Professional Critique

For all you writers out there, I have an important question to ask you:

• Have you had a professional critique done on your manuscript?

If not, I strongly recommend doing this. When you pour over a manuscript day in and day out, you eventually become so close to the material it's hard to take a step back and see what needs improvement. Having someone critique your manuscript (I'm not talking about a friend or relative) will really give you some valuable insight. Jeff Herman's Guide to Literary Agents has a good list of independent editors. Or try checking out your local university--there may be some qualified editors there.

What you do want to ensure, of course, is that you seek this critique from a reliable source. Unfortunately, there plenty of scams out there on the Internet. But if you see a list of independent editors via a well-researched book such ast Jeff Herman's Guide, you should be okay. For safe measure, you should ask the editor for a couple of references. Speaking to people the editor has worked for in the past will give you an idea of the quality of the critique, the editor's timeliness and professionalism, and the person's overall satisfaction regarding the experience.

As far as price goes, each editor tends to arrange their fee schedule differently. Some charge by the hour, others charge per page. A lot of times it will depend on the length of your manuscript.

Be prepared that not every editor will feel your project is right for him/her. They may have certain specialties on the types of genres or writing styles they work with; for this reason, sometimes they will ask to see a sample before committing to taking you on as a client. This is also a beneficial excerise for you, the writer. After all, if you're going to spend the time submitting your manuscript to someone (and invest monetarily in "hiring" them) you want to make sure that particular editor is the right person for YOU--and that they are capable of providing the kind of advice you're looking for. Example: Someone who specializes in literary prose may  not be the right fit for reading and critiquing a Chick Lit novel. Or someone who specializes in YA fantasy may not be the right fit for a non-fiction project.

You may be wondering...So, what exactly can I expect from a critique?

Again, there is room for variation here. Some editors make line-by-line comments or changes, AND an overall critique where they summarize what they feel are your strengths and weaknesses. Others make page-by-page comments and do an overall critique. It really just depends. Evaluate what you think might be best for your manuscript--your goals and expectations for a critique-- then ask the editors if their approach matches yours. From there, you may be able to customize your own little package deal. It really just depends on how flexible the editor is on their approach. Rest assured, though, "It doesn't hurt to ask!" Because you know what?

You guessed it...."It never hurts to ask."

Best of luck to you on seeking a professional critique. I think you'll find it worth the investment.