Manuscript Evaluation

Is your book any good?

Sometimes, you just need to know what shape your manuscript (mms) is in, so you can improve it before taking the next step. Does it make sense? What works, and what would make it better?

A manuscript evaluation gives you professional feedback without the larger commitment of a full edit. Sometimes this is the most appropriate place to start. As a plus, not only does it save you grief and time in editing, it can also save you money.

The evaluation considers developmental questions, such as:

  • What is your concept?
  • Who is your audience? Is the writing appropriate for this audience?
  • What is the overall structure?
  • How can you best develop your ideas/storyline?

…and copy-line questions, such as:

  • Is your writing clear and readable?
  • How are your transitions? Are there any gaps?
  • What are your writing tics?

If you are interested in an evaluation, your book should have a beginning, middle, and end. In other words, if you are still in the process of writing, this is not the time for an evaluation. A Chapter One Critique, coaching, or a book structure intensive may be more appropriate.

I have worked with Alexandra O’Connell on my last two books. Her exceptional copy editing skills together with her suggested improvements helped make both books much easier to read. I will definitely use her again in the future.

Richard J. Bryan
Professional Keynote Speaker, Author, Being Frank: Real Life Lessons to Grow Your Business and Yourself, and Handing Over The Reigns: A Concise Guide to Succession Planning

What You Walk Away With

You’ll receive a report on your mms, outlining:

  • Strengths of the work
  • Problems (if any) of concept, structure, content, style, and documentation (this last for nonfiction)
  • Problems (if any) of presentation and formatting
  • Practical suggestions for fixes
  • Recommendations for next steps, including editorial recommendations

We may additionally agree to a sample edit (a higher fee applies).

The evaluation will NOT include:

  • Correcting spelling, punctuation, grammar, or syntax
  • Fixing errors in sentence structure or language use
  • Fact checking
  • Verification of any references

Recommendations are made on an individual, no-obligation basis. Editorial work is contracted for separately. All mms submitted for evaluation should be accompanied by a synopsis (for fiction or memoir) or table of contents and chapter summaries (for nonfiction).

The starting price for a Manuscript Evaluation is $1,375 for a manuscript up to 200 pages/50,000 words.

Be sure your book meets the genre guidelines here.

Are you ready to get started? Complete the form below!

Alexandra made getting my manuscript ready for press so much easier! She has an incredible eye for detail, and she turns things around so promptly! Everyone involved in the process has commented how easy she was to work with and what an excellent job she did—I highly recommend Alexandra’s work.

Courtney Clark
Keynote Speaker. Author, The Successful Struggle: Powerful Techniques to Achieve Accelerated Resilience

Are you ready to get started?

If you are interested in an evaluation, complete the form below.

Editing and Coaching are contracted for separately. Be sure your book meets the genre guidelines here. Review Working with Alexandra here.

Twitter Linkedin