Twenty years ago, editors at publishing houses had time to work with an author on their manuscript, if they saw promise. As the market has become more and more saturated, this job has moved to literary agents. Now, agents are so busy they often don’t have the time either. Literary consultancy agencies have formed to give authors the possibility to receive industry-level feedback and increase their chance of being noticed. In this blog post, we ask our clients why they chose to get a full manuscript assessment, and how it has helped them.

 

Silver Report

 

Why did you choose the editor that you did?

 

 

“Peggy at the editorial team suggested a couple of editors and after reading their profiles I decided that Christian would be the best fit.”

 

 

 

 

 

“I was offered a choice of two editors, both of whom sounded ideal, but I went for Zoe because she had an interest in the Gothic, which was a big part of the atmosphere I was aiming for.”

 

 

 

“I chose Iain because he said he did Sci-Fi and I wanted someone who understood and cared about the genre. The reason I’ve kept coming back to Iain is because I love how straightforward he is, but also his feedback is just entertaining to read because it always creates a strong mental picture of him banging his head on his desk while wailing ‘WRITE BETTER, DAMMIT!’ (Apologies, Iain!)

Basically, I can trust him to tell me when something’s bad, and because of that I also know that when he says something’s good, it is actually good. At the same time, I never feel judged for the quality of my work, and I have always felt he’s someone who really wants writers to improve and go places with their stories. I think he’d tell me if I was wasting my time, so if he says it’s worth persevering with my writing, then I believe him, and that’s a real confidence booster.”

 

 

 

“Susan is a published thriller author so has been on both sides of the fence which really appealed to me.”

 

 

 

Why did you choose a silver report?

 

 

“The silver report seemed the right one, as the gold and platinum seemed to be for manuscripts which were closer to being publication-ready than my latest effort. It’s also cheaper!”

 

 

 

 

“I felt it would give me the level of support I’d need to get the draft to the next level – or abandon it altogether! In my case, it was a 14-page report that gave me instructive feedback on both the bigger picture and the finer detail.”

 

 

 

“I had a draft story which I’d re-written several times and was at the stage I felt I couldn’t progress on my own. It was the first time I decided to invest the time and money into getting professional feedback. The silver report included exactly the things I was looking for at that stage: feedback on story, structure, and writing style, including examples. I then had follow-up questions with Christian and some advice on market and submissions. I liked the idea of being able to use a written report as a tool: a reference to look back at whenever I needed it.”

 

Were you happy with your feedback?

 

 

“I suspect everyone hopes the feedback will just say: Your Booker Prize awaits! Mine, quite rightly, didn’t. What it did do, however, was tell me how I could turn what Zoe recognised as a half-decent idea into something worth reading, which was exactly what I needed.”

 

 

“I have always loved my feedback, even when it’s scathing (to be honest, especially when it’s scathing, because it’s always hilarious). It’s just always really well thought out and always gives me solid points to work on going forward, and I definitely feel my writing has improved greatly with his input.”

 

 

“Very happy – the level of detail and care was brilliant with a lovely balance of the 360 perspective and the nitty-gritty. It’s daunting to both receive and implement these levels of feedback, but Susan has made what is a difficult process as straightforward as it can be. I could easily have thrown the draft ‘in the bin’ but her support has encouraged me to persist for now, though I’m under no illusions about how difficult it is.”

 

 

“Yes, very. Constructive criticism on something as personal as writing can be hard to read the first time around, but I could see already that it was exactly what I needed. On subsequent readings of the report, I found more and more motivation to re-write my story and become a better writer.”

 

 

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Gold Report

 

What appealed to you about this particular format (gold report)?

 

 

“I didn’t particularly want a zoom Q&A, I just wanted to read the report and follow the comments on my MS.”

 

 

 

“I received a detailed report as well as track changes in the manuscript, so I felt it was very comprehensive.”

 

 

 

Did the feedback conform to your expectations?

 

“It was critical but informative. I didn’t always agree but in the main it confirmed my own thoughts about the format, narrative and more importantly the structure. I also learnt a great deal about ‘tense’. For some reason I used ‘ing’ a lot! I was advised to think about this and I did and my writing then seemed more confidential and real. I was making a few mistakes with third person close, which I’m more aware of now.”

 

 

 

“It did. Iain was very honest. He was direct and straightforward which I really appreciated. It felt real. I actually found it invigorating. The report was also clear with very specific feedback to my book and not padded out with generic information.”

 

 

Can you give me the top thing you learned from it?

 

 

“With third person close, don’t jump into the wrong characters’ heads!”

 

 

 

“Plot and character. Is what’s written developing character and advancing the plot? If not, let it go. As a beginning writer, it’s really easy to get caught up on word count and to pad the work out with scenes that don’t really add anything to the plot, and once I started using this lens it became easier to see what I needed to do. I had to scrap thousands of words which was painful, but worth it.”

 

 

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Platinum Report

 

Why did you choose BPA?

 

“My fourth book is a different genre to the women’s historical fiction I normally write. I felt I wanted a second pair of editorial eyes to guide me through the transition and make me aware of potential pitfalls. I asked my agent Hattie Grünewald at The Blair Partnership for a recommendation and she pointed me towards Blue Pencil Agency.”

 

 

 

“Recommendation from a literary agent followed by a good amount of online comparison to other editors.”

 

 

 

“The BPA website welcomed me in – what it offered resonated with what I thought I needed. The wide range of editor profiles on the site clinched it. They all struck me as serious professionals who could help me on my journey.”

 

 

 

Why did you choose the editor that you did?

 

 

“I felt Frances would be a good fit for me as she is an established writer with extensive editorial experience.”

 

 

 

“She [Christian] seemed from her bio like someone that would be fair but give me no-nonsense feedback. I did not want someone to be nice to me for the sake of being nice because I paid a fee. I wanted to hear what needed to be done.”

 

 

 

“Eschatologist is historical fiction from the WW2 period – a spy thriller meets murder mystery that is based on a little-known factual incident from the period. Oliver was the obvious choice because, like me, that is where his interests lie. He gave quality feedback that was relevant, realistic, and focused. He is a professional and an enthusiast for his work. Also a very nice guy.”

 

 

 

Why did you choose a platinum report?

 

“I chose the platinum report as it offered exactly what I was looking for: comprehensive feedback on my script, structure and writing, and the opportunity to ask questions if I was unclear. The 30 minutes editorial discussion via Zoom was perfect for this and the marked-up manuscript saved me hours in editorial time.”

 

 

 

“I was looking for a review of the manuscript and a summary/overall ‘feeling’ related to the manuscript, but what I really valued was the virtual chat afterwards to discuss positives and negatives and what to do about them.”

 

 

“For the ‘triangulation’ – a detailed and insightful 7-9 page editor’s report on story, structure, character and POV, a thoroughly marked-up manuscript that related to the report (my MS was nearly 400 pages long) that was followed up by a hugely valuable Zoom Q&A session with my editor, Oliver. I’d urge anyone considering an editor’s report to go Platinum for the added value it offers.”

 

 

Can you give me the top thing you learned from your editorial report?

 

 

“Frances pointed me towards Will Storr’s book, The Science of Storytelling. It is amazing and now much-thumbed.”

 

 

 

“Get rid of the ‘flowery writing’ excess that first-time writers indulge in.”

 

 

 

 

“That the old cliché about writing being all about the re-write is true. Suck it up and get to work!”

 

 

 

Why would you recommend getting a platinum report?

 

“It is so hard as a writer to be objective about your own work. It is getting harder and harder in the publishing world to get work published, so the manuscript needs to be as good as it can possibly be before sending it out on submission. To me, an independent critique of my work is now very much part of the submission process.”

 

 

 

“We writers get lost in our own story and the style we use to tell it. You need someone – and not a friend or partner – to tell you that you need to take a different direction. Wish I did this sooner; it would have saved a lot of time.”

 

 

 

“If you have a serious project that you want to move forward with, then a platinum report will help you do that in so many large, and not so large, but nevertheless still hugely relevant ways. It did for me.”

 

 

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Children’s

 

Why did you choose Emma as an editor?

 

“When I read that Emma was an accomplished children’s story author in her own right, and I saw the quality of her writing, I knew that her editorial expertise would be greatly beneficial.”

 

 

Were you happy with your feedback?

“Yes, I was very happy with my feedback. Anecdotally, before submitting my stories for review by Emma/BPA, I had revised and edited the stories to the point where I felt I couldn’t improve them any further. Initially, therefore, it oddly felt like somewhat of a setback to receive feedback highlighting holes in the plots and other suggestions for an improved story.

Once, however, I had had the chance to consider how I might incorporate some of the points and recommendations into the stories, it felt as if I had made ten strides forward.”

 

Did it conform to your expectations?

“The feedback was actually beyond my expectations, given the amount of detail and feedback provided to me. It enabled me to see where and how I could improve on my story writing skills, from character building to plot development to walking through the story with the reader instead of revealing a development of the story with the reader inadvertently being at arm’s length.”

 

 

Why would you recommend getting an editorial report?

“I would recommend getting a report because it gives you an opportunity to have a deep-dive into your own writing, from a neutral third party. It’s almost like having a mirror held up to your story writing, which can be daunting, but ultimately, very rewarding and helpful.”

 

To sum up:

A full manuscript assessment is most helpful when you’ve reached the point where you have done the most you can by yourself and can no longer sort the wheat from the chaff. A novel is long and unwieldy, and having the full manuscript assessed can help you correct overarching pacing or structural issues.

Requesting a report can be expensive and it isn’t always easy to hear that your novel isn’t ready. However, in a ruthless, oversaturated industry, you only get one shot per novel and investing in your writing might be the catalyst which leads to you landing an agent.

To get an editorial report, click here.