Already written your book? Find out what it needs.

The Manuscript Evaluation is for the author who has finished a draft and wants a professional, honest read before deciding what comes next. A Scribe editor reads the whole manuscript, then tells you in writing where it is strong, where it is weak, and exactly what it would take to make it a book we would be proud to publish. No commitment beyond the evaluation.

$2,000

A full professional read and written editing plan for manuscripts up to 50,000 words. Longer manuscripts are quoted on the call.

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What's Included

A real editor reads every page

Not a sample, not software. A Scribe editor reads your complete manuscript with the same eye they bring to the books we publish.

Your Editorial Review Letter

A written assessment of structure, flow, completeness, and quality: what is working, what is not, and why.

Your Editing Plan

The level of editing your manuscript actually needs, from developmental work to line editing and proofreading, and what that would involve.

A call to walk through it

You talk it through with the editor who read it, so you can ask questions and understand the recommendations.

Clear next steps

Whether you keep revising on your own, work with an outside editor, or move into Scribe Publishing, you will know what to do next and why.

Everything is yours

The letter and the plan are yours to keep and act on however you decide to publish.

How It Works

Send us your manuscript

Share your complete draft with us. Any format is fine; we will confirm the word count and timeline.

A Scribe editor reads it in full

The editor reads the whole book once for structure and flow, then goes back through sections in detail to judge what level of editing it needs.

Receive your Editorial Review Letter and Editing Plan

Within about two weeks for manuscripts up to 50,000 words you receive both documents in writing.

Talk it through with the editor

A call to go over the findings, answer your questions, and agree on what the manuscript needs.

Decide your next step

Revise on your own, or move straight into Scribe Publishing with a plan already in hand.

Is This Right for You?

This is for you if...

You have a finished or nearly finished manuscript
You want an honest professional opinion before you invest in publishing
You are not sure whether the draft needs a light edit or real structural work
You are weighing Scribe Publishing and want a lower-risk way to begin
You want a written plan you can act on, with us or on your own

This is NOT for you if...

You have not started writing yet (look at Scribe Compass instead)
You want someone to write the book for you (that is Scribe Professional)
You want the manuscript edited, not evaluated, right now

Frequently Asked Questions

Who reads my manuscript? ▾

A professional Scribe editor, the same editors who work on the books we publish. It is a complete human read, not an automated report.

What do I receive? ▾

Two documents: an Editorial Review Letter that assesses structure, flow, completeness, and quality, and an Editing Plan that spells out the level of editing the manuscript needs and what that work would involve. Then a call with the editor to walk through both.

How long does it take? ▾

About two weeks for manuscripts up to 50,000 words. Longer manuscripts take a little more time, and we will confirm the timeline when we confirm your word count.

Does the evaluation edit my manuscript? ▾

No. The evaluation tells you what the manuscript needs and how to get there. Editing itself happens inside Scribe Publishing or with an editor of your choosing.

What if the editor says the book is not ready? ▾

Then you will know exactly why and what to fix, which is the point. Many authors revise on their own with the plan in hand and come back when the draft is ready.

How does this relate to Scribe Publishing? ▾

Scribe Publishing takes a finished manuscript through editing, design, and publication. The evaluation is the honest first look that tells you whether your draft is ready for that, and what it needs if it is not. Your strategist can walk you through both on a free consult.

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Scribe Elite

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Premium customized ghostwriting

Ready to Get Started?

Schedule a free consultation with our publishing strategists to discuss your book.

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What Our Authors Say

Hear from authors who brought their books to life with Scribe

★★★★★

A book is one of the most powerful lead generators for businesses out there.

Shaan Patel

Shark Tank veteran · CEO, Prep Expert

★★★★★

I'm glad I went with [Scribe]. It's been a good, good working relationship.

Hadley Ott

Author & Health Coach

★★★★★

[The book] just gives a little bit more credibility so that when we as a business are talking to people, it’s more about how can you help me as opposed to, I need to see if you’re the real deal.

Nicholas Capman

CEO of The FDA Group

★★★★★

I can say with 100% honesty that it was great every step of the way. If it was just you and me, not on a podcast, and you said, ‘Just tell me what we could have done better,’ I’d say: I don’t know. I can’t think of anything.

Sarma Melngailis

Former Owner, Pure Food and Wine

★★★★★

I always wanted to get back to that original level [of McGraw Hill quality] but without having to take the kind of pay cut that you do through a major publisher. And so that's when I found Scribe. And it was kind of the perfect match between self-publishing but still getting that professional level of publication.

Shaan Patel

CEO, Prep Expert

★★★★★

Your story is your story and no one can tell it better than you.

Hadley Ott

Author & Health Coach

★★★★★

Scribe Media does a really good job of telling you what to anticipate. […] I kind of knew from the support of Scribe Media what was going to happen. So no real surprises.

Nicholas Capman

CEO of The FDA Group

★★★★★

As soon as I made the commitment to publish this book with Scribe and go through you guys and just see it through, as soon as that contract was signed, everything else opened up.

Adam Skolnick

Co-Author of Can't Hurt Me, NYT Contributor

★★★★★

[The Scribe team] made it happen, putting the book together in such a short time frame and then making all of that come to life in such an amazing and professional way, that we can compete with the Princeton Reviews and the Kaplans and the juggernauts in our space without having to go through a major publisher and still keep all that ROI for ourselves.

Shaan Patel

CEO, Prep Expert

★★★★★

I was really surprised at how concise it was. […] The person that helped me write the book [at Scribe Media] was just amazing. He was so good. And then the editing process was just so good.

Nicholas Capman

CEO of The FDA Group

★★★★★

I wasn’t a ‘writer.’ Scribe turned years of workshops into a clear book—and the book turned into credibility, revenue, and relationships I couldn’t have reached any other way.

Rich Kurtzman

Founder & CEO, Barcelona SAE

★★★★★

The amount that we spent on the Scribe project has generated a 10x plus return ever since, if not 20x.

Shaan Patel

CEO, Prep Expert

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