Sending Your Manuscript Over to a Developmental Editor? Do This First

Non-writers probably think we sit at our desks, humming merrily as we go clickily-clack on our keypads. I mean, that does happen, sometimes. But every writer who loves the craft knows creative writing is hard. And what makes it even harder is the uncertainty of wondering whether your story is any good.

I’m a big believer in getting your manuscript to a developmental editor, they will do wonders for your book. But what happens when you are not ready for one yet? What happens when you are done with your first draft and just want to know if your story actually works?

And what if you are an exceptional storyteller who cannot afford developmental editing but you really need to get professional eyes and opinion on your story? Well, you get it reviewed.

What is a Manuscript Review?

A manuscript review (also known as a manuscript evaluation) is an in-depth assessment of your manuscript. An assessment that tells you what works, what doesn’t, and all the ways you can make it better.

A manuscript review highlights the strengths and weaknesses of your story and gives you valuable solutions on how to fix or enhance them.

Some manuscript reviews (like mine), can also provide you with a book outline (if you don’t already have one) that could help you highlight?the what, why, target reader, reader’s benefit, working structure, themes, and conflict of your story.

In summary, and as they say in fashion, a manuscript review could be the thing that takes your story from drab to fab.

The Focus of a Manuscript Review

Manuscript reviews exist for every kind of genre. I focus on the storytelling genre, particularly memoir and realistic fiction.

Realistic Fiction

If I got your manuscript, I would focus on

1. Characters
2. Setting (including time, place, environment (physical, social, and psychological).
3. Dialogue
4. Plot
5. Pace
6. Storytelling
7. Narrative voice

I would also ask questions based on:

• Believability - does the story work?
• Characters - are they properly developed?
• Theme - is it apparent, hidden, or fleshed out??
• Structure - does it properly convey the story?
• Audience - does it have a target audience (& if you do, does the story engage them?)
• Storytelling - Does it hook, pull and engage the reader?

Memoir

A manuscript review on a memoir covers all of that because though a memoir is based on a true story, it also uses the tools of fiction to convey the story. However, aside from those very important questions and focus, reviewing a memoir manuscript also comes with asking deep, reflective questions such as:

1. What is your motivation?

Memoirs are written for all sorts of reasons. So, before you share your story before you bare your heart and deepest secrets to absolute strangers, you need to ask yourself, why am I doing this?

2. What makes your story special?

At any given moment, about a thousand or even a million people share similarities with your life story. The thing that happened to you has likely happened to them. So, it’s important to ask, what makes my story different?

3. What will the reader gain?

Yes, it’s your story and yes writing it was cathartic. But the moment you publish, your story becomes less and less about you and more and more about the person reading it. So you need to ask, what does the reader get from reading this?

4. Why did my story happen?

It’s often tempting to skip to the things that happened without giving us the reason it happened. The why of your story will give the reader clarity and allow them to take away the thing they need to.

How to Have Your Manuscript Reviewed

Finish Your Draft

It’s tempting to have your manuscript reviewed when you are a few chapters in. However, to get the full value of the service it’s best to finish the first draft and then get it reviewed. This way, your reviewer has the full story and can draw valuable conclusions to help make your draft better.

Try to Make it as Clean as Possible

Most manuscript reviews will check for Grammar and punctuation because those are essential parts of writing a story. So, while your first draft will hardly be perfect (far from it) please try to make the draft as devoid of errors as possible so the manuscript reviewer can focus on the story.

Prepare Your Questions

While your manuscript reviewer will have a focus when reviewing your manuscript, it’s important to prepare your questions. What questions about your story do you want clarified or answered? Write them down and submit them to your reviewer.

Be Open Minded

Our stories are personal to us, whether they are fiction or not, so it’s normal to be anxious about the feedback you are going to get. But it’s also important to keep an open mind, the entire point of a manuscript review is to make your story better.

However, it is your story, and you should only accept the reviewer's feedback if you believe it enhances your story.

When to Seek a Manuscript Review

When You Need An Objective And Professional View of Your Work

Family and friends can be biased (mine always tell me everything I write is amazing). Which is why you cannot rely on their feedback. You need to give your manuscript to a professional who will look at it objectively and say, yes that works or no that doesn’t.

Honest feedback is the only way to get better. Also a professional will let you know the right people to target when writing, which is great for sales.

When You Are About to Query

If you get a traditional publisher, they will handle developmental editing, copy-editing, proofing; the full publishing works. However, before you get to the point where you are querying them, you need to make sure you are sending a manuscript that actually works. A manuscript review will accomplish that for you.

After the First Draft and Before You Revise

The first draft always leads to revising. However, in between that, you can have your manuscript reviewed so you know exactly what you need to revise. Once you have additional and fresh information, revising becomes less tedious and uncertain.

When You Can’t Afford a Developmental Edit.

Let’s not kid ourselves, developmental editing can be expensive because a good editor is worth their weight in gold. So if you cannot afford to have a great editor look through your manuscript, a review is the next best thing. And this works really well if you are an excellent writer.

Benefits of Having Your Manuscript Reviewed

It’s Less Expensive Than a Developmental Edit.

Developmental editing is important. However, if you have a tight budget, and believe your story has a solid foundation, you can skip that and settle for a manuscript review. The truth is if you are a solid writer, with a manuscript review you can tighten up your manuscript and send it off for copyediting and proofing.

However, if you have the funds, do seek a developmental editor.

It Helps You Know When It’s Right to Approach an Agent or Query

A manuscript review can put your mind at ease before you query, and help you focus on the parts of your manuscript to highlight when querying.

It Improves Your Writing.

One great way to improve your writing is to have someone who knows what they are doing tell you all the best ways to improve your writing. That, and reading and writing constantly of course.

In summary, a manuscript review is great when you are seeking traditional publishing and even better when you are self-publishing. It's an amazing and affordable investment that your manuscript will benefit from.

Hi! I’m Ezinne Njoku; Ghostwriter of unforgettable memoirs. If you need help ghostwriting your memoir, reviewing your memoir manuscript, or breaking it into a compelling structure.

Send me a DM!

Or book a free consultation here