Manuscript Evaluation
Manuscript evaluation is an excellent resource for authors in search
of high-level self-editing guidance from a professional editor.
Manuscript evaluation is an excellent resource for authors in search
of high-level self-editing guidance from a professional editor.
Manuscript evaluation is an excellent resource for authors in search
of high-level self-editing guidance from a professional editor.
Manuscript evaluation is a broad-strokes assessment of your manuscript. Instead of providing notes in the margins like they would for a full edit, your editor will read your novel and write a short report about it—what works, what doesn’t, what was confusing, and what blew them away.
Compared to full editing services, such as developmental or line editing, manuscript evaluation has a faster turnaround time
and a smaller price tag.
Invisible Ink editors recommend manuscript evaluations to authors who fit any of the criteria below:
Step one: Book an Invisible Ink editor for a manuscript evaluation.
Step two: Submit your manuscript for review.
Step three: Get matched with an editor, who will provide a quote and timeline.
Step four: Receive feedback from your Invisible Ink editor.
Step five: Ask follow-up questions.
Step six (optional): Book editor again for an evaluation of your revisions.
Your editor will compose your unique evaluation based on what they think is most important to bring to your attention. Typically, authors can expect to see most or all of the following topics discussed:
Whether your plot follows a single character or many people with interconnected lives, the story encapsulated within ought to feel unified, vivid, and surprising.
Your editor will survey your manuscript for plot holes, discursion, and pacing problems and recommend ways to invigorate the narrative and keep your readers turning pages.
A strong cast is not only a vessel through which a story is experienced but a story unto itself. Each character is a collection of motivations and fears, strengths and weaknesses.
Your editor will size up your protagonist, antagonist, and the supporting cast to help you turn rough character sketches into skin and bone and beating heart.
A well-realized setting can enfold a reader into the world of your narrative. Your editor will explore the politics, environment, and architecture of your most crucial set pieces so they appear to readers as more than just scene dressing.
Your editor is an advocate for both your artistic voice and the reader’s discerning eye. How you treat your themes and express them in writing can breathe life into your storytelling or clash with it.
Misused, overused, and overwrought vocabulary can turn an otherwise sparkling story into a chore to read. Your editor will investigate your word choices and bring the worst offenders to your attention.
