Evaluations/Developmental Critiques for Manuscripts and Screenplays

Over the years many projects have come to me already edited and copy edited, when in fact they needed further development and rewriting. So an evaluation/developmental critique to determine your manuscript's needs is an essential first step in our work together. This gives me a micro/macro view of your manuscript, allowing me to see its weaknesses, strengths and potential, and to map out the varied solutions needed to bring it to publishable form. I read your manuscript wearing a lapel microphone and record my observations and developmental suggestions from beginning to end. I then transcribe, distill and develop the 45 to 90 minutes of recorded notes into a written critique of 16 to 20+ double-spaced pages. The entire process usually takes between 7 and 12 hours, depending on the length and roughness of the manuscript. Screenplays take less time. My rate for an evaluation/critique is $75. per hour for manuscripts, and $90. per hour for screenplays. I require a retainer check of $425. to begin work. The remainder is due upon your receipt of the evaluation/critique and final bill. Sample critiques I've written for fiction and non-fiction manuscripts are available upon request.

 

Editing & Book (or Script) Doctoring:

As an editor, I distill your manuscript to its essential form, cutting, reorganizing and restructuring where necessary, making weak sentences good, and good sentences powerful by pruning passive words and collapsing them to their essential meanings. I also add needed segue lines, suggest elaborations of essential points for greater clarity, give developmental suggestions where needed, and point out writer's tics (quirky prose habits that distract from the book and call attention to you). On narrative driven projects (novels, memoirs, screenplays) I also offer suggestions for improving plot, characters and the overall structure, tightness and style of the narrative. But some manuscripts require more than an edit. (A manuscript evaluation/critique will already have determined this.) If you want, I can also book doctor or rewrite your manuscript to make it publishable. My hourly rate for editing and book doctoring is $75. I can only give a project estimate for a major edit or rewrite after editing or rewriting a chapter of your manuscript.

 

Collaborating/Ghostwriting:

With your ideas, insights and expertise, and my writing skill, we can find a compelling “hook” and an elegant structure for your non-fiction book, and design chapters that effectively present and develop your ideas in a marketable form. The material generated in this initial developmental phase can also be adapted into a compelling book proposal. I can also collaborate on or ghostwrite novels, memoirs and screenplays, all of which involve developing the plot, subplots, characters and style using the classic principles of narrative dramatic structure. My hourly rate for collaborations and ghostwrites is $75. plus a mutually agreed upon percentage of book advance and royalties. Depending on the project, the total cost can be anywhere from $15,000 to $75,000 and can take anywhere from 3 months to a year. Sample chapters of my books (novels, memoirs, non-fiction) and screenplays are available upon request.

 

Book Proposals (with or without sample chapters):

I've written and sold many book proposals over the years. Several of my book proposals for ghostwrites have sold to major publishers from mid- to high-five figures. Two of my proposals for collaborations have sold for six-figures - “The Energy Prescription” to Bantam/Random House, and “Divine Interventions” (written with Dan Millman) to Rodale/Daybreak). My fee for writing a book proposal and cover letter is $3,000. My proposals include all the standard sections – Overview, About the Author, Comparative Books, Marketing Plan, Chapter Summaries, and a cover letter. My fee for writing a proposal with a book Introduction and two sample chapters is $7,500. If you write the proposal and sample chapters, I can edit or “doctor” them for my $75. hourly rate. In writing the proposal, I will work closely with you to help you conceive, design, develop and clarify your book idea into a marketable form that fully communicates your vision. I will also help you look for an agent when the proposal is completed. Samples of my book proposals with chapters are available upon request.

 

Creative/Writing Coaching:

I offer one-on-one coaching and writing instruction, in person or by phone. In our sessions I will help you dissolve creative blocks and limiting beliefs, access inspiration, motivation, and a deeper vision of your project and your creative potential. My hourly rate is $90. I offer a 15% discount for ongoing coaching sessions. I also offer periodic one-day workshops on writing and the creative process.