Becoming a best-selling author is the driving force behind every aspiring writer. Only the most determined make it.
Writer’s Support offers an advisory service to help bring your manuscript to the required standard for submission to a literary agent or publisher. Once you have completed your book, company CEO, Ulrike Hill advises you to follow these three steps.
Step 1: Manuscript Appraisals
The first step is getting advice. Many writers feel feedback from family and friends is enough. It isn’t. Neither is the opinion of another published author. Writers should engage the services of a writing professional who is experienced in appraisals.
A comprehensive 9 to 15-page report highlights the best parts of your manuscript. It also draws attention to weaknesses. The appraiser assesses quality. This saves you time and money. Writers, whether experienced or novice, can benefit from a critical reading of their work.
Step 2: Editing
Editing is about looking at the bigger picture. It is about reviewing your manuscript as a whole. There are two levels of editing:
The first level will focus merely on the content, structure, language and style of the manuscript.
The next level of editing is more complicated and requires skill and diplomacy. The editor advises on storyline and character development and makes recommendations. Often these recommendations include deleting characters, part of a story or even changing the story. The insecure writer may not understand the recommendations and see this as a sign of weakness. You, the writer, reserve the right to listen to these recommendations.
Another dimension of the editing process is the manuscript restructure. The editor will organise your storyline and important story points in a logical sequence. Chapters will be structured in a way to grab the reader’s attention.
Step 3: Proof reading
The proof-reader scans and highlights spelling, sentence structure and grammar. The proof-reader looks at the correctness of the text with a magnifying glass. This should be the final step once editing, formatting and manuscript layout is complete.
Typos and misplaced punctuation creep into manuscripts. Submitting a polished, error-free manuscript puts you one-step ahead of the pack. It shows publishers you respect them. It also shows you are serious about becoming a writer.
Ulrike Hill Writing Projects
Tackling the Brickwall, Overcoming Adversity in Schoolboy Rugby (Crink)
Debbie Calitz: 20 Years of Hostage Hell (Penguin)
Against All Odds with Wayne and Rebecka Smith (Austin Macauley Publishers)
Ulrike has ghost-written for celebrities who have chosen to write under a pseudonym.
Need help with your manuscript? Email your manuscript to writer@ulrikehill.co.za.