A manuscript appraisal allows you to edit your work confidently. It doesn’t take away your autonomy but provides you with expert guidance and editorial direction. You will receive personalised advice about the overall structure of the narrative and a critique covering the following:
- character development and point of view,
- plot and theme,
- dialogue, setting and timeline,
- language and style,
- suitability for target audience
Poetry and picture book appraisals will have a greater emphasis on language and style. Creative Nonfiction will obviously focus less on character development and be more concerned with voice and tone.
The manuscript appraisal is written as a report of between five and fifteen pages, depending on the length of the manuscript. It also includes a detailed synopsis of the plot points of the narrative. This allows you to step back and look at the structure of your work with a little more distance. Sometimes the report will also include a paragraph of the original manuscript rewritten to demonstrate an editorial suggestion but it doesn’t include any copyediting.
Knowing how difficult it can be interpreting editorial suggestions, we encourage you to follow-up an appraisal with any questions you may have.
New and emerging writers often seek feedback from friends and family and while this can be useful, it can also be misleading. Your partner or best friend is likely to understand your intention and, quite rightly, honour the hard work that has gone into the writing. However, this doesn’t provide you with an objective critique from an industry perspective. At Tyle & Bateson, we can provide you with honest feedback that can lead to a more polished and, potentially, more publishable final draft.
Tyle & Bateson are a partnership and either Catherine or Leonie will be appraising your manuscript. You can view our profiles here. Should we ever employ an outside editor, we would contact you first and make sure that you have all the details you need before making the decision to go ahead with that appraisal. We do not use AI for any of our appraisal work.
There are two kinds of editing – structural editing and copy editing. The former is a very detailed analysis of a manuscript, often completed in-house by your publisher. Tyle & Bateson do offer structural editing – but often a manuscript appraisal is all you will need to take your manuscript to the next level.
We do not offer copy editing which is a sweep through the manuscript correcting grammar, punctuation, typographical errors, spelling and continuity. (Or course manuscript appraisals and structural editing will certainly pick up some of these problems as well.)
The legacy publishing industry is difficult to crack. For every publishing phenomenon there are thousands of rejections. It would be unrealistic for us to promise publication at the end of your revision journey – however, we can definitely promise a more polished draft with more publishing potential if you follow our suggestions. You can read testimonials from previous clients here. Some of our clients have gone on to publish works which have been appraised by Tyle & Bateson.
Self-publishing is the publication path increasingly chosen by writers adept at promotion and digital marketing, including social media. Unlike legacy publishing, self-publishing allows you complete control over your product – and, of course, one hundred percent of your profits. If you believe you have a compelling story, the skills necessary to produce a quality product and the ability to build reader engagement,self-publishing may suit you. It’s crucial for a self-published book to be well-edited whether or not you are hoping to make this a stepping stone to legacy publishing. You want to know you have shared your absolute best with the world.
Just a word of warning – there are some prizes which are still not open to self- published works so if you are considering this route, it’s wise to look at the prominent book prizes in your form and genre and make sure you will be eligible to enter.
We can offer a critique of your synopsis and pitch if required.