Manuscript Evaluations
Discover why your fiction isn't selling • Uncover flaws in your technique
Why hire me?
• I spent ten years as a member of the Andromeda Spaceways publishing co-operative, evaluating short fiction and helping to choose stories for publication.
• I have five novels, several short stories and a bunch of articles in print.
• English is my first language (I was born in the United Kingdom, now living in Australia)
• I have a Bachelor of Arts in English (Creative Writing) from Curtin University.
What am I offering?
A fair and honest evaluation of your work.
I can evaluate your first five pages, a chapter or two, or longer sections.
I will print your work and write comments directly on the pages. When finished, I will scan and return them.
You will also receive a brief report on your work:
• Effectiveness of opening sentences
• Characters
• Location
• Spelling & grammar
• Overall impression.
A positive evaluation does not guarantee your work will be published, now or any time in the future.
Download a sample report here. (Remember, you will get this report in addition to the marked-up pages.)
What don't I offer?
At this stage I can't offer evaluations of entire novels.
The manuscript evaluation service does not include editing or proofreading. I highlight flaws, I don't fix them.
No ego-stroking. You may hate me after reading my report, but the idea of an evaluation is to find out what doesn't work, not to earn a pat on the back.
I don't offer paid endorsements or blurbs in my role as an author. My service is limited to private evaluations, not publicity.
Fees
First five pages US$45
First twenty pages US$80
yWriter Supporters (Gold level and above) are entitled to a 20% discount off these prices.
Some things you need to know:
• I have a busy schedule. Please contact me before sending any work.
• I require payment up front via Paypal, BPay (Australia) and major credit cards.
• Privacy and discretion are guaranteed.
(I also run a freelance copywriting service)
