Manuscript Critique

Manuscript Critique and
Book Editing Services Since 1995

Every serious writer needs expert guidance to succeed. What we learn in school or from peers isn’t enough—only publishing industry professionals can explain the key differences between a manuscript critique and book editing.

Michael Garrett—Stephen King’s first editor and publisher—brings 40+ years of personal publishing experience to provide honest, professional insights on what it takes to get commercially published.

What is a manuscript critique?

If you've been researching this topic you're probably confused by the different answers to this question. Some resources state that a manuscript critique includes this or that, and truth is that there is no official consensus of what defines a manuscript critique. From my perspective, a manuscript critique is basically an overall evaluation of a manuscript and the scope of the critique is what the provider says it is. If you're in the market for a manuscript critique, shop around and compare what each editor includes in a critique and what the fee will be.

How can a Manuscript Critique help new writers?

A manuscript critique’s purpose is to provide an overall assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of your writing, much like a book review might be. It’s primarily an opinion as to the general effectiveness of your writing. It should be performed by a professional with strong industry credentials, otherwise it’s worthless. Don’t trust your critique group for an analysis of your writing. They likely don’t know anymore about it than you do.

An overall evaluation can help improve your writing before you’re ready for deeper book editing, which can sometimes be intimidating to a new writer.

What is book editing?

Book editing, performed by a professional editor, is the process of reviewing and refining a manuscript to improve its clarity, coherence, readability, and overall quality. It involves multiple stages, each with a specific focus:

Developmental Editing – The first and most comprehensive stage. It focuses on the book’s structure, content, and overall flow. The editor may suggest major revisions related to plot, pacing, and character development
Line Editing – Language, style, and sentence structure. Editors may suggest rewriting of some or all of the text to make the manuscript more engaging, clear, and polished.
Copy Editing – Correction of grammar, punctuation, spelling, and consistency issues.
Proofreading – The final stage before publication, proofreading involves checking for typos, formatting issues, and any minor errors that may have been overlooked in previous edits

Book editing is essential to ensure a manuscript is polished and professional before it reaches readers.

how can Book Editing help a new writer?

Book editing provides comprehensive line-by-line editing to guide the author in refinement and polishing of the writing to make it publication-ready, addressing all levels of writing and technical details, such as:

Detailed feedback on plot, structure, pacing, and other big-picture issues.
Identifying where you may need to improve flow, tone, and clarity while maintaining your voice. A good editor never interferes with your voice as an author.
Pinpointing grammar, punctuation, syntax, and consistency issues in need of your attention.
Checking for typos, formatting, and minor errors

Which Is Best For a new fiction writer?

If you’re a relatively new writer at the early draft stage, you might start with a manuscript critique, which is less expensive, to get a sense of where you stand as a beginner.

If you’ve completed an entire manuscript and have rewritten it and corrected everything to the best of your knowledge and feel your writing is close to being finished, a professional edit will fill you in on all of the issues that you don’t know about.

Remember, it’s ultimately the author’s responsibility to make his/her writing publishable, not the editor’s.

Be prepared for critical feedback. The truth hurts, but that’s what you need. You're paying for criticism, not praise.

Can you get by without either service? Again, if you’re a serious writer, absolutely not, especially if you’re writing a novel. As the Washington Post notes, "every great novelist needs an editor."

When you seek writing help, the best resource is someone with experience in the publishing industry—an editor who understands what commercial publishers look for in a manuscript. A writing mentor, who can offer insights through manuscript critique services or book editing services, is a valuable ally on your journey to publication.

i am Michael Garrett

As Stephen King's first editor and publisher, I've obviously been around awhile. Why should you trust me to give you honest writing advice? Check out my bio and see.

Unpublished writers can be easy targets for industry scammers who play by a loose set of rules. You’ve likely been exposed to their tactics already and perhaps have even come to accept some. If you don't read anything else on this site, please don't miss my Frequently Asked Questions page.

Whether it comes to a simple critique or a full scope edit, please use the advice on this website to avoid the pitfalls that inexperienced writers often fall into.

The unbiased writing tips that you'll find on this website is based upon my 40+ years of publishing industry experience.

I do not benefit in any way from the external links on this site.

The unencumbered opinions expressed herein are entirely my own.

Michael Garrett's writing advice is right on!

— Kirk Polking, former director, Writer's Digest School

Manuscript Critique Or Book Editing?
Serious authors need one or the other!

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