Your critique will give you the help you need to get your manuscript or proposal in shape. Your book is competing with hundreds of thousands of others to grab the attention of an agent or publishing house, so you want to do everything you can to make sure your proposal, query letter, synopsis, and book stand out from the rest. Agents and editors look for a professionally prepared package, and will reject submissions that are not outstanding. A critique is the first important step you can take to ensure your nonfiction book or novel will have a chance of being picked up.
Is a Critique the Same As a Developmental Edit?
Mostly, yes. However, as the name suggests, developmental editing usually involves help at the developmental stage, even at the basic idea stage. Many developmental editors work with an author to take a germ of an idea and flesh it out into a full novel idea. This might involve working from a very loose outline and developing it with the author until she has a solid story before ever doing any actual writing of the novel. Although outlines can be critiqued for strength of storyline
However, it is up to you to implement the suggestions given in your critique, and then be sure to have your book and/or submission materials edited by a professional editor. Many agents and acquisitions editors state that if they see even one typo or grammatical error on the first page, they will toss the submission out. I encourage you, once you have made your necessary changes after reviewing your critique, to hire me to copyedit your manuscript. I offer a 20 percent discount off all editing rates for all manuscripts that have gone through my critique services!
Ready for Editing?
If you feel confident your manuscript is ready for line editing, you can contact me directly to inquire. I can give you an average estimate of the time it will take to do a thorough content edit followed by a proofread if you give me your word count. Send requests to cslakin@gmail.com and tell me a little bit about your project and needs. I often have a lot of projects on my plate, but will always fit you in. Whether I do the initial first edit/pass-through or one of my “on-staff” editors does, know your work will get professionally edited. I always do the final proofread and go through the comments to make sure your book will be the best it can be.
