Manuscript Critique or Book Editing:
Which Is Best?
The primary difference between a manuscript critique and a thorough professional book edit lies in the depth, focus, and what the author plans to do with the feedback.
What Is a Manuscript Critique?
A manuscript critique’s purpose is to provide an overall assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of your manuscript, much like a thorough book review might be. It’s primarily an opinion as to the general effectiveness of a manuscript. It should be performed by someone with strong industry credentials, otherwise it’s worthless. Don’t trust your critique group for an analysis of your work. They likely don’t know anymore about it than you do.
The Overall Benefit of a Manuscript Critique
You’ll get an overall evaluation to help improve your manuscript before you’re ready for deeper book editing, which can be intimidating to a new writer.
What Is a Book Edit?
Book editing provides comprehensive line-by-line editing to guide the author in refinement and polishing of the manuscript to make it publication-ready, addressing all levels of writing and technical details.
Types of Editing Included
in a Full Comprehensive Edit
- Developmental Editing: Detailed feedback on plot, structure, pacing, and other big-picture issues.
- Line Editing: 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.
- Copyediting: Points out grammar, punctuation, syntax, and factual consistency issues in need of your attention.
- Proofreading (optional): A final check for typos, formatting, and minor errors; however, this is basically pointless as you are likely a rewrite or two away from a final draft, through which significant changes to the text is always possible.
The Overall Benefit of Book Editing
A thorough book edit by a recognized professional will give you explicit guidance toward making your manuscript publishable. As with a manuscript critique, it should be performed by someone of authority, otherwise it’s worthless.
It’s important to keep in mind that an edit alone is useless, regardless of who performs it. The key factor is how well you incorporate the editor's suggestions in a thorough manuscript rewrite.
Which Is Best For You?
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 within your power to do so and feel your manuscript is close to being finished, a professional edit will fill you in on all of the issues that you don’t know about. Most authors have quite a bit of work ahead following professional book editing.
Remember, it’s ultimately the author’s responsibility to make a manuscript publishable, not the editor’s.
While both may provide encouragement, be prepared for critical feedback as well. The truth hurts, but that’s what you need. You're paying for criticism, not praise.
Who Ultimately Needs Either of These Services?
All serious writers.
Obviously, if you hope to be commercially published, book editing is an absolute necessity. But even if you plan to self-publish, book editing remains just as important. To be taken seriously, self-published works must be comparable to commercially published ones. This also applies to books aimed at a limited audience, like a family history, which will be handed down for generations. Approach it as if you planned for commercial publication.
Can you get by without either service? 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."
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 advice? Check out my bio and see.
Unpublished authors can be easy targets for industry scammers who play by a loose set of rules. As a result, 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.
Assuming that you are, indeed, ready for the next step
and are anxious to produce a marketable manuscript, be careful or you could
easily be misled.
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 advice 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 Advice: Save Your Money And Go For Book Editing!
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