What is Manuscript Critique? Benefits, Process, & Cost

• Jun 24, 2025
• 5 min read

• Tags: Self-Publishing, Traditional Publishing

Have you just completed writing what feels like the best manuscript of your life, but are you unsure of how it will be received by publishers?

Do you believe a fresh pair of eyes would help gain perspective on your writing? Do you wish you could get a sneak peek at a professional opinion before putting your baby out into the world?

It sounds like you would benefit greatly from a manuscript critique! Read more to learn all about it.

What is a manuscript critique?

While the word ‘critique’ might make some authors nervous, let us make one thing very clear: a manuscript critique is all about constructive criticism that will help you fine-tune and improve your manuscript and help it achieve its best possible form. While a critique may involve some suggestions for improvement, it is not all negative—you can also learn many wonderful things about your writing in the process.

To put it simply, a manuscript critique is an evaluation of your work by a professional editor before sending it out to literary agents or publishing houses. Most authors have spent so much time and energy writing and rewriting their manuscripts that they have become desensitised to any possible errors or scope for improvement.

While it is important to go in for a thorough manuscript edit to rule out any possible errors, it also helps to have a professional read through your manuscript from both a subjective and objective point of view and give you constructive criticism on how best to improve and shape it to increase its chances of acceptance by credible publishers.

Manuscript critique vs. book editing

Before we go further, it is important to clarify the difference between manuscript critique and book editing. While book editing is concerned with copy and line edits, such as grammatical and linguistic corrections, and developmental or structural edits, such as checking the flow of the passages and the logic of the story as a whole, a manuscript critic does not step into grammatical or linguistic edits. 

A critic’s job is more to take an overall view of the manuscript via a detailed read and then provide the author with feedback similar to developmental or structural editing that will help to enhance the quality of the manuscript as a whole. However, unlike an editor, a critic does not make any changes to the text.

What does a manuscript critique involve?

Here are the steps involved in the process of manuscript critique:

1. Finding the right person

It’s important to find a professional critic or editor whose personality gels with yours—it’s important that you’re both on the same page and there is no room for miscommunication.

2. Negotiating the rate 

Like all other professional services, manuscript critique is a paid service. Average manuscript critique rates would be around 0.006–0.024 USD per word, depending on the critic’s level of experience and expertise. The payment is usually made in two installments—one at the beginning of the process, and another before the critic submits their final feedback to the author.

3. A thorough reading

The critic must give the manuscript—including the ancillary documents such as the author bio and summary—a thorough, in-depth read, making note of points they wish to discuss with the author and feedback they would like to share.

4. A detailed discussion

Next, the author and critic need to have a detailed discussion, going over the points the critic had in mind. It is important for the critic to be gentle and at the same time pragmatic with the feedback they offer in order to motivate the author to improve their manuscript without discouraging them.

5. Reworking the manuscript

Finally, it is up to the author to choose which parts of the critic’s feedback to keep and incorporate, but it is worth keeping in mind that a seasoned critic’s advice would only enhance the manuscript.

How to critique a manuscript

If you are interested in offering manuscript critiquing services, here is a quick guide on how to go about the process:

1. Get familiar

First, in order to familiarise yourself with the manuscript you are about to critique, read the summary, sample chapters, and author bio submitted by the author. This will put you in the right frame of mind and prepare you for your reading ahead.

2. A quick overview

This step is optional, but some critics find it helpful to skim through a manuscript before reading it in detail, as an overview helps them perform a deep reading with greater accuracy.

3. A detailed read

Next, perform a detailed read of the entire manuscript, chapter by chapter. It is okay to go a little slower here (but make sure you adhere to any deadline you have promised the author!), as long as you can view the manuscript from an objective point of view.

4. Mark out errors/important points

It’s important to make note of errors or any points/suggestions for improvement as you read—this can be done the analog way in a notebook, or as comments in the document itself. Make sure to do this as you read so that you don’t forget anything important. Keep in mind that if you are reading nonfiction or a work requiring specific subject knowledge/information, you will also have to perform your own research side-by-side to cross-check facts.

5. Client email

Once you’re done, send an email to your client outlining your thoughts on the manuscript and giving an overview of your critique. Use this as an opportunity to schedule a call with them so that you can discuss the points further.

6. Client call

Finally, get on a call with your client—either audio or video—and go over all the points you’ve noted down in detail. It’s important to keep your tone polite and encouraging and not make the author feel small for any mistakes. A condescending critic usually makes the author feel defensive and less likely to accept their suggestions. Answer the author’s doubts, if any, and help them brainstorm how to improve on the suggested areas.

Benefits of manuscript critique

If you are wondering whether or not opting for a manuscript critique is worth it, allow us to put it simply: it is an investment in yourself and your work. While it may seem like an extra expense, here are some benefits of opting for a manuscript critique that justify the cost:

1. A fresh perspective

As an author who has spent considerable time writing and rewriting a manuscript, it is easy to get desensitised and overlook certain errors or areas that need improvement. A fresh pair of eyes can easily pick these out and improve the quality of your work.

2. Improved quality

When a professional takes the time to read your manuscript and offer guidance, you can be sure their tips and suggestions will improve the quality of your work and polish your manuscript to achieve its best possible form.

3. Greater chances of acceptance

Once you have got your manuscript professionally critiqued and have incorporated the feedback, it has a higher chance of acceptance by credible literary agents or publishing houses.

Check out PaperTrue’s expert self-publishing services and writer support to enhance your writing today! With our expert editors, detailed instructional blogs, and AI-powered services, we can provide insightful manuscript critique and self-publishing services that will help you achieve your dreams as an author!

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Tanvi

With a foundation in Life Sciences, Tanvi enjoys curating technical writing tips tailored for ESL students. When she's not translating complex concepts into bite-sized nuggets, she can be found playing with dogs or painting landscapes.