Manuscript Consultation

What is Manuscript Consultation?
It’s a comprehensive approach to understanding your book’s strengths and weakness. It’s also a promise to professionally and sensitively provide you with the feedback you need to truly make your book stand out.  If your book has been getting good feedback, but just hasn’t been able to break out of the slush pile, manuscript consultation might be right for you.

How is manuscript consultation different than editing?
Manuscript consultation isn’t the same as editing. In some ways, it’s better. You can hire an editor to make the appropriate changes to your book for you, but the process won’t make you a better writer. When you hire a manuscript consultant, you get an expert personal advisor who can give you the contextual and marketing advice that you need to make sure your book gets the attention it deserves.

How does it work?
After a close read of your book (sometimes more than once) with an eye toward the techniques of storytelling AND the fundamentals of marketing, you will receive a very detailed editorial letter giving you a gentle but frank assessment of your book’s strengths and weaknesses. You will learn how your book might fare in the current publishing market, and you’ll see what you can do to achieve a stronger read with agents and editors. You will also receive specific suggestions about how to augment your book’s strengths while playing down its weaknesses.

Do you give advice about marketing?
In a word, yes. Discover what you can do to better attract an agent or editor’s attention. Get tuned in to what editors are acquiring, what kind of books are getting “picked up” now, and learn where your book fits in. Your personalized editorial letter will help you identify your book’s niche and recommend strategies for positioning your book within the larger publishing industry.

What’s it gonna cost?
Because manuscript consultation is different than editing or consulting, it frequently costs less than hiring a line editor or committing to a long-term relationship with a writing coach. Depending on the length of your book, your manuscript consultation will likely cost between $100 and $500.

For a quote, see the submissions guideline below.

How do I know you won’t take my book or my book idea?
Plagiarism is disgusting. Your work is safe.

What genres do you work with?
Women’s fiction of all forms, romance, mainstream, and literary.

Submissions Guidelines
To apply, send an email to lisa (at) lisadalebooks.com. Include:

Your REAL full name (and pen name, if applicable)
The first 25 pages of your book (via pasted-in text or attachments)
Your bio
A note about what you hope to achieve with manuscript consultation