What is a manuscript evaluation?

Manuscript Evaluations are often considered the first step to publishing a book, particularly for first time authors. But let’s start at the beginning—what even is a manuscript?

What is a manuscript? 

As you begin your journey as a first-time author, you’re bound to hear the word “manuscript” (abbreviated MS; plural MSS) used in place of what you may have been previously calling your novel, book, or short story. Although the English word derives from the Medieval Latin manuscriptus (manu = by hand; scriptus = written), it is used within academia and the publishing industry today to refer to a completed draft of any literary work that has yet to be published, whether handwritten or typed.

Historically, a manuscript was not only a work done by hand but more specifically a work done with pencil or pen and ink on paper, differentiating it from other writing formats such as engraving or block printing. With the invention of the printing press in the 15th century, the manuscript generally came to mean any literary work that had yet to be formatted for printing. 

 Note: Most editors and publishers will only accept typed manuscripts, so make sure to check before submitting any handwritten work.

You’ve finished your manuscript. What happens next? 

Before you’re handed a contract, your manuscript will need to make it into the hands of an editor, agent, and/or publisher. Very generally, an editor will work with you to ensure that your work is of high quality in terms of content, style, grammar, etc.; an agent will advocate for you and connect you with publishers; and a publisher will help you to produce, publish, and distribute your book. 

As you continue your journey as a first-time author, you may also hear talk of “unsolicited manuscripts.” This simply refers to a manuscript that hasn’t been a) vetted by an agent or publisher or b) requested by the publishing house. In other words, if a publisher has not asked you to submit your work, has not opened a call for submissions, or didn’t receive your manuscript direct from a trusted agent, then your manuscript is unsolicited.

Don’t worry though! Many small independent publishing houses accept unsolicited manuscripts. Simply check out their submissions protocol and send off your manuscript according to their parameters. 

 Note: Send a personalized submission and make sure that your work fits with their mission and objectives as a publishing house.

Get a second opinion before submitting your manuscript.

One piece of advice that I can give all aspiring authors—and all writers really—is to seek out a second opinion. 

As writers, it’s almost impossible for us to catch and correct our own mistakes or oversights. It turns out this is normal—our brains are hard-wired to miss them. Writing is all about conveying meaning. According to psychologist Tom Stafford at the University of Sheffield, writing is a “high-level task,” and high-level tasks require generalization of small details to allow our brains to focus on the bigger picture.  

When we re-read our own writing, our brain is already aware of the intended meaning of the work and so it reads for that meaning. And because we’re already drawing high-level connections, it’s easy for us to miss smaller details like typos or grammatical mistakes, or even larger issues like gaps in content or structural flow. 

When I was a university teaching assistant and instructor, I would often encourage my students to combat this phenomenon by doing a few simple things. 

• Set aside your work for as long as possible before coming back to it. I would recommend at least 24-48 hours—these were university students after all, and many were working on their papers right up until the deadline. But for anyone not fighting a deadline, I’d suggest setting it aside for at least three to six weeks. 

• Swap papers with a friend or colleague. When we read someone else’s work, unlike when we read our own, our brain doesn’t know the bigger picture and so can focus on the smaller details. 

• Read your work out loud. Because your brain must focus on articulating and annunciating each individual word, and because your brain must also hear each individual word and string them together to comprehend their collective meaning, you can begin to focus on the smaller details. 

On top of these strategies, it’s always a good idea to have a manuscript evaluation done before submitting to an agent or publisher. Even if a publisher accepts unsolicited manuscripts, make sure you are putting your best work forward. Remember, you only have one chance to make a first impression. 

Note: To learn more about how and why it’s so difficult for us to correct our own writing, check out Nick Stockton’s article in Wired magazine.

The manuscript evaluation

Ok, so we’ve established that it’s good idea to have someone else, with a fresh pair of eyes, review your manuscript before you submit it. Enter: the manuscript evaluation.    

A manuscript evaluation is an assessment, undertaken by a professional editor, that outlines the larger thematic successes and areas for improvement within a work. This can range from notes on plot and character development to advice on document- or paragraph-level structural organization and targeted audience and genre specifications. Depending on the editor and condition of the work, the evaluation may also include line or copy edits, comments regarding research and fact checking, and notes on future marketing and/or publicity campaigns.

All manuscript evaluations are a bit different, depending on the editor. Here’s the general criteria that we follow at Westwood Press (tailored as necessary to each individual manuscript):  

• an introductory phone or zoom consultation

• a 5-to-10-page summary providing detailed professional feedback

• 10 pages of in-text substantive and line edits (often not included in many evaluations)

• a one paragraph synopsis of the work for future publicity purposes

• suggested audience and marketing potential

• a closing phone or zoom consultation with a discussion of edits and suggestions for next steps

The manuscript evaluation is a great first step on the journey to publishing. It provides tangible feedback and editorial advice that can then be applied by an author before the manuscript is submitted to a future editor, agent, or publisher. 

“The secret to editing your writing is simple: you need to become its reader instead of its writer.”

— author Zadie Smith 

Written by: Jessica Kaplan

Bibliography:

 The University of Chicago’s Theories of Media Keywords Glossary

What's Up With That: Why It's So Hard to Catch Your Own Typos, Wired Magazine