware that that's what you'redoing.
And don't be disappointed whenthe container of a manuscript
evaluation can't hold all thesolutions that both you and the
editor wish you could findtogether.
Make sure you understand wherethe manuscript evaluation falls
in the editor's ecosystem ofservices and ask them what kind
of support they might recommendonce it's complete.
(28:00):
If you and the editor vibe,well, consider it the beginning
of a longer engagement whereyou'll do the real work
together, not the end of yourcollaboration.
I want to end by acknowledgingwhat's at the root of the appeal
of manuscript evaluations.
You made a thing.
And it was big and difficult andit took a really long time.
(28:22):
And you want more than anythingto hand it to someone else and
hear them tell you it's good.
Like a student handing a majorproject to a teacher Or a kid
Handing their latest crayondrawing to their mom.
I usually send analogies not toput you down for having this
impulse.
Not at all.
Quite the opposite.
In fact, I use them toillustrate that this is a freely
(28:45):
normal human impulse that weexperience throughout our entire
lives.
You made something.
You walked into the void ofnothing.
Toiled alone there for months oryears.
And the merged With your ownunique and original creation.
That is amazing.
(29:05):
If your first impulse is to goto Google search editor and pull
out your credit card to buy themost affordable manuscript
evaluation you can find.
I get it.
But let me save you that timeand money right now.
If you have just finished yourfirst draft, here's my
evaluation of your manuscript.
You heard it right here from aprofessional editor.
(29:27):
Is your work good.
Abso-freaking-lutely you haveaccomplished something amazing,
something so many people want todo.
And so few actually do.
This story is worth tellingbecause you see value in telling
it.
And I fully believe in yourcapacity to tell it well, Does
(29:48):
the manuscript have problemsthat need work?
Yes.
At this stage, they are storydevelopment problems, plot
character arc, point of view,timeline theme.
What are the specific problems?
The specific problems in yourmanuscripts Are the problems you
think are there?
Your instincts are telling you.
(30:09):
And your instincts are right.
What do you need next?
What you need next, our storydevelopment solutions.
They're easier to find withhelp, like working with me and
my story, clarity service, orfinding a critique partner to
workshop your story with you.
But you can make a lot ofprogress on your own too, by
(30:29):
reading craft books and usingwhat you find to guide your
revision process.
And there you go.
That's it.
That's your manuscriptevaluation.
Congratulations.
It's free.
Now if you are well beyond yourfirst draft, you've edited your
story thoroughly and you knowthat you're ready to move
forward into late stage editing.
(30:49):
Then that manuscript evaluationI just shared is not for you.
By all means.
Go ahead and purchase amanuscript evaluation from an
editor whose feedback you trust.
Don't just go looking for thecheapest one.
Look for the editor whosefeedback you want.
They can help you see if thereare any blind spots that you've
missed or send you happily intolate stage editing.
(31:12):
But when you know that there'smore work to be done.
You don't need to pay someoneelse to tell you there's more
work to be done.
You need to do the work.
And if doing the work alone isconfusing or overwhelming.
Or you just like the support ofa storytelling professional to
help you find the rightsolutions for your story.
Then invite a developmentaleditor in Just make sure that
(31:36):
the service you choose is onethat's designed to hold the
pursuit of solutions.
After all, you don't needsomeone else's to do list.
You need the right creativepartner to support you as you
work through your to-do list.
You've got this.
You've got a story worthtelling, and I trust that you
know, what it needs in order totell it well, I invite you to
(32:00):
trust yourself to.
Until next time.
Happy editing.
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