The publishing world is a highly competitive one. Which means that every author needs to put their best foot forward, with every manuscript. An incomplete draft, no matter how brilliant the idea or the writing, just won’t cut it. Sometimes a writer asks me for an early assessment – perhaps they think they are halfway, or perhaps they’ve completed a first draft – because they would like assurance that they are ‘on the right track’. In my experience, this is often too early, and so I encourage them to keep going.

Here’s why: in assessing the manuscript, I need to consider it as a whole and in its constituent parts. It’s impossible to assess denouement in the plot of a novel if it does not (yet) have an ending. A ‘problem’ identified early in a work of non-fiction may in fact be resolved later. And a problem in the narrative structure can’t be properly identified if the manuscript is only partially written.

I have been a professional editor for decades, and in that role I have learned to be like a physician who is both a good diagnostician and a skilled surgeon – to quickly find the problems in structure and style, and then to collaborate with the author to fix them in preparation for publication. But as a manuscript assessor, the work essentially stops at the point of diagnosis: in the early stages of development, it is the role of the author to wield the scalpel and fashion the manuscript into the book they envision. My role is to identify the problems in the manuscript and leave the solutions up to its creator.

You can make the most of a manuscript assessment by completing the first draft and then revising it yourself (learn the art of self-editing) before submitting it for an assessment. This will give the assessor a good idea about what you consider your best writing, so that they can offer recommendations commensurate with your skills and your goals for the manuscript. It also makes sense in terms of getting value for money.

There are a few steps you should take early on to prepare for your manuscript assessment:

1. Review your first (and subsequent) drafts for obvious errors in spelling, punctuation, syntax and word choice. But if you find such detailed work difficult – for example, if you’re dyslexic, let your assessor know and don’t sweat the small stuff.
2. Consider aspects of the work that deal with sensitive matters, such as Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property (ICIP), or trauma, violence and other potentially distressing content. Perhaps you need to seek assistance beforehand from an authenticity reader or a sensitivity reader, respectively, so that the assessor can take their recommendations into account.
3. Draft a synopsis (250–400 words) to accompany the manuscript. (This is not the same as a manuscript summary or outline.)
4. Work out how you will brief the assessor. What, if any, concerns do you have about the manuscript? What elements would you like them to focus on? How will you brief them about any sensitive content, keeping in mind their right to occupational health and safety?

Most importantly, be open to constructive criticism. Think of the assessor as your champion: someone who wants the best for your manuscript and your writing. If they identify a problem, quell a desire to be defensive, and instead think of it as a challenge. How can you make the work even better? What are the elements you can work on, and which ones do you need assistance with, perhaps from a mentor or a professional editor?

After months and even years of wrestling with words on the page, it’s common to lose perspective and be unable to see the wood for the trees. A manuscript assessor will read your manuscript and provide a constructive report to help you bring your work to a publishable standard.