Manuscript Evaluations

Why Do You Need a Manuscript Evaluation?

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 each literary agent or acquisition editor at a publishing house. If they reject your manuscript because it needs more work, you won’t get another chance with them on that book.

The biggest mistake new writers make is submitting their work before it’s ready. As Writer’s Digest editor Chuck Sambuchino says: “If you think your story has a problem, it does – and any story with a problem is not ready.”

You’ve likely spent at least a year writing your book, 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 it, let me help you make it the best it can be. Armed with my suggestions, you can revise your manuscript accordingly, then submit it to an agent or publisher with confidence that it will make the most favorable impression possible.

In his book Writing the Blockbuster Novel, top agent Albert Zuckerman of Writers House tells writers: “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: our publishers provide us with in-house editors who pore over our manuscripts and make detailed comments toward revision. In addition, many authors benefit from the fine editorial skills of our agents. But writers who don’t yet have this kind of expert team need to find help elsewhere.

You’ll get that expert help from me.

Why I’m Your Best Choice

Unlike many editors, I have a successful career as an author. Creating engaging characters and crafting compelling plots is what I do for a living.

My books – historical novels and thrillers – have been published by major New York publishers (Penguin, Warner/Hachette, Kensington) and sold in seven countries. They have won wide acclaim, and my sales have topped over half a million copies. My latest novel is The Traitor’s Daughter. I also co-wrote the screenplay for the feature film Saving Dinah.

My agent is Albert Zuckerman of Writers House, New York, one of the largest literary agencies in the world. Al represents many bestselling authors and he lists me as one of his leading clients.

This experience is crucial. In my career as a successful author, I’ve faced every challenge you face right now. So, I speak to you as writer-to-writer, teaching the techniques you need to write a book that can compete in the marketplace. I know what agents and publishers are looking for, what they want – and don’t want.

I’m an acclaimed mentor, too. I’ve taught writers at the University of Toronto, and am a frequent presenter at international writers conferences. My online program “Your Path to a Page-Turner” has been a game-changer for many emerging writers. (See the “Page-Turner Program” page of this website.)

My mentoring has launched many writers who’ve gone on to have their books published. Read about some of them on this page.

How I’ll Work With You

We’ll build a working relationship, step by step. Here’s how.

Stage One. I’ll read and analyze the first 30 pages of your manuscript. (Please note that all manuscripts must be double-spaced. See “The Fine Print” below.) The cost is just $195.

After I’ve reviewed the first 30 pages, you and I will have a half-hour conversation by phone or video meeting in which I’ll give you my comments on the work’s strengths and weaknesses. I’ll also offer recommendations on how you can improve and develop it. Writers I work with appreciate this live dialogue, because it allows them to ask questions and get instant clarification.

Why just 30 pages? It’s like a first date. It lets us get to know each other without making a huge commitment. Your book’s opening section will give me a good idea of how I can help you, and you’ll get good value for very little money. Most important, we’ll get comfortable with each other. Stage One lets us build a relationship of mutual understanding.

Stage Two. If we both feel keen to continue, we’ll proceed to Stage Two in which I’ll give your entire manuscript a close reading and prepare an in-depth analysis about its strengths and weaknesses, including detailed comments on story premise, story structure, character development, dialogue, settings, prose style, pacing, POV (point of view), and marketability. I will also offer suggestions on how any weaknesses might be improved.

You have two options for my delivery of the Stage Two evaluation:

1. A 2-hour discussion by phone or video meeting. The cost is $995 for a manuscript up to 300 pages and $4 per page thereafter.
   OR
   
2. A multi-page written report. The cost is $5 per manuscript page regardless of manuscript length. BONUS: You’ll also get a follow-up session, at no charge, conducted by email or a half-hour phone discussion, your choice.

Why I Chose Barbara Kyle for a Professional Manuscript Evaluation

by Karen Alison

When I finished my 400-page novel, I sent it to Barbara Kyle for a written manuscript evaluation.

It’s true I could have read the manuscript over by myself and tried to fix it, for the five-hundredth time. Or I could have taken it to my writers’ group, of largely unpublished or self-published writers, and read them one chapter a month for the next two and a half years for some gems of feedback like, “It was good! I liked it.” or “Did you think of making your protagonist into a fembot?”

Just kidding. They’re not really that bad… but neither do they have Barbara’s acute eye for manuscript problems.

So, yes, sure, you can do your own ms evaluation. You can also perform your own brain surgery, with instructions from the internet. But sometimes it helps to go to a professional who actually knows what she’s doing.

I’m thrilled that I did because what I got was very specific and useful information about what worked and what didn’t in my manuscript. And it took about two weeks, not two years.

For example, I knew my ending wasn’t working all that well, but not why, so I spent a lot of time writing different versions prior to the evaluation. Barbara pointed out that, in the last 100 pages of the manuscript, I had dropped the main plot and focused on a secondary plot line, lost the tension, and failed to develop the story climax. Oops! No wonder the ending didn’t work.

Result? I tossed the last 100 pages and wrote a completely new and much more focused ending that was half as long and a million times better.

Barbara also provides an Overview of the ms (which you can pick through later for ideas when you’re pulling your hair out, trying to synopsize your novel for an agent) as well as details about your Characters, Story Structure and Style with recommendations for changes. I implemented all of them and I know they made my book so much better. The suggestions were about things I wouldn’t have picked up on myself – when you’re close to your story, you don’t know what’s missing.

Now I’m totally confident that I’m sending out the best possible manuscript I can offer.

There are other ms evaluation services, but I notice that many of them are run by editors. Barbara, on the other hand, is a published author and writes novels that sell internationally, so she has a highly-specialized level of personal and professional knowledge about fiction writing that can only be developed through experience.

So, what about you? Why should you go for a manuscript evaluation from Barbara Kyle? Because finishing a novel is like getting married – it’s just the beginning. If you want to be taken seriously by an agent – or even if you’re planning to self-publish – and you actually want your novel to sell, then of course you should have her evaluate your manuscript! What are you waiting for?

Karen Alison