You have spent many months (or maybe even years) writing your book and now you are ready to have it published. However, you are not sure whether your manuscript is completely ready for this next step. This is a doubt that many authors face, especially those who are publishing for the first time. At this point, you should send your manuscript for an assessment.

What does a manuscript assessment entail?
An editor will read through and comment on various aspects of your manuscript. An evaluation will typically include:

  • A summary of the strengths and weaknesses of your manuscript.
  • An assessment of the readability of your manuscript which will loot at language, grammar and tone, pacing, and voice. The editor will give you examples from your manuscript to show what is meant.
  • Comments will be made on the narrative of your story, as well as the word choice and sentence structure. The editor will look for things like repetition, ambiguity, etc.
  • An assessment of the overall structure of your manuscript. This looks at how the book fits together, chapter structure, etc.
  • An assessment of suitability for the target audience. For example, if your book is intended for children, the language and tone need to fit the age group and must not be too simple or too complex.
  • General comments and input; this will include an assessment of the current state and readiness of the manuscript to proceed to publication.

Once you receive your manuscript assessment, you will have to rework your manuscript according to the comments made. You can employ the services of a developmental editor to help you rework the manuscript and make it the best possible version for publication. For more information on developmental editing, you can read our blog article on the different kinds of editing. If you would like to have your manuscript assessed, you can send an email to info@stagingpost.co.za or call us on 011 628 3210.

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