MANUSCRIPT ANALYSIS

For some clients, Robbie and Sharilyn provide manuscript analysis. Some authors finish writing or almost finish writing and then realize that their book feels disconnected. Something doesn't seem right, and they can't put their finger on the problem. This kind of unease isn't the sign of a bad author; everyone needs another opinion sometimes. And sometimes people just can't see their own good qualities except through the eyes of others.

 

After signing an NDA, which guarantees intellectual property rights for the author, Robbie and Sharilyn read a copy of an author's manuscript. They discuss it and think about it separately and together. Sharilyn will discover the important themes to emphasize and invent the ways to hold the book together more organically. Robbie will ponder potential sponsors and audience types and ways to appeal to them before the book ever gets into print. Both of them will suggest the central theme and image that would make sense for written imagery and physical book design.

 

Robbie and Sharilyn then meet with an author to talk about what changes would benefit the book. They also give the author a report detailing their findings and suggestions. For independent authors who want to do the developmental editing stages themselves, a manuscript analysis can save valuable time and make a book richer than it could have been.