Critiques and Appraisals

Getting a professional critique or appraisal of your work is probably one of the best investments you can make for you career. It offers you an unbiased opinion on everything ranging from title, to plot, to characterisation, and writing style. All those things your friends were too scared to mention...an appraiser WILL mention.

It's scary to hand over your manuscript to a stranger and then sit for weeks biting your nails and sweating it out over the report. When I sent off my first manuscript the waiting very nearly did my head in! I was never sorry I made the decision to do it and the money spent was worth every penny.

I was lucky enough to be offered a mentorship afterwards and if this is offered to you do not turn it down. Having someone who knows the business, who is a professional in advising you, is worth its weight in gold.

There are plenty places out there offering an appraisal service, but like everything else make sure you do your homework. For every great appraisal company there are several sharks just waiting for the chance to bleed you dry. It's imperative you know who you're sending your work too and whether or not their opinion will be an honest, professional one. The most expensive are not always the best in this case.

When you get your manuscript back be prepared for a list of problems and recommendations for change. You've paid for this, this is why you sent it away in the first place, and it's in your own best interests to take their advice on board.

Sure, you'll probably get your feathers ruffled. No-one likes to be told their work needs...well...work! After all, didn't you spend a year, or more, making your masterpiece the very best you could? Yes you did, but it can be better.

An appraiser reads your story blind. That is, they don't know you, they don't know the story, they don't know anything other than what you've sent them. Due to this they are not emotionally attached to it and they don't have to preserve your feelings like friends or family have a tendency to do. This is why they can make or break your story because an appraisal can make or break the writer.

If you're serious about writing you'll be aware that you aren't the best thing since Shakespeare. That there's always room for improvement, always new things to learn, and always new things to try. These are what will be listed in the report you receive back. Don't discard it as hogwash and don't ever presume you know better. Take it on board, rework your manuscript, try the suggestions out and more likely than not you'll be over the moon with the finished product.

From there you can utilise all you've learnt into every other project you start. You'll be able to look through other drafts of other work and instantly set your new skills into action with those. An appraisal doesn't start and end with only the manuscript you sent away - it continues to help in every aspect across the board.

A positive appraisal is a nice thing to add into your submission package when you approach agents and publishers. It doesn't guarantee acceptance but what it does guarantee is assuring you come across as someone who is serious and dedicated to your craft. Someone willing to take the extra steps, to spend a little money, to do the very best you can and offer them a top product.

Your reputation and your work ethic are extremely important. Prove you're willing and able to do the work. Do it within a reasonable time, do it to the best of your ability, and then send it back for a second opinion. By sending it back for a second opinion you're showing how serious you are, how determined you are, and that kind of reputation does spread.

Don't dismiss an appraisal as something there to squeeze money out of you. It's not. Find a reputable company and take the plunge. It's a worthy career, and educational, move.