• Initial reaction to the presentation in relation to how a submission should be presented to a publisher or agent;

• Any obvious typos, spelling mistakes or punctuation errors (not a full copyedit) will be highlighted;

• Comments on: characterization; the beginning (as the first paragraph is vital I will assess that in detail); the ending (if a full manuscript is submitted); setting(s), background, style; pace. Advice on what could be changed or cut to improve the story, such as discrepancies or incorrect order of events – anything that may confuse the reader.

You will receive a report covering the above and any advice that may be relevant to improving the manuscript.

How to Submit Your Manuscript

First send some basic information by e-mail as an attachment and at no cost to you. If the content is something I can appraise, I will let you know the fees for assessing it; the fees are set out below as a guide. If you decide to proceed I will ask you to send the whole manuscript as an e-mail attachment and ask for a payment via PayPal®. Payment is due before the appraisal is started.

The Report

The report will be sent to you as an e-mail attachment in pdf format that can be read using Adobe® reader to the e-mail address given. If you do not have Adobe Reader you can download a free copy from this link.

How Long Will it Take?

The report will be with you (as an e-mail attachment to the address given) usually within two weeks, but if there is likely to be a delay I will advise you and you can decide not proceed or to book a time for the work to be done – payment will be due only when I am able to start the assessment.

Fees

As each manuscript is unique this is a guide to the fees charged:

Full manuscript, 70-75 000 words - £250. Add £2 for every additional 1,000 words.

Short stories, £1.50 per 1,000 words.

Payment Details

Payment will be made using PayPal® and will be due before the appraisal is started (you do not need a PayPal® account, but if you have one the process is easier). You can pay using your PayPal® account or a credit or debit card through their secure servers.