The Art of Manuscript Evaluations

There’s an art to drafting, managing, and providing in-depth manuscript evaluations for authors. Most editors who have included this service adjacent to copyediting, have never turned back. It quickly becomes a game changer for any editor’s business—especially if they work primarily with authors.

In this session, Nadia Geagea Pupa will share the best methods for identifying the strengths and weaknesses in a writer’s work, and how to provide suggestions for the author to improve their writing. She will share real examples of how to make an impact through creating an annotated manuscript and how to draft an in-depth report that isn’t overwhelming for the author. In doing so, attendees will learn how to identify plot holes, major gaps in information, and other general writing flaws for fiction and nonfiction works. The session concludes with how to conduct a debrief with the author once they’ve read the report.

The value of providing manuscript evaluations is so high that editors have built trust and formed strong professional relationships with authors. It’s a win-win scenario that keeps writers happy, attracts more clients, and adds ease to the copyediting process.