An Enigma in Silver

Manuscript Evaluations

Discover why your fiction isn't selling • Uncover flaws in your technique


I'm Simon Haynes, author of the Hal Spacejock and Hal Junior series, and I'm now offering my years of writing and publishing experience to you.

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)