Every writer needs somebody they can trust to look over their manuscript and offer a professional, honest opinion. The Fiction Desk offers an in-depth novel critiquing service (sometimes known as an evaluation or assessment) to provide you with feedback on your novel and to help you get the most from your story idea.
We take a coaching approach to our critiques. Think of it as a concentrated writing course, based around your novel. When we identify weaknesses or problem areas, we use them as an opportunity to suggest improvements not only for this particular book, but for your style in general. We try to be not only editors but writing coaches, helping you develop skills that you can apply to your current novel, and to future projects as well.
What the novel critique includes
Our novel critiques include a detailed report and annotations throughout your manuscript.
The critique looks at a range of factors including your characters, dialogue, themes, plotting, and style. We will annotate the manuscript itself, commenting on any weak points or common errors, and offering suggestions and examples to help you fix them. This allows you to see exactly where the problems are arising, and what can be done about them.
In addition to the annotations, the written report (usually six to ten pages), summarises the comments made on the manuscript and suggests a course of action.
After the critique
Once you’ve received your report and annotated manuscript, take your time in going over it. If you have any questions about the comments, or would like any clarifications, you’re always welcome to email us.
Free sample edit
We offer a free five-page sample edit so that you can decide whether our critiquing service is right for you. Read more about this sample edit.
Pricing and ordering information
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UK
- For manuscripts over 40,000 words in length, the novel critique costs half a penny (£0.005) per word. For example, a 50,000 word manuscript would cost £250, and an 80,000 word manuscript would cost £400.
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USA
- For manuscripts over 40,000 words in length, the novel critique costs one cent ($0.01) per word. For example, a 50,000 word manuscript would cost $500, and an 80,000 word manuscript would cost $800.
For an exact quote, completely without obligation, just get in touch.
(For shorter manuscripts, read about our short story critiques.)
To book, or for more information, visit our contact page.