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You’ve arrived at the last page of your story and written those crucial, beautiful words: “The End.”

A young Asian woman leans back from her computer, done with her work in a generic room.

Finished at last!

Well done! You deserve some time to rest before you dive into the next step of editing your story.

Now, one key piece of advice here is there isn’t a wrong time to put your work in front of a professional for feedback. While this article will take you through steps that will bring your book to be as strong as you can possibly make it on your own, we all are of different skillsets, so if something isn’t for you, that’s when you bring in a professional editor.

To start out with, what is a Manuscript Overview?

Someone hard at work on a Manuscript Overview

Perhaps the easiest definition can be pulled from our page on providing Manuscript Overviews (MOVs).

It is an objective evaluation of a story idea that is fully formed with a beginning, middle, and end, but still in an early draft stage. The MOV comes before Line Editing and Copy Editing.

No matter who you pick to perform a Manuscript Overview for your book, you should get one. The amount of time and money it saves on editing by being more general and help you go further with your own writing is on thing, but the most important part is it helps keep your book focused and your narrative strong. Traditional Publishing Houses use them, and it makes sense to follow suit.

Typically, an MOV will cover

  • compelling nature of story
  • dialogue
  • character development
  • does the scenery and setting work with the story
  • backstory issues
  • professionalism of editing & formatting
  • continuity of storyline
  • plotting and plot-hole issues
  • writing craft

So, the question remains, how do you get your book to that point: fully formed with a beginning, middle, and end. How do you get it to the best point you can do on your own?

The Reverse Outline

A Red Uno Reverse Card

Once you’ve finished your manuscript, even if you already have an outline, you can create one that reflects the actual book you’ve written. From this point, you can edit that outline of your book as is. Working within the outline to create a roadmap to revision often feels much more approachable.

Next off, we have a recommendation from Matt Bell, author of Refuse to Be Done.

Rewrite your book.

You can have the draft you wrote printed out, off to the side, on a separate monitor, whatever feels comfortable, but rewrite it using your new outline as a guide.

Refuse to Be Done has a yellow cover with the title written out across 3 pieces of paper

Bell’s theory behind this is that you will copy and paste a bad line (or duplicate scene). But you won’t rewrite a bad line.

Not sure where to start in creating your outline? Jessica Brody’s beat sheet from Save the Cat! Writes a Novel can help. Brody breaks down the story into actionable beats you can aim for to keep your book flowing along. Check out her breakdown of story beats here!

Once you’re done rewriting the book, it helps to go through and check to see if you’ve met the goals of a new outline. Ask yourself if your story has a beat and if you can dance to it.

After all that work, you’re probably ready for a Manuscript Overview.

What to do while you wait

A standard Chanticleer MOV takes 6-9 weeks to finish. While that’s going on, we recommend following D.D. Black’s critical advice whenever you’re in writing limbo: Write the next thing.

Not only will that get you out of your head and allow you to be more objective with your manuscript when it comes back, but it will put you ahead of the game for the next book.

What do our authors say about our MOVs? Read recent testimonials here!

Wow, huge thank you for this second review! It’s so detailed and very much what I was hoping for. The specifics about moving content and clarity are spot on. I knew it needed structural improvements but I was too close to do it. Please pass on my sincere thanks for this work! I’ve only started some of it & already feel a better flow. I’m hoping to possibly even cut about 10k words to make it tighter. – Sheridan Genrich author of REWIRED: Optimise Your Genetic Potential

 

I’m writing to gratefully acknowledge receipt of the Manuscript Overview of my book. I am so pleased to have this close reading and incredibly helpful insights. These comments are far more beneficial than anything I had expected. It will be a pleasure addressing the editor’s critiques and trying out his concrete suggestions. Please extend to him my genuine gratitude. Chanticleer crows again! – John Feist, author of Edged in Purple and many more

 

I finally got this copied and read. It’s just what I wanted it to be—a skillful job. I knew there were the kind of holes the editor mentioned, but he’s given me a plan for the revisions. Please pass on my thanks. – Linda Brugger, columnist and accidental author

 

Please thank the reviewer for a very relevant and detailed review of my manuscript, ANKANAM. I plan to incorporate all his notes! – Vee Kumari, author of Ankanam.

 

This was just what I needed. I am looking at the book with a new focus and have already started working up the suggested changes. The first thing I did was remove those items the editor mentioned should be deleted. It was a bit painful but necessary. There was plenty of meat in his review, which took me a while to digest, but changes are on the way. These will take some time, but I will likely be interested in the Manuscript Reconciliation process. I can tell the editor spent quite some time researching some of the issues raised in the book, which I greatly appreciated. It helped me see the book more from the reader’s perspective than mine. Please pass along my sincere thanks. – Jim Leonard

Thank you for joining us for this Writer Toolbox Article

A red toolbox with the words "What's in your toolbox

There is so much to learn and do with Chanticleer!

From our Book Award Program that has Discovered the Best Books since the early 2010s to our Editorial Book Reviews recognizing and promoting indie and traditional authors, Chanticleer knows your books are worth the effort to market professionally!

 

When you’re ready, did you know that Chanticleer offers editorial services? We do and have been doing so since 2011.

Our professional editors are top-notch and are experts in the Chicago Manual of Style. They have and are working for the top publishing houses (TOR, McMillian, Thomas Mercer, Penguin Random House, Simon Schuster, etc.).

If you would like more information, we invite you to email us at info@ChantiReviews.com for more information, testimonials, and fees.

We work with a small number of exclusive clients who want to collaborate with our team of top-editors on an on-going basis. Contact us today!

Chanticleer Editorial Services also offers writing craft sessions and masterclasses. Sign up to find out where, when, and how sessions being held.

A great way to get started is with our manuscript evaluation service, with more information available here.

And we do editorial consultations for $75. Learn more here.  

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The traditional publishing tool that indie authors can use to propel their writing careers to new levels?  Check it out here!