A manuscript appraisal shows you where your book is working and where it needs work. It gives you direction and confidence to get to the next draft.

Most editors offer manuscript appraisals as a written report, but I offer them as a recorded video workshop, which has three advantages over a written report:

we can discuss what you want to achieve and what you’ve already tried, which allows me to offer advice that’s specific to your skills and experience
we can workshop issues and ideas and possibly come up with solutions together (two heads are better than one)
it costs less than a written appraisal (hooray!)

I offer two appraisal options:

mini appraisal for the first 10K words
maxi appraisal for your complete manuscript.

A mini appraisal can be really helpful if you:

would like to refresh your approach to self-editing
want to know if you are on the right track
need to reboot your confidence in your book
have an endless draft that you can’t rein in (yes I can help you with that even when I only read 10K words).

A maxi appraisal is great for when you’ve written and revised as far as you can go, and are ready for some feedback.

Ask me how

Manuscript appraisal workshops FAQs

What does the appraisal workshop cover?

As with a written manuscript appraisal, the workshop looks at all the building blocks of your book.

For fiction this includes:

story arc
character development
rhythm, pace and tension.

For business books this includes assessing whether your book is:

pitched correctly for your ideal client
getting your key message across
showing how you stand out from the crowd.

When is the right time to get a manuscript appraisal?

An appraisal can be helpful with either a finished draft or a work in progress.

For a finished draft it will pick up any areas that need to be tightened or developed before the fine tuning of copy editing.
For a work in progress it can pin-point opportunities for development, give you reassurance you are on the right track, or help you get back on track if you’ve wandered off course.

If you’ve not had your manuscript read by someone who is able to give constructive feedback, such as a fellow writer or a beta reader, I highly recommend you start your editing journey with an appraisal. It’s important to look at the big picture before you deep dive into detail. It will result in a better book and can save you money in the long run.

How much does it cost?

mini appraisal (first 10K words) $350
maxi appraisal (full manuscript) from $1150 for 80K words

What happens after the appraisal?

The aim of the appraisal is that you have enough feedback to get to final draft, ready for copy editing.

If you need further support to get to final draft, we can set up a writing coaching plan to help you through the next development phase.

Get in touch if you think a manuscript appraisal is your next step towards getting published.

Contact Lu

Hello, I’m Lu Sexton. I’m an editor and writing coach. I’ve been working with writers like you since 2009 and I love it. My mission is to help you bring out the best in your writing and get you one step closer to being published.

Ask me how

Testimonials

I feel I can’t praise Lu highly enough. I’d come to a standstill with my writing process and contacted Lu for a mini-appraisal. After reading only a few chapters of my work it was obvious to me that Lu ‘got it’. She had a true sense of my characters and which direction I wanted to/should take them in. She made a few suggestions that I would never have thought of myself but feel will benefit my work immensely. I felt comfortable and at ease with her from the beginning and hope to work with her again soon. Thanks for everything, Lu xx

P M Edwards

Lu did a manuscript appraisal of my novel. She was great to work with. She gave me some terrific ideas to develop the story. Her insight made a significantly positive impact on the direction I’ve taken it in.

Sarah Nicholson

Creative writer

I’m a budding author and have some technical training. I’d written a novel that had somewhat gone in the weeds but recoverable with the proper focus. I had a coaching session on my first 10K words which was incredibly valuable. The video interaction was much better than previous line edits [from a different editor]. She is very precise in her ideas, gives strategy, and frankly I feel confident going forward with my big project and plan to use her expertise for the final edits.

Janet Uhde

Creative writer

I had been working on my first novel for years, but despite all my plotting and planning felt I was going in circles after five drafts. Lu offered to read my first 10k words and then provide a one-hour video review. She explained this is a far less expensive way to get someone like me back on track than to have her read the whole thing, editing every page. And she was right!

Her feedback was very thoughtful and honest, exactly what I needed. She covered some technical aspects, characterisation, voice, and plot themes, and diplomatically pointed out some things which might confuse the reader.

So it’s a developmental type of review with a structural twist that has inspired me to reconsider what wasn’t working so well and enhancing what was. Perfect!

Robert Frew

First-time novelist