I am approached quite frequently by potential clients who have a book manuscript that they want assistance with. They are concerned that their manuscript isn’t ready for publication. Usually their gut instincts are correct! Their manuscript does need improvement to turn their work into a book that will hook, grab and hold the reader—a book that sells.
Value of a Manuscript Review
Failure to make a small investment now could undermine your success as an author. Even seasoned writers can benefit from a second opinion.
I learned this when I wrote Freelance Writing for the 21st Century. I received a scathing review from one reader. Some of it was well-deserved. I had overlooked repeating an entire topic, and I missed many of my most common typos—replacing you with your, for example. I even missed some errors I’m usually especially vigilant about—it’s versus its. These are things I usually catch in other people’s work. However, a common brain glitch blinded me to my own slips.
While my manuscript review doesn’t include a complete read through of your manuscript, which means I’m not going to catch every error, I make it thorough enough to ensure I’m not missing key elements that could hinder exponential sales potential. My goal is to partner with you so your book can make money.
What Empowering Knowledge You’ll Gain
I begin the manuscript review process by taking about 3 hours to scan through your book manuscript. Then I spend 1 – 2 hours researching what is currently in the marketplace so I know what might compete with your book.
I look for several things:
- How well do you express yourself as a writer?
- How well have your organized your material?
- Is your writing style active or passive?
- Is your angle unique and refreshing?
- Does you manuscript need heavy editing or are your primary issues spelling, minor grammar errors and punctuation?
I then provide you with a breakdown of what I have discovered in a PDF report. In this report, I give you tips on what you need to do to bring your manuscript up to publishing standards.
Empowered to Choose the Best Path to Publishing Your Book
The manuscript review gives you impartial insights into how you can improve your book. It’s a proven fact that it’s a rare situation where you can trust family or friends to tell you honestly whether your book is any good. How many friends do you have that are willing to risk losing you as a friend?
With an honest, yet sensitive manuscript review in your hands you can decide what your next step will be.
- Some of my clients are ready after this evaluation to move forward into a coaching relationship where I assist him or her with the process of shaping the manuscript into a must-read book.
- Other clients choose to move forward with light editing and formatting for sales on Kindle and publication via services such as Amazon’s CreateSpace.
- Some of my clients recognize their need for a working relationship that is closer to that of a ghost writing partnership. This is usually the working relationship where heavy editing is involved.
- Other clients thank me for the review and choose to go in their own direction.
Much as I would enjoy working with you, and seeing your book all the way to publishing, my primary goal in offering a manuscript review isn’t to find more clients. I do this because I recognize that knowing the goal is vital if it’s going to be reached. I’d like to see YOU in print. It fires me up helping clients get there!
Ready to Get Started with a Manuscript Review?
Want to save money?
I offer a special deal to new clients. If you sign up for either a Basic Personalized Instruction plan or the Intensive Personalization plan within 15 days from the date I email your manuscript review, I will refund the cost of your manuscript review.
This is a major value because you get all the benefits of the manuscript review as well as my coaching services at a reduced cost. For example, if you join with the basic plan, you’ll only pay $100 more for two hours of my coaching services, instead of almost $100/hour.
Need more information?
This is what what an email review may look like.
sample-book-review