Manuscript Critique

 

Is your novel ready to hit the market? Get a manuscript critique.

Manuscript Critique also referred to as the Big-Picture Edit is an expert review of your book. It is detailed and reviews structural elements, plot and overall readability.

A critique is the first and most important external evaluation of your work. It is done to evaluate readability and quality of your writing. It is critical to get a professional third party opinion of your script from the big picture standpoint first. Once you are sure that the plot, pace, characters and the story movement are in place you can then go in for line edit or copy edit to make your book free from grammatical errors. The Critique helps prevent unnecessary expenses and efforts. You don’t end up correcting grammar and syntax on pages/chapters that will be rewritten or scrapped.

 

What you get in my critique

Besides notations and comments in the margins of your manuscript (I use the Track Changes feature in MS-Word), my edit will provide you with a detailed (1500 – 2000 words, 4 – 7 pages) report

The critique will cover particular areas like

  •           Plot
  •           Logical loopholes
  •           Anachronisms
  •           Character development and arcs
  •           Content flow
  •           Overall tone
  •           Voice and Thematic consistency

Additionally it will contain inputs/suggestions

  •              At a scene level
  •              On the effectiveness of dialogues
  •              On writing style
  •              On reader engagement
  •              On critical scenes like the beginning, climax, or the end

 

PRICING

I only have 2 OPTIONS for Critiques

A. First Fifty Pages (15000 words) Critique: $150

B. Full Manuscript Critique: $500

 

The Process

  1. Please use the Leave a Reply box at the bottom of the page to tell me more about your specific need. Please include details such as

Title :

Genre: [Action/Adventure, Mystery/Thriller, Young Adult, Romance, etc)

Book Synopsis (200 – 250 words):

Alternatively, you can connect with me at anir.s.bose@gmail.com with the details.

 

I only critique books that belong to certain genres

  • Mystery & suspense
  • Thrillers & action-adventure
  • Literary fiction
  • Women’s fiction
  • Romance
  • Children’s literature and YA/MG
  • Narrative non-fiction like memoirs and biographies

 

  1. Submit your manuscript

If I like your synopsis, I will ask you to mail me a copy of your manuscript in MS Word format only.

 

  1. Payment

I will mail you a secure payment link that can be used to transfer the amount. Critiquing your work will start only after the full payment is received.

 

  1. The CRITIQUING process

I will take between 15 – 20 working days (3 – 4 weeks) to get back to you with the detailed critique.

 

 

FAQs

Is a Critique the Same As a Developmental Edit?

Not really. However, the essence is the same. A developmental edit covers all aspects of the critique and much more. Developmental editing often starts after the first draft and is ongoing till the final manuscript is ready. A critique is usually done after the first or second draft and is not an ongoing edit.

Like a developmental edit, a critique stresses more on the structural elements of storytelling rather than the prose and syntax.

Also, a developmental edit is twice, even thrice, as expensive as a critique.

 

Is a critique enough?

Authors are often on a budget and do not have a lot of money to spend on getting their book up to professional standards. Ideally, you should be looking at a comprehensive edit which includes developmental editing (to give your story proper shape), copy editing (to make your writing better) and proofreading (to remove errors of grammar, usage, and punctuation from your manuscript). A comprehensive edit will cost you 3 to 5 cents a word, so your 90,000 word novel will set you back by anything between $2700 and $4500.

You should at least go for a critique followed by proofreading. This will set you back by anything between $800 and $1500.

What happens after I get the Critique report?

That depends on you. A critique is a professional opinion of an expert, it is technical and relies more on structure than feel. However, a critique is also subjective and the author does not need to agree with it entirely, or at all. The critique will show you a roadmap and also tell you what can be kept and what needs to go.

It is then up to you to implement (or not) the suggestions given in your critique. Unlike an ongoing developmental edit, you don’t need to come back to me with a second draft.

How many critiques do I need?

Write your first draft, run it by your friends and fellow authors (if any) and make changes based on suggestion, then send out this modified draft (you could call it the second draft) for a critique. Work on the changes suggested by the critique and get your third draft ready. If you feel it is radically different from the second draft that you had sent out, then you might want to go for a second critique. Most writers find one critique to be sufficient.

How many critiques does your critiquing fee cover?

Just one. And more often than not, one critique is all you’ll need. As mentioned earlier, a critique is not an ongoing edit hence critiquing fees are a onetime fee only. Every draft you critique is charged as a separate critique. However, I don’t charge full fees for subsequent critiques. A second critique costs $350 and a third critique costs $250 instead of the usual $500.

Can I get a sample edit?

I do not work on sample edits. You can try the critique for the first 50 pages (option A above)and see for yourself. If the critique works for you, you can upgrade to a full manuscript critique by paying the difference.

Please feel free to drop in a line for any other queries.