For Writers - Legacy Editing Services

Manuscript Critique

The manuscript critique is for you if you have written an entire manuscript or a good portion of your manuscript and would like in-depth feedback. The manuscript critique is a higher level process than the evaluation, because in addition to identifying strengths and weaknesses in character, story structure and marketability, I will also analyze for key writing and story elements as follows:

Opening hook/inciting incident
Pacing
POV (point of view)
Dialogue
Use of dialogue tags vs. beats
Distinct character voices
Adverbs
Passive verbs
Backstory
Description
Showing vs. telling
Balance between narrative and dialogue
Unique use of prose and identification of cliché statements
Realism in character emotions
Voice
Scene structure--goal, motivation, conflict
Redundancies

What you will receive:

A redline edit throughout the document in Microsoft Word or Works for the elements listed above and a 3 to 7 page summary of my evaluation/analysis of character and story structure and all the elements listed above. This service does not include rewriting. Rewriting is included in the Substantive Edit service.

I will email you your completed project at a predetermined delivery date by 8 p.m. eastern standard time on that date. If a hardcopy redline is your preference this will require a printing and postage fee to be determined based on the size of the project. I will tell you where to mail your project if you choose this option.

Please also note that your project WILL NOT be proofread. (Proofreading includes spelling, punctuation and basic grammar.) Proofreading should be done as the final check of your manuscript. You should never pay for this during the critique or substantive edit process. (See Proofread Only service at the end.)

Normal delivery of critique projects will be within 10 days of acceptance, 14 days for projects over 85,000 words and 21 days for projects over 95,000 words. (Although they can rarely be accommodated, you may contact me for “rush job” prices.)
I am a very fair person. If I determine that your project was in excellent condition and I had very few suggestions for improvement, I will refund half of your fee, so that you may spend those monies to have your project proofread.

What you will pay:

I charge a flat rate based on word count and you may submit a Full or Partial Manuscript. If you cannot afford a full manuscript critique, keep in mind a partial critique can really help identify weaknesses in your story that a “story workshop” may improve, thereby cutting cost on the current work in progress and eliminating the need for a second critique. A partial critique would also be helpful in identifying weakness in your writing that you can correct moving forward.

1 to 10,000 words: $100
10,001 to 20,000 words: $ 150
20,001 to 30,000 words: $ 200
30,001 to 40,000 words: $ 250
40,001 to 50,000 words: $ 300
50,001 to 60,000 words: $ 350
60,001 to 75,000 words: $ 425
75,001 to 85,000 words: $ 500
85,001 to 90,001 words: $ 600
90,001 to 95,000 words: $ 650
95,000 to 100,000 words: $700

Please contact me for pricing on projects over 100,000 words

The price for a second critique of the same project will be negotiated based on your submission, but generally if noticeable improvements have been made, the price will be cut in half. Repeat customers will also receive a 10% discount on a new project. A 20% discount will also be applied to your next project when you refer me to another customer. Your referral will receive a 5% discount as well.

Sounds great? How do you get started? With a sample. Please choose from free and almost free below and email me at rhondathewriter@yahoo.com

Free Sample

I will read the first 500 words of your project for free. This is so that you can evaluate my service and I can evaluate your writing to determine if we should work together. The turnaround time for a free sample is 7 (seven) days.

Substantive Sample

I will read the first chapter or up to 2,000 words of your work for $35. This will provide you with a more substantial look at my service. The turnaround time for the substantive sample is 3 (three) days from confirmation of payment.

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