A manuscript appraisal service can charge over $1000 to provide a five-page report—without actually editing the manuscript. SFeditor.ca takes a very different approach, which allows us to offer appraisal edits for as little as $175.

Instead of charging potential clients for reading the entire manuscript, SFeditor.ca starts with a sample. Clients submit the first 4000 words (about 15 pages in double-spaced format) of their manuscript, plus a one- to three-page synopsis of the novel (roughly what one would initially submit when querying an agent or traditional publisher.) The synopsis allows SFeditor.ca to analyze whether the story holds together; the sample tells us about the quality of the client's writing. Just as acquisition editors often say they can tell whether they are interested in buying a novel in the first five pages, Essential Edits can identify fundamental problems (if any) by looking at the 15-page sample and one to three-page synopsis.

SFeditors.ca' appraisal identifies (a) whether the manuscript is ready for professional editing, or the author should first avail themselves of free workshops, critique circles, and beta readers; (b) whether the "submission package" is ready to submit to agents and publishers (if a publisher accepts your manuscript, then they provide whatever editing is necessary at no cost to the author); and (c) the commercial potential of the novel if one is self-publishing (i.e., whether the book is likely to sell well enough to pay for the investment in professional editing.)

Then Essential Edits goes beyond a simple appraisal to actually perform a full edit on these 15 sample pages. Many clients find that the sample edit identifies fundamental bad habits in their writing (e.g., overuse of italics or exclamation points; expository lumps; unnecessary backstory; etc.) and that once identified for them, the client can fix these fatal flaws in the rest of the manuscript for themselves. This obviously represents a significant cost saving for the client.

The sample edit also represents your opportunity to access the benefits of structural/stylistic/copy editing from Essential Edits on a trial basis without making a significant investment. The sample edit allows the client to determine if the edit is (a) at the desired level, (b) of the desired quality, (c) and provides the desired type of feedback, before committing to the expense of a full edit.

Of particular significance here is that this approach protects the client from paying for the wrong service. The term "editing" can refer to many different tasks, from proofreading to ghostwriting, so it is important the client is clear on which service they are purchasing.

Editors Association of Canada's Categorization of Editing Tasks http://www.editors.ca/hire/definitions.html

Copy editors assume, for example, that any manuscript handed them is the final draft, and their job is just to check for grammar, spelling and the like. That can be an expensive mistake if the author thought they were getting the sort of "editing" that points out problems with plot, character, the book's internal logic, and so on. There is no point in having a perfectly spelled manuscript if the "surprise ending" is that the butler did it. On the other hand, an author may not appreciate an editor charging for extensive commentary on the storyline when all that was wanted was someone to check for typos.

The Essential Edits appraisal recommends the appropriate level of editing for the manuscript, and the sample edit on the first 15 pages demonstrates what that would look like. This "no surprises" approach avoids costly misunderstandings and ensures customer satisfaction.

Of course, the sample edit also allows Essential Edits to more accurately estimate costs by seeing how much work needs to be done on this particular manuscript. We can then draw up a contract clearly specifying both the editing/coaching tasks to be performed and the associated costs.

Our appraisal fee is heavily discounted because we're analyzing a sample rather than the whole manuscript. A basic appraisal edit from Essential Edits is $175 for 4000 words, plus a one to three-page synopsis. (Larger samples are charged a correspondingly higher fee.) The fee is payable in advance and non-refundable.

Developmental editing can sometimes include additional forms of mentoring—help with writer's block, motivation, self-doubt, and so on—such that the editor becomes a writing coach. A good writing coach can save a writer considerable time, energy and angst by focusing one's energies productively, but the client needs to understand that such services also represent billable hours.