Manuscript Evaluation
the next step on your journey to authorship
Writing a book is no small feat.
Many will try, but very few will succeed. So, before we begin, congratulations on completing your novel or nonfiction manuscript!
Now the hard truth: even the world’s greatest authors don’t get everything exactly right on the first draft. They rely on the insights of a professional evaluator, someone who can highlight a manuscript’s strengths, identify its weaker points, and put the author on the right path toward a brilliant second draft.
For many first-time authors, a professional manuscript evaluation can be the difference between a pile of rejection letters and publication.
At Your Words Literary Services, the evaluation process is simple, informative, and cost-effective. I’ll lean on my twenty-plus years of writing and publishing experience as I read your novel or book-length nonfiction manuscript, evaluate its market potential, and give you a written assessment of its strengths and weaknesses. I’ll tell you if it’s ready for a major commercial publisher. If it isn’t, I’ll tell you why. I’ll also give you an appraisal of your narrative voice and identify any opportunities to sharpen your prose. If your writing career is worth $345 to you, then filling out the form to the right is the way to start.
How do I know? Over the years, I’ve worked with more than a hundred authors, and for nearly all of them, the journey from completed manuscript to published book started with one of my evaluations.
Who is this guy anyway?
For over two decades, Kyle Fager of Your Words Literary Services has been reviewing, critiquing, editing, ghostwriting, and publishing manuscripts. He has worked with authors of varied backgrounds and experience levels, helping them turn their manuscripts into published books, major publishing contracts, and best sellers.
He has also helped turn screenplays and show treatments into contracts for TV shows and major motion pictures.
If you decide to pursue a traditional publishing contract, Kyle can help you create a compelling book proposal to begin the process, and he can direct you to the literary agents best suited to represent your book.
If you decide that self-publishing is the best route for your manuscript, Kyle has worked with just about every major self-publisher in the country and can help you choose the right one for your project.
Whether it’s an idea for a book, a finished manuscript, or anything between, Kyle can help you shape your project into a meaningful, memorable, page-turning success.
Kyle Fager
Manuscript Evaluator
Editor
Guy Who Prefers Loose-Fitting Ties
Fun fact: I have never used a typewriter to write a manuscript evaluation.
Anatomy of a Manuscript Evaluation
What you can expect …
A detailed review of your book’s strengths and weaknesses.
If you’ve written a novel, I’ll give you detailed feedback about its opening scenes, central conflict, characterization, background events, physical setting, viewpoint, and manuscript mechanics.
If you’ve written a nonfiction book, I’ll provide feedback on the introduction and organization of material, development of anecdotes and examples, and the arrangement of its sources, citations, and background events.
An assessment of your writing skills.
If you don’t know what you’re doing right and what you could be doing better, then you won’t grow as a writer. With my evaluation in hand, you’ll know where to focus your efforts to improve your writing skills.
Guidance about your publishing options.
Should you seek a contract with a traditional commercial publisher, or should you self-publish your book?
If your book has a reasonable chance of attracting the attention of a reputable literary agent and commercial publishing contract, then you should go for it. If it doesn’t have that potential, then there’s no need to spend a year or more sending queries, only to be rewarded with one rejection after another.
If you’re looking for some input on where to go next with your manuscript, I’m available to discuss at 608.213.7594. Or you can get the process started by sending me a message using the “Send a Query” button to the left.
Still Working on Your Book?
While I typically evaluate completed manuscripts, authors sometimes feel that they need some feedback before they’ve finished their projects. Sometimes they just want to make sure they’re on the right track, and sometimes they have questions about how they should handle specific story elements as they continue working.
I’ll be glad to read and evaluate your work in progress if you feel that some professional feedback would be helpful. If you have an outline or synopsis, or even just a vague idea of where the story is going, send that along, too, so I can give you my feedback about that. It all starts with the initial query, which you can send via the “Send a Query” button to the right.
What my evaluation clients are saying
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Kyle’s insights as an evaluator and editor are what made my book possible. Throughout the process, he was extremely professional, kept me on task, was focused, and delivered on time.
—Paul Isenberg
Author of Lessons Learned: A Comprehensive Strategy for Building a Passion-Driven Nonprofit -
I could tell from our first phone call that Kyle was talented and professional. I immediately had a sense that I could trust him. I sent my manuscript to him for evaluation expecting him to return a short synopsis and some criticism. What I got was a cogent 13 page deep dive into my story. It was full of commentary and critique, and for each critique an explanation and a solution. It was obvious that he'd expended much time and effort on my work. His advice enabled me to go back in and polish my humble story into something that may turn out to be an interesting, well written, and marketable novel.
—Aaron Palmer
Author of Tales from Taylor Street: Money for Nothing -
Kyle is not only a great writer but an incredible evaluator, collaborator, and creative partner.
—Emilio Mauro
Hollywood screenwriter and producer; author of A Dark Chance
Your Words Literary Services
Manuscript Evaluation ………. $345
I’ll read your manuscript from first page to last and tell you what you’ve done right and what still needs work.
Manuscript Critique ………. $24 per thousand words
My practical, detailed suggestions will show you how to turn your manuscript into a book with solid commercial value.
Manuscript Editing ………. $40 to $50 per thousand words
I’ll correct the mechanical errors (spelling, grammar, punctuation, sentence structure, etc.) and I’ll polish the prose to improve clarity and narrative flow.
Book Proposal ………. $950 and up
I’ll help you avoid the mistakes that can make the difference between sale and rejection.
Major Rewrite ………. $15,000 and up
I’ll develop a rewrite plan for your approval. Then, I’ll overhaul your manuscript from the ground up.
Ghostwriting ………. $25,000 and up
I’ll ghostwrite your book based on your story idea or outline.