Need help with your manuscript?
Think you’re almost ready to publish?
Writing a book means spending months, sometimes years, inside your own thoughts, research and story. Eventually, it becomes almost impossible to experience the manuscript as a reader will.
A manuscript assessment gives you an experienced, independent perspective before you invest further time and money in editing, design, translations and publication. It identifies what is working, what isn’t, what may be missing and where the manuscript needs greater clarity, structure or development.
More importantly, it helps you understand whether the book you have written is actually delivering the book you intended to write – and if you need to go deeper than your current comfort zone allows.
Testimonial for Dawn
“Even if you think your manuscript is as polished as possible, I still recommend a manuscript assessment from Dawn. Her global view helped me tremendously since I haven’t traveled much. She even had some editing, merchandising, and prequel/sequel ideas for me, and they really made me think about the future of my book! I cannot stress enough how valuable her insight is and will continue to be to me. Many creative people have a hard time with the business side, and her input truly opened my eyes.
“Thank you, Dawn!”
Amanda Denham
Author of Sin Eater
Dawn brings considerably more than editorial experience to your manuscript.
As an award-winning international bestselling author, publisher, researcher and developmental editor who has lived and worked across five continents, she brings an unusual depth of cultural awareness to books exploring the human condition.
Her expertise includes cultural diversity and sensitivities, trauma and abuse, human rights, social injustice, political corruption and systemic abuse and incompetence. This combination of publishing expertise, lived global experience and willingness to interrogate difficult subjects enables Dawn to identify cultural blind spots, uncomfortable questions and missed opportunities that conventional editorial assessment can easily overlook.
Critical Review and Edit
A Critical Review focuses on one fundamental question: does your book work?
Dawn reads your manuscript as an intelligent, questioning and culturally aware reader, examining the narrative, arguments, evidence, pacing, contradictions and reader experience.
You’ll discover where the manuscript is powerful, where it loses its way, what needs greater exploration and which questions you haven’t yet answered.
It won’t tell you what to think or rewrite the book in Dawn’s voice. It will challenge you to see your manuscript from outside your own relationship with it, so you can make it considerably stronger.
Final Full Manuscript Assessment
The Full Manuscript Assessment looks beyond whether the book works and considers what needs to happen next.
Alongside structure, narrative, voice, pacing and developmental issues, Dawn considers your audience, positioning, relevance and publishing potential, together with marketing opportunities and ways the book could support a wider author brand.
Where appropriate, the assessment also identifies opportunities for speaking, media, products, services and additional revenue streams.
You won’t simply understand what needs improving in your manuscript. You’ll have a clearer understanding of where the book belongs, who it needs to reach and what it could become.