Manuscript Consultation
An editor's honest read of your manuscript
A structured professional assessment of what the manuscript is doing well, where it loses the reader, and what specific work would make it publishable.
Introduction
Feedback you can act on, from someone who has no reason to flatter you
Friends and writing groups are invaluable and almost never able to tell you the thing you most need to hear. A consultation is a professional read: an editor works through the whole manuscript and writes a report on structure, pacing, voice, character, argument and market position.
It is not a proofread and it is not a rewrite. It is the diagnostic that comes before either, and it is usually the difference between a fourth draft that is different and a fourth draft that is better.
You leave with a written report, a call to discuss it, and a clear view of whether the book is ready to submit, needs a defined piece of work first, or is not the book to lead with.
What you receive
- A written report, typically eight to fifteen pages
- Structural analysis, chapter by chapter where relevant
- Notes on voice, pacing, character or argument
- Market and comparable-titles context
- A prioritised list of recommended revisions
- A one-hour call to talk it through
What we do
Who a consultation is for
01
Authors before submission
You are about to query agents or publishers and want to know whether the manuscript is ready.
02
Authors stuck in revision
You have redrafted repeatedly and can no longer see the book clearly enough to know what to fix.
03
Self-publishing authors
You will publish it yourself and want an editorial standard applied before the book is public.
04
Non-fiction proposals
Argument, structure and audience assessed alongside the sample chapters.
05
Translated manuscripts
Work translated into English, read for how it lands with an English-language readership.
06
Second and later books
Published authors testing whether a new direction holds up before committing a year to it.
How it works
How the consultation works
Step one
Enquiry
You tell us the genre, length and status. We confirm the right editor, the fee and the turnaround.
Step two
Secure submission
You upload the manuscript to the private manuscript centre. It is never public and is not indexed.
Step three
The read
The editor reads the full manuscript, usually over three to four weeks, and writes the report.
Step four
Report and call
You receive the written report, then a one-hour call to question it and agree what comes next.
In practice
Confidentiality and handling
Private storage
Manuscripts are held in private storage reachable only through short-lived links issued to authorised accounts.
Restricted access
Only the assigned editor and your named contact can open the file. Support staff see metadata, not contents.
No third-party sharing
We do not circulate manuscripts to partners, agents or publishers without your written instruction.
Deletion on request
Ask and we delete the file and its copies within thirty days of the work completing.
What you can rely on
What a consultation is not
Being precise about the boundary protects both of us.
Not a guarantee of publication
A strong report improves a manuscript's chances. It does not commit us or anyone else to publish it.
Not a line edit
Copy-editing and proofreading are separate services, quoted after the structural work is done.
Not a rewrite
The editor tells you what needs to change; the writing remains yours.
Not always encouraging
Where the honest answer is that the book is not working, the report says so, with the reasons.
Questions
Questions we are asked
How much does a consultation cost?
It is priced by word count and complexity. We quote a fixed fee before any work begins, and the pricing page shows the usual ranges.
How long does it take?
Typically three to four weeks from receipt for a full-length manuscript, confirmed in writing when you book.
What format should I send?
A single DOCX or PDF, double-spaced, with chapter breaks intact. The manuscript centre accepts both.
Can I have a follow-up read after revising?
Yes. A revision read is offered at a reduced fee within twelve months of the original report.
Get in touch
Request a consultation
Send the genre, approximate word count, current draft status and what you most want the read to answer. We reply with a fee and a date.
Prefer email? Write to the main desk or read the trust and transparency centre first.