I was contacted by an author back about 6 months ago for editing a manuscript, we chatted a bit about it, but she decided to take up her cousin’s offer to edit the book for free. She said she might be in touch with me later to help her with some other aspects of her book.

Last week she contacting me saying that she was looking for a second opinion about whether her book was “good enough.” After learning more, we decided a manuscript review would be her best option to start with. For a small investment, a manuscript review can save you thousands of dollars over the long haul. Maybe her cousin is an excellent editor (after all, my cousins could say that about me! haha). Maybe her cousin is an excellent copy editor but not an excellent content editor, but how can this author know without an objective professional opinion?

A manuscript review will give her a report on the overall effectiveness of the book, its organization, marketability, a determination of whether it needs additional editing or proofreading, etc. Sure, if further work needs to be done on the manuscript, it will cost you more money. But if you reached this same conclusion after you printed 1,000 books, that would be a very costly mistake!

If you think your book is “good enough” to publish, but you’re not entirely sure, a manuscript review is one of your best bets to ensure your book has a fighting chance in the competitive world of book sales.