What is a Manuscript Review and Do You Need One?

At Mill City Press, we know your book deserves the best editorial experience to bring it to life. This is why our editors offer a Manuscript Review for all authors publishing with us. Through a Manuscript Review, an editor will become thoroughly acquainted with a piece to provide beneficial feedback for you as an author. This is your very first step in your publishing journey, and it is one of the most important!

Let’s explore what a Manuscript Review can do for your book.

What Is in a Manuscript Review?

When your book goes through a Manuscript Review, the process will begin by providing valuable information about your book, starting with a general overview—what the editor believes your piece to be about upon first impressions, which depicts to you how your audience may receive your piece.

Manuscript Strengths and Weaknesses

Next up is the strengths of your manuscript—perhaps our editors’ favorite part of the Manuscript Review! Here, the editor will share with you some of the greatest qualities of your book, from effective structure and poignant themes to impactful language and unique characters. This portion illuminates the wow factor of the piece, and some strengths you may not even be aware of. The possibilities are endless for a manuscript’s strengths, and our editors are always finding new ways to compliment authors on their brilliant writing!

After the editor reviews your manuscript’s strengths, the next area can be the most helpful for authors: the ways your manuscript could benefit from improvement. This section is where the editor relays to you areas within the manuscript that can be altered, removed, or revised to clarify the piece, maintain consistency within the piece, or simply bring it to the next level. Our editors are skilled at looking at all aspects of a manuscript to find the hidden gems and where it may be lacking, whether it be minor or major.

Editor Recommended Editorial Service

You will then be recommended an editorial service that the editor would suggest for your book. These can range from a Basic Edit, where errors in spelling, grammar, and punctuation are addressed, to an Executive Edit, a three-round edit where there are larger content concerns, and everything in between. Our editors may also recommend a different type of service, such as Standard Citation Formatting Service or a Data Entry Service, if it is required.

Your editor will then suggest potential genres for your work, which will help readers more easily find your book on a shelf in their favorite bookstore or in an online database once it is published. While there are a multitude of genres that a manuscript can fall under, our editors pick the top three most relevant ones for your piece.

Sample Edit

Finally, the editor will conduct a sample edit. This is a mini sample of around 200-500 words from the manuscript to show authors what their piece would look like with the editorial service that was recommended in the Manuscript Review. It is up to the authors if they wish to proceed with an edit or leave their piece as it is.

TL;DR

While the Manuscript Review is extremely beneficial for you as an author, it is important to note that this review is only one editor’s opinion of your book. The editor’s suggestions are meant to help guide authors on which type of editing they wish to receive. The Manuscript Review can be a great tool for you to gain a deep understanding of your book’s characteristics and have a clear visual of how it can reach its full potential.

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