Genre: Self-Help Journal/for survivors of traumatic life events.
Author name: ___________________
Book Title: ___________________
Sub Title: Dedicated to those who have loved and lost
Manuscript Assessment: Good
Word Count: 4,726
Formatting—okay? (x) Yes () no
Comments: Formatted well for evaluation and editing.
Are illustrations, photos, graphs, and other graphics removed from text and available
separately and clearly marked? () yes () no (x) N/A
Editing needed? (x) Yes () no
Comments: You write well, however, changes will improve readability and formatting to
comply with general editing and formatting practices. Most comply with the Chicago Manual
of Style. Publishers who distribute and sell books to the worldwide English-speaking markets
prefer, if not insist on, manuscripts that meet that standard.
You start well, set scenes well, events vividly, and have a good manuscript. However,
changes and corrections will improve readability and enhance the professional presentation
of your fine manuscript.
These changes benefit your readers with improved readability.
The combined readability and formatting changes benefit you, as enhancing your
manuscript provides a positive impression on agents and acquisitions editors at publishing
houses.
Examples of Possible Editing and Format Changes:
Notes:
1. Words highlighted in yellow are new, added, or changed. Comments or questions in
brackets {} and highlighted in yellow and made bold are written to the author and require
an answer, a change, or are for you to consider. Words or punctuation with strikethroughs,
such as; this, are to be deleted.
2. These changes are examples only. No two editors will edit precisely the same way, thus
some changes here may differ from the final edited copy returned to you. Our editors do
make changes that comply with The Chicago Manual of Style, 16 th Edition.
On page 2, in your Dedication, you wrote:
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This book is dedicated to my husband, who has provided me
with a wealth of experiences which will be forever stored
In the library of my mind. He died tragically on the 30th of
December 2011. Gone but not forgotten.
An edited version may read:
This book is dedicated to my husband,
who has provided me with a wealth of experiences
which that will be forever stored
in the library of my mind.
He died tragically on the 30th of December 2011.
Gone but not forgotten.
(I rarely suggest changes to Dedications, however, we share the loss of a spouse, in my
case on February 23, 2010. In addition to my role as Manuscript Reviewer, this makes me a
member of your potential readership.)
The changes made improve readability and fix formatting by making minor changes to
sentence structure, word choice, and formatting. The suggested changes to line breaks is
based on meeting the needs of your potential readership in guiding their reading as is done
in poetry.
The intent is to enhance the presentation of your manuscript to publishers.
On page 9 you wrote:
THE STRUGGLE
Like a well without water when the skies are grey
I yearn for yesterday when you filled me
The walls sing me a lullaby that is your name
And in minute –years I am consumed by loneliness
An edited version may read:
The Struggle
Like a well without water, when the skies are grey,
I yearn for yesterday when you filled me.
The walls sing me a lullaby that is your name,
And in minutes –years I am consumed by loneliness
These changes are much like those made in poetry. Your words and phrases are excellent
and will resonate well with your readers. However, if you use punctuation to guide their
reading, they are liable to make an even more meaningful connection.
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These and similar changes enhance the professional image of your manuscript.
On page 15 you wrote:
Yearning (thoughts in a vehicle while traveling home from work)
I want to hug you one last time.
My head searches for its resting place which was your chest and my
Body longs to be cradled in your arms.
My skin yearns for your tenderness as you massage
My shoulders and legs after a stressful day.
These ears strain to hear your playful voice
As you shout my name in crescendos and whispers,
Baby, I miss you.
An edited version may read:
Yearning (thoughts in a vehicle while traveling home from work.)
I want to hug you one last time.
My head searches for its resting place which was your chest,
And my body longs to be cradled in your arms.
My skin yearns for your tenderness as you massage,
Of my shoulders and legs after a stressful day.
These My ears strain to hear your playful voice,
As you shout my name in crescendos and whispers.,
Baby, I miss you.
These changes are made to influence the flow and pace for your readers.
A professional editor will provide the necessary professional touches that will bring the full
impact of the message in your manuscript. Editor’s changes will conform to the Chicago
Manual of Style, general editing practice, and to correct formatting for publication.
1. The primary reason for changes is to benefit your readers by improving readability,
word flow, and tell your story with the impact it deserves.
2. A vital and important second consideration is that the changes present your
manuscript professionally. This makes a positive impression grabs the attention of
agents who may represent you or submission editors who accept or reject
manuscripts for publishers.
Typographical Errors/Style:
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An edit will find and fix any of these that were overlooked.
Grammatical/Spelling Errors:
An edit will find and fix any of these that were overlooked.
Punctuation Errors:
An edit will find and fix any of these that were overlooked.
We know that you do not want to be embarrassed by mechanical errors within your text
(grammar, spelling, punctuation, etc.). Imagine a future reader picking up your book and
commenting that there are errors in it! Editing is one of the most essential pieces of
production. It is important to us that your book is error free. However, the choice for editing
is ultimately yours. As you know, you are responsible for the content within your book.
Further along in the production process, you will be required to sign off that you understand
this, and that we are not held responsible for errors. Therefore, I would like to suggest that
you consider having an editor go over your work one final time. You can choose any editor
you wish. We do have editors we have worked with over the years, who give us great
quality, great service, and great pricing. We usually have an editor who is familiar with your
genre. We trust them and their quality, implicitly. Let us know if you would like to work with
them, or how you would like to proceed with corrections to your text. We are happy to
advise you, whatever you decide, and will be happy to send you a quote to help you make
your decision. We want the book to be as professional as you do!
The following elements of a book are optional; however, we suggest you use them if
possible:
Dedications? (x) yes () no
Comments: You have this well written and this is critical given your manuscript’s overall
target audience. You have a logical extension of this in your, To My Husband (on the day of
the funeral), which adds value to your manuscript.
Acknowledgments? (x) yes () no
Comments: You have this well written and your choices to acknowledge are appropriate.
Table of Contents? (x) yes () no
Comments: A Table of Contents will add value to your manuscript. This is expected and
strongly recommended for books such as yours as your readers will return to do their
journaling. A good Table of Contents may add sales to readers who browse online or in
bookstores.
Index? () yes (x) no
Comments: Not required for this genre.
Introduction? (x) yes () no
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Comments: You have this well written in your Context, Introduction, and Preface. These
exceed the normal introduction, but in your case, your readers are well served by the
different perspectives each provides.
Illustrations? () yes (x) no
Comments:
Googled Author Name? (x) yes () no
Comments: Got no hits for you as author.
Googled Title? (x) yes () no
Comments: Got a number of indirect conflicts for this title with subtitles. I suggest you add
a subtitle to set your manuscript apart from the others.
Fact checking required: () extensive () moderate (x) minimal
Comments:
YOUR OPENING PARAGRAPH: Your opening is very good. You open with a good
explanation of your purpose for writing. Then you move to actions, ideas, and guide your
readers to journal entries that will engage them through the process.
YOUR TITLE: Your title is a good one, but do consider adding a subtitle as I note above.
COVER and SIZE SPECIFICATIONS
Unless images or formatting necessitate a different size, your book will be the standard size
of 6 x 9 inches. Our standard cover type is soft cover, however if you would prefer it we can
publish your book with a hard cover. Please state your cover type preference when you
respond to this review. Hardcover book must contain 108 pages or more. (Hardcover is not
available for children's books or books with color pages.)
Your Conclusion: You write a good wrap up to this tale with, The Calvery (Calvary?)
Experience. It is a fine, thoughtful help for their futures and may satisfy your readers.
Legal Review Needed? () yes (x) no
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