"The Book Midwife": Manuscript Evaluations

                


 
 ♦ "Barbara Kyle enlightened me how to mend my wayward chapters and knock my plot into a compelling story. Few can do what she has: taking a good amateur writer to the elite few of a top New York agent."  Rico Provasoli (San Rafael, California)


What Is a Manuscript Evaluation, and Why Do You Need One?

You've finished your novel. First, congratulate yourself. Writing a book is a marathon, and only those who've made it to "The End" understand the determination it requires.

Now, you want to get it published – and therein lies the challenge. When submitting a manuscript in today's tough fiction marketplace you get only one chance with a publisher or literary agent. If they reject it because it needs more work, you won't get another chance with them on that book. You've likely spent at least a year writing it, probably longer, which is a huge investment of time. It’s also an investment of your hopes and dreams: you want this book to sell well and reach a large readership. So, before submitting your manuscript, it pays to have it assessed by a professional.

♦ “Barbara, thanks so much for all the help in getting there.”  Steven T. Wax, author of "Kafka Comes to America"  New York: Other Press (2008)   Starred review in Publishers Weekly

♦ “I can’t thank you enough for what you’ve done to improve my writing. I believe your insight and advice helped my book win Honourable Mention for the Rupert Hughes Award.”  James Lamb (Hamilton, Ontario)

My agent, Albert Zuckerman, a top New York agent and book doctor to dozens of bestsellers, tells writers in his own book Writing the Blockbuster Novel: "The likelihood of your novel being terrific in every respect the first time you set it down is from slight to nonexistent. Virtually all popular best-selling novelists need and get help from others in enriching their characters and maximizing the drama of their work."

Established authors have an advantage that you don’t: their publishers provide them with editors who pore over their manuscripts and make detailed comments toward revision. In addition, many authors benefit from the fine editorial skills of their agents (in my own case, the wonderful Al Zuckerman). But writers who don't yet have this kind of expert back-up team need to find help elsewhere.

♦ "Barbara, you are a master. You work tirelessly to pass your knowledge of the craft of writing to others... I've learned so much from you." Ann Birch, author of "Settlement"  Toronto: Napoleon & Company (2010)

♦ "Barbara has a great sense of story and sees very clearly where a writer is and where they need to go." Robert Rotenberg, author of "Old City Hall"  New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (2009)


The Myth of Immediate Perfection

There's a pervasive myth that the art of writing flows from inspiration alone; that it shouldn't be "work." Such thinking hobbles true creativity. For most successful writers, the work of revision – honing the tale – is what they enjoy most. But beginning writers often fall prey to the myth and expect perfection in a first draft. When it falls short they're dispirited, as though they've somehow "failed." Nonsense. Do what experienced and successful writers do: expect that your first draft needs work, seek constructive input, then embrace the task of improving it.

♦ “I just received the manuscript evaluation and am delighted. This is definitely money well spent. Very helpful.” Jaki Nocolls (Bowen Island, British Columbia)


What You Can Expect From a Manuscript Evaluation

I'll show you what you need to do to focus, tighten, and enrich your story. You'll get a critique that pinpoints your story’s strengths and weaknesses, and offers suggestions for improvement.

Revision is usually about deepening the characters' relationships and tightening the pace. Maybe you need to intensify the conflict, or make your main character more empathetic, or enrich a crucial relationship. Maybe you need to cut some flab in a scene, or focus the POV (point-of-view). Maybe you've written too much telling and not enough showing. All these weaknesses can be fixed, and I'll recommend ways that you can do it.

♦ "I can't thank you enough -- you have exceeded my expectations and then some! This is exactly what I need. I had a ‘feeling’ that I didn't have my story quite right, but I couldn't quite put my finger on what many of the problems were. Now I know the things I can do to improve it. Thanks a million!"  John Blair (Toronto, Ontario)

I've been asked: "Do you evaluate manuscripts in a genre or style different than the novels you write?" The answer: Absolutely. I've delivered evaluations for writers of mysteries, romances, thrillers, literary novels, young adult fiction, narrative nonfiction, and short stories. There are no rules in writing, but certain principles have shaped the art of storytelling for centuries. I apply these time-tested criteria about plot, character, and style (which have helped my own novels sell internationally) so that you can strategically apply them to your writing.

Writing fiction is an intensely personal venture. The goal is a story that is both compelling and marketable. When you entrust your manuscript to me, I will respect its integrity and help you make it the best it can be.

♦ "You zeroed in on my problem areas." Ray Argyle, author of "The Boy in the Picture" Toronto: Dundurn Press (2010)

♦ "Your evaluation was wonderful…You treated my story with respect, and have given me a wealth of information for use not only in this story but in any future works." Sharyn Heagle (Ottawa, Ontario)


To schedule a Manuscript Evaluation contact me at bkyle@barbarakyle.com or 705.436.4881


Rates

My evaluation gives a comprehensive overview of your book's strengths and weaknesses, and offers recommendations on how you can improve and develop your work.

I provide the evaluation via telephone. Once I have given your manuscript a close reading, I'll contact you to schedule our phone conference. When I call you, I pay the phone charges.

During our phone discussion -- which will run up to 2 hours -- I will give you my analysis of the work’s strengths and weaknesses, including detailed comments on story structure, character development, dialogue, setting, POV (point-of-view), and prose style. I will also offer suggestions on how the weaknesses might be improved. As we talk, feel free to ask me any questions pertaining to the work.

Rates: 

·     For manuscripts up to 300 pages: $2.50 per page
For example, for a 295-page manuscript the rate is $737

·     After 300 pages: $2 per page
For example, for a 375-page manuscript the rate is $750 for the first 300 pages plus $150 for the next 75 pages = $900

·     Not sure if the full evaluation is for you? I offer a $150 Quick Turnaround Special for an evaluation of your book’s first 50 pages. (Includes a phone conference of up to one hour.) If, after we've discussed the first 50 pages, you decide later that you'd like an evaluation of the full manuscript, then the $150 you've paid will be deducted from the full rate.

Please note that all manuscripts must be double-spaced. See "The Fine Print" below.


To schedule a Manuscript Evaluation contact me at bkyle@barbarakyle.com or 705.436.4881


♦ “Thanks so much for your quick and thorough analysis. Your advice is excellent. This is a wonderful push in the right direction.”   Anne Osborne (St. Catharines, Ontario)

♦ "Thank you so much for the very thoughtful and helpful assessment. It was without a doubt the wisest investment I've made on this endeavor." Carrie Rubin (Hudson, Ohio)


The Fine Print
  • Rates are based on manuscript pages that are double spaced, using Times New Roman or Arial font, 12-point.
  • HST tax (13%) will be added to manuscripts originating in Canada. No tax will be added for manuscripts originating in the US or other countries.
  • Turnaround time for evaluation of a full manuscript is two to three weeks, depending on the manuscript length. Turnaround time for a partial manuscript is one week.
  • Payment in full is required for commissions up to $900 prior to the commencement of the manuscript evaluation work. For commissions exceeding $900, one half of the fee is required when the manuscript is submitted, with the balance due upon completion of the work.
  • Please include your check or money order made payable to 'Barbara Kyle' with your manuscript, or pay with a credit card through PayPal (see below). For use of PayPal a handling charge of $8 will be added to the evaluation.
  • Manuscripts will not be returned; they will be shredded after completion of the manuscript evaluation process. 
  • To schedule a manuscript evaluation email me at bkyle@barbarakyle.com or phone me at 905.666.2801

Payment may be made by credit card through PayPal.

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