Why I'm loving manuscript evaluations
My book manuscript ready for a revision
The first time I ever received a professional edit was for an essay about my Wisconsin family’s love of brandy old-fashioneds that I wrote for the literary magazine Tin House. An editor named Michelle made that essay bleed. That’s what they used to say when editors still put red pen to paper, and the look of a Microsoft Word document after an editor has attacked it with the track changes function has the same gruesome affect. I cried when I saw Michelle’s boatload of suggestions for how to improve my essay. At best, I thought, it wouldn’t even be my essay anymore after I implemented her recommendations; at worst, my writing career was over before it had started. Surely Michelle’s edit indicated one undeniable truth: My writing SUCKED. I was too overwhelmed with shame and disappointment to apply pressure to my essay with a revision, so the essay just sat there, bleeding, for weeks.
When I finally summoned the nerve to tell Michelle what was holding up my rewrite, she reassured me but used tough love. I don’t remember her exact words, but essentially she told me to get over it. This is how it works, she said. Writers take an article, an essay, a story, or a book as far as they can on their own; then an editor steps in and tells them all the ways it could be better; then the writer gets back to work; and that pattern continues either until the piece is perfect, or until someone says “good enough,” or until the presses start rolling.
I got over it. Michelle and I danced the writer-editor dance, and the result was an essay that felt both like a collaboration and 100 percent mine. A good editor like Michelle senses what a piece of writing is trying to be and prods the writer in just the right places to get it there. The editor does some heavy lifting, but it remains the author’s story.
I got lucky that my first red-blooded editing experience was for an essay of around 1,500 words. I could survive that. Most of my editing clients, however, hire me for book-length projects. That’s a lot of bleeding.
My early editing clients were all first-time authors. I quickly learned from them that there’s no way to adequately prepare an author for their first big edit. The despairing way I reacted to Michelle’s edit—that’s the same way my first editing clients reacted to my edits, only like fifty times more extreme. Their books were much longer than my essay, and an author’s panic and angst seem to be somewhat proportional to the length of the work. From what I could tell, my edits sent a couple of writers into real depressions. Emails were exchanged, shame expressed. No matter how encouraging my responses, no matter how many ways I told them not to worry because this is how it’s supposed to work, the authors couldn’t shake the belief that my edits indicated one undeniable truth: Their writing SUCKED.
Their writing didn’t suck, and eventually these writers did get back on good footing with their book projects, but their egos and momentum had taken a hit. After those experiences, I wanted to find a way to protect future clients from such severe bruising. Which is how I decided to add manuscript evaluations to my editorial services and to especially encourage first-time authors to start the editing process with an evaluation. The decision to lean into manuscript evaluations has been a solid one—for my clients, for me as an editor, and for me as an author. I’ll tell you why.
A manuscript evaluation provides a roadmap to a book’s future. It can take the place of a developmental edit and may indeed be a more pleasant and economical route for some authors and some books.
Every manuscript evaluation I perform is unique because I tailor each one to the specific needs of the manuscript presented. That said, I always produce a lengthy editorial letter that covers every thought I have about the book, including:
Big-picture advice about elements like grammar, structure, tone, voice, flow, and consistency. If an author uses lots of dangling modifiers, I provide instruction for correcting them. I point out tonal shifts that don’t quite work and places where information is unnecessarily repeated. I pay particular attention to how sections and chapters fit and flow together.
Observations on sections or chapters that would benefit from more or less story, including where an additional chapter or section might be warranted.
Thoughts on titles and subtitles. I use publishing tools to help authors narrow in on keywords that could help them more easily reach their target audience. I also give notes on chapter and section titles.
Advice on the treatment of sensitive topics. During the writing of my memoir Gumbo Tales: Finding My Place at the New Orleans Table, I hired a cultural consultant. New Orleans has a fascinating and complex history, and New Orleanians are sensitive to misunderstandings and appropriation. I respected that, and the consultant helped me avoid making cultural gaffes. I aim to do the same in my manuscript evaluations, such as with books that address health and mental health, heritage, gender issues, etc.
Reading recommendations—books or articles that could be helpful in preparing the author for the next revision of their work. If I can see that a memoir writer is struggling with jumping around in time, I might suggest reading a chronological memoir like Michelle Obama’s Becoming. Other books and essays provide good examples of writing in scene, or writing about difficult people, or flashbacks.
Advice on when permissions may be necessary. Lyrics, poems, book passages, recipes, letters—anything that isn’t the author’s own intellectual property may need permissions prior to publication. I help authors identify those elements, and I point them in the right direction for obtaining permissions.
Answers to any specific questions the author has about their book. Some authors give me long lists of questions to consider, which I appreciate because questions at the start set the evaluation up to be a two-way conversation and set me up to meet author expectations.
Tips on formatting. If I know the author’s next move will be to hire a copyeditor, a formatter, or a designer, I advise on ways to get the manuscript in shape for that phase.
Thoughts on publishing, like whether a book proposal would be a wise next step, or how to move forward with self-publishing. Not all authors want publishing advice.
In addition to the editorial letter, for many evaluations I also make in-manuscript comments using track changes. Comments aren’t cuts. There’s no blood. Not all of my comments are critique. I also point out places where the author made a wise decision, crafted a nice turn of phrase, or made me laugh. Once the author has had time to review the evaluation, we schedule a Zoom call, a phone call, or an in-person meeting to debrief. I address any lingering questions the author may have, and I get them going on next steps.
As an evaluator, I enjoy the opportunity to read, marinate in, and provide analysis on an entire book from tip to tail. I find the process holistic and rewarding. The main reason I’m loving manuscript evaluations, though, is that they’re less painful on authors than huge, invasive edits tend to be, which leads to more progress more quickly. Yes, a manuscript evaluation can still be overwhelming for an author to process—I pack a lot of constructive critique into each evaluation—but the presentation of my critique is friendly, easy to digest, and solutions-focused. Writers tend to get to work on their next revision soon after receiving my evaluations, either on their own or with some coaching. We all sleep better, and books get finished.
Taking My Own Advice
I’m so sold on manuscript evaluations as a critical step in the editing process for some books that I hired an editor (Michelle, in fact) to perform an evaluation on the manuscript for my next book, Memories on the Page: A Year of Tips and Prompts for Memoir and Life Story Writers. This book is founded on material I’ve developed during my years as a life story writing instructor. It’s a follow-up to the beginner’s guide to life story writing I published in 2024. I’ve been working on this bigger book in spurts for several years. I took it as far as I could on my own, and I sensed it needed more than a copyedit, so this past September I emailed Michelle its 441 pages.
I like working with Michelle because of her sharp eye and her honesty. She’s friendly—we’ve become actual friends over the years—but writing comes first when she’s in editing mode. Michelle’s evaluation lived up to my expectations in pointing out weaknesses and providing suggestions for how I might strengthen those areas. It also contained enough compliments to keep my writer’s ego from crumbling. Once I had a chance to read through and digest Michelle’s in-manuscript comments and suggestions, and her three-page editorial letter, we met over Zoom so I could ask questions and to discuss my plans for a revision.
Was an honest critique of my book painful to receive? Yes, it was. I’d had a whisper of a hope that maybe I’d gotten it perfect on the first try. My writer’s heart knew better, though. Every book benefits from a good editor, including books written by editors. Michelle is a novelist, and she shared a story with me about working with an editor on a revision of her last novel, Wine People. Let’s just say the process wasn’t one of her life highlights. It did, however, improve her book. I knew enough to believe the pain would be worth it.
As Michelle pointed out in her evaluation, my book has some structural problems. While deep down I already knew that to be true, I needed to hear it from a voice outside my own head that I trusted. I also needed help figuring out how to fix those problems. In her evaluation, Michelle answered some of my specific questions about grammar, lengthy passages, titles, permissions, and tone (I worried about sounding too sales-pitchy in parts). She pointed out other places where she found my tone grating. There’s a self-help element to my book, and I lay the encouragement on thick in certain areas. I won’t change every passage where I get too treacly for Michelle’s taste, but I will dial back some of the platitudes she noted.
I’m in the revision process for that book now, which will take me some time—time I’m willing to spend because I want the book to be as strong as I’m capable of making it. Michelle continues to provide valuable support. Our contract for the evaluation is complete and I’ve paid her in full for it, but like most editors, Michelle offers consulting on an hourly basis. I’m hoping the manuscript will be ready for a copyedit after this current revision. We’ll see.
To recap . . .
What is a manuscript evaluation?
A manuscript evaluation is a roadmap to a book’s future. It can sometimes replace a developmental edit, and it provides the author constructive critique on every element of their book, including (as needed) structure, tone, consistency, voice, flow, titles, permissions, and sensitive topics. It also answers the author’s specific questions. I include publishing advice in my manuscript evaluations for authors who want it.
What are the deliverables of a manuscript evaluation?
All editors have their own style. My evaluations include a lengthy editorial letter addressing the abovementioned elements. If the book has sections or chapters, I comment on each section or chapter individually, and then I segue into more general advice. I usually also make in-manuscript comments.
Michelle’s editorial letter was shorter than what I typically produce, though no less helpful. As with so many things, more isn’t always better in an editorial letter.
Who needs a manuscript evaluation, and when?
I’ve become such a devotee of the manuscript evaluation that I can hardly imagine a book that couldn’t be improved with one. An author is ready for a manuscript evaluation when they’ve taken their book as far as they can on their own and either (1) can tell it isn’t perfect but aren’t sure what improvements are needed, or (2) believes in the value of the editing process and wants to produce as strong a book as possible.
A manuscript evaluation may preclude the need for a developmental edit, and it should come before the copyediting phase.
What if I have an unfinished manuscript and don’t know how to finish it? Would that qualify for a manuscript evaluation?
In some cases, yes. An editor can help you figure that out.
How long does a manuscript evaluation take?
My evaluations take one month. I read the book once; then I let it settle; and then I read it again while composing the editorial letter. Michelle took a month to turn around the evaluation for my manuscript. Some editors work more quickly than this. I trust we all know the pace at which we do our best work.
What should an author do while waiting for an editor to complete a manuscript evaluation?
During the evaluation phase, an author should take a break from the book. Put it in the desk drawer, as we used to say when writers worked with paper and lead or ink. It’s counterproductive to continue reworking a book you’re paying someone to advise you how to rework. Besides that, an editor may not react kindly if you keep sending them new versions of your book while they’re busy on your evaluation. I write a policy into editorial contracts that I don’t accept revisions while I’m working on an author’s book. It’s too disruptive to the editing process.
I know it’s difficult to leave an unfinished book alone. I thought of ten small things I wanted to change in my book the minute I hit send to deliver Michelle my manuscript for evaluation. I kept my book in the proverbial drawer, though, and instead created a new digital folder called “Book Notes.” That’s where I stored all my latest brilliant ideas as I waited out the month.
How should an author approach reading a manuscript evaluation?
Remember that you hired an editor, not a cheerleader. An editor will find weaknesses in your book, and they will recommend that you tend to those weaknesses prior to publication. An editor might even recommend a rewrite of your book or portions of it, as Michelle did with mine, or they might suggest adding or subtracting chapters or sections. So, before you read your manuscript evaluation, get yourself in the mindset that there will be work ahead.
It’s natural to panic a bit on the first read of a manuscript evaluation. If you feel that emotion coming up, acknowledge it as part of the process. Then, once you’ve read through the evaluation once, allow yourself time to digest your editor’s impressions and suggestions before you get to work on revisions. I suggest waiting at least a week, in which time your emotional response will blow over and your intellect will fully engage.
Most importantly, remind yourself that YOU CAN DO IT. You’ve already written an entire manuscript. The task ahead is no more difficult, just different. If you find it’s impossible to make the necessary improvements on your own, you may consider engaging a writing coach. It can be especially difficult for first-time authors to see their way to the finish line, and a coach can help with that.
Should I give my book manuscript to beta readers and other trusted readers before or after the evaluation process?
Different projects have different needs. I found it beneficial to give two beta readers my manuscript to comment on at the same time Michelle was working on her evaluation. The feedback from one of my beta readers echoed Michelle’s: The book’s structure needs work. While I would’ve trusted Michelle’s assessment alone, the reinforcement of a second trusted opinion further boosted my resolve to implement improvements that will make it a better book.
How much does a manuscript evaluation cost?
That depends on the length of the manuscript. Email me with a description of your book and the word count and I’ll get back to you shortly!