You're an experienced novelist with multiple novels published. You understand story structure, character arcs, and genre expectations. You're earning money from your writing and treating writing as a business.

But you're stuck at solid, but forgettable.

Your books get 4-star reviews. Readers say "I enjoyed it." But they don't rave. They don't name their pets after your characters or miss their subway stop because they couldn't put your book down. They finish your story and move on to someone else's.

You know the general principles of good fiction. But how do you write novels readers can't stop talking about? Not just the ones they finish and forget.

A Manuscript Review gives you a custom infographic to help you visualize what a bingeable version of YOUR novel would look like. Plus, strategic feedback on exactly how to get there. You'll see how to tweak your story to make it addictive and unforgettable.

Are you...

  • Getting good reviews but not passionate buzz or word-of-mouth sales?
  • Suspecting something's off with your pacing or structure but uncertain how to fix it?
  • Worried your lead characters are forgettable rather than memorable and one-of-a-kind?
  • Hitting a ceiling in sales or reviews despite applying all the standard craft advice?
  • Expanding into a new genre and worried you'll disappoint your readers?
  • Writing more complex stories (series, ensemble casts, braided timelines, complex subplots) and wondering if you’re in over your head?
  • Uncertain about whether you’ve got what it takes to be one of those top authors?

The difference between forgettable and unforgettable isn't luck or talent. It's precision. Breakout novels get the invisible structure right. They perfect the elements that make readers hungry for more.

What You'll Get

With a Manuscript Review you will:

  • Transform casual readers into obsessive fans - A custom infographic helps you envision what a page-turning version of your novel looks like. You'll see where you need to focus your efforts so you can craft a novel that readers will stay up past midnight or wake up before their alarm to finish.
  • Drive sales through passionate word-of-mouth - Genre-specific feedback strengthens your characters, plot, and the invisible elements that make your story world feel real and make readers look up from the page shocked that hours have passed.
  • Translate the hero in your head onto the page - We'll use behavior change science to ensure that the hero who feels so vivid in your mind is the character who comes across on the page.
  • Stop wasting time on revisions that don't matter - Using a framework developed from reading 1,100+ novels and 70 craft books, I'll show you where to focus so readers immediately grasp the stakes, the structure pulls them in and doesn't let go, and the polish makes your story stick with them long after The End.
  • Keep readers emotionally engaged from first page to last - Scene-by-scene analysis identifies what creates the emotional bond between reader and character. You'll see which moments already work and where you're missing opportunities to pull readers deeper into your story.
Most importantly: You'll break through the ceiling. This manuscript becomes the book that elevates your career from "making money from writing" to "building an audience of superfans who put you on auto-buy”

How a Manuscript Review Works

Manuscript Reviews are a set of developmental editing services to help you refine and polish your narrative so it’s more likely to catch the eye of agents and editors, and become a novel that readers recommend to friends.

MS Reviews are appropriate for experienced authors who have a professional quality draft of a novel aimed at adult, new adult, or young adult readers. Professional quality means stories where there's a cohesive narrative, populated by well-motivated characters, and scenes with identifiable conflict. These packages are intended for writers working in these genres: fantasy, romance, crime (mystery or thriller), action, suspense, or science fiction.

Manuscript Review packages start with the submission of your draft and completion of a story survey capturing your intentions, goals, and feelings about the story as it stands now. I read and carefully review your manuscript and survey. Then, I prepare detailed feedback celebrating what’s working well, pinpointing areas for improvement, as well as places where your manuscript seems to stray from your intentions, and summarize with recommended next steps. You get a few days to review the feedback. Finally, we meet to discuss everything so you know exactly what to do to make this novel your best yet.

You'll also receive a custom infographic of YOUR story - a visual map showing exactly what your manuscript looks like now and what changes could transform this novel into your breakout hit.

Manuscript Review Breakdown

Manuscript Reviews are split into three levels: Core, Breakout, and Blockbuster. All three service levels include a custom infographic and evaluation and feedback on 14 key components. Plus, any issues that pop out on readthrough as critical to the novel’s success or opportunities to help your story stand out in your genre. The Breakout and Blockbuster packages add additional evaluation and feedback on topics beyond the 14 key components. Breakout covers two additional topics, Blockbuster covers five.

The 14 key components are:

  1. Main Conflict

  2. Protagonist & Character Arc

  3. Chief Antagonist or Main Villain

  4. Genre-Specific Expectations

  5. Message or Theme

  6. Plot

  7. Story Start (a.k.a. Act 1)

  8. Story Middle (a.k.a. Act 2)

  9. Story End (a.k.a. Act 3)

  10. Characters

  11. Cast Design

  12. Scenes

  13. Plot Twists

  14. Setting

For each component, you’ll get an evaluation based on storytelling best practices that identifies opportunities to strengthen your book’s ability to grab readers’ attention and keep them turning pages to the end. As well as places where you can heighten your unique perspective and showcase your inimitable voice.   

Additional topics for the Breakout and Blockbuster packages include:

  • Irresistible First Pages: Get in-depth, scene-specific feedback on your First Pages to help them catch the eye of agents and editors, or make readers click Buy Now when they Look Inside on Amazon.

  • Stunning Ending: Get thorough scene-specific feedback on the pacing and tension of the climax and lead-up to it so readers can’t wait for your next novel.

  • Sustain a multi-book series: Feel confident that your conflict has enough depth to sustain your series with detailed feedback on the network of supporting characters across multiple novels. 

  • Brilliant braided timelines: Ensure that each timeline is pulling its weight, with an assessment of how each progression is pulling readers forward and how they’re meshing together.

  • Troubleshooting: Uncover potential solutions for a problem section of the story that just isn’t coming together with detailed scene-specific feedback

  • Multiple protagonist character arcs: Evaluation of character arcs for up to 4 protagonists so readers will feel invested in each one’s journey

  • Manuscript specific requests:  A customized evaluation of any element of the story that you’ve identified as needing extra attention

Manuscript Review Core

Perfect for: Experienced authors who need to see their structure clearly and get strategic revision priorities - not generic craft advice.

What's included:

  • Complete read-through of your manuscript (up to 100K words)
  • Custom story infographic showing the essential characters, plot elements, and story progression to help you picture your current draft and the page-turning version of your book
  • Written evaluation of 14 key story components (see breakdown above)
  • Scene analysis to help you create more memorable moments with the potential turn readers into evangelists
  • Strategic revision priorities so you know exactly what to tackle first
  • 1-hour editorial feedback call to discuss everything
  • Audio recording of the call

Investment: Core

Includes a readthrough and evaluation of a manuscript of up to 100k words,custom infographic of your manuscript, written feedback on the 14 key components that celebrates strengths, identifies issues, and provides next step recommendations, and a single editorial feedback call


$1800 USD
 3 payments of $600

Investment: Breakout

Includes a readthrough and evaluation of a manuscript of up to 100k words, detailed custom infographic with in-depth structural analysis, written feedback on the 14 key components and two (2) additional topics of your choosing and a single editorial feedback call.


$2700 USD
 3 payments of $900 or 6 payments of $450

Investment: Blockbuster

Includes a readthrough and evaluation of a manuscript of up to 100k words, comprehensive custom infographic with deep-dive structural and thematic analysis, written feedback on the 14 key components and five (5) additional topics of your choosing and a single editorial feedback call.


$4200 USD
 3 payments of $1400 or 6 payments of $700

Developmental editing requires trust. In the past, you might've gotten generic feedback from an editor. Or worse, recommendations to alter the entire story into something the editor prefers, but that you never intended. Either way, you might have left feeling disappointed and without a clear path forward for polishing your draft.

Forget cookie-cutter advice, and feedback that doesn’t honor your unique vision. With a Manuscript Review package we will focus on strengthening the story you want to tell. You’ll get custom feedback that takes your genre, audience, plot, tropes, and publishing goals into account so this manuscript becomes the sensational novel you know it has the potential to be.

If you’re ready to get custom, personalized feedback that transforms your manuscript into a truly addictive page-turner, schedule your free call today.