More Reasons You Might Need a Manuscript Appraisal
Following on from my last post here are even more reasons you might need a manuscript appraisal.
Oh… I Feel This!I wrote 10 manuscripts in 12 years before I got a contract. During thattime, I won short story competitions, I wrote freelance, I was shortlisted for
two publishing awards, I had agents request my work and then reject it. I was
scammed by dodgy publishers with dodgy contracts. I was scammed by writing
competitions (that then publish your work and then sell the work back to you).
My spreadsheet of rejections hit 100 (and then I deleted it in disgust). (Oh,
and I had been working full time, part time, casually, in my own business,
running a charity and while pregnant.) I had reached the end of my
tether. It took just one final piece to get me over the line. For you,
that final piece might be a manuscript assessment.
The pain!Even published authors sometimes need manuscript assessments!I mentioned above that I once had to ditch 50,000 words of a novel. A novel
that was on contract. With a deadline. I knew ‘something’ wasn’t right. This
was going to be my fourth contracted novel, so it was surprising when I
realised I was absolutely stuck. I paid for a manuscript assessment with
my favourite editor, who I trust, completely. And like a really good editor,
she didn’t tell me what to do. Instead, she asked questions and made astute
observations and in reading her report I knew I had to abandon
that manuscript. (There is a happy ending to this story, which I will share
with you when we begin work together.)
Listen to That VoiceSo you just read that bit above where I had to ditch 50,000 words, right? IfI had listened to my inner voice, my gut feeling, just a little bit earlier,
I might not have had to lose so much time, energy, and spinal integrity while
sitting in a chair, working on something that was built on shifting sands.
This is why I’m here to help, with your manuscript, be it fiction, non-fiction, novel or memoir 
Jo
Published on February 04, 2023 14:34
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