Manuscript Editing: Strengthen Your Story
Professional book editing
Get detailed constructive feedback on your book
Jericho Writers was founded by writers, for writers. Four of us are published by the Big 5, while others are deep in the writing process.
We carefully select the editors we work with — we choose the kind of people we’d want to guide us in our own writing. It’s this approach that has helped authors move forward with confidence, launch their careers, sign with literary agents and become Sunday Times bestsellers.
Our manuscript editing service will help make your draft the best it can possibly be. You’ll get comprehensive, structural editorial feedback in a full manuscript assessment. This may include style, structure, pacing, characterisation, and marketability. You’ll get detailed advice on how to address any problems raised and an opportunity to ask your manuscript editor follow-up questions.
Your manuscript edit will include
Actionable feedback on your manuscript
Advice on commercial potential
Support tackling next steps
Detailed editorial report
Discussion with your editor
Need more support?
Work with one of our professional book editors
You can request your dream editor or let our team match you with the editor best suited to your work. Our hand-selected team of expert book editors are specialists across trade fiction and non-fiction, and have worked with us for 20-years. Here you’ll find traditionally published authors as well as publishing professionals such as literary agents and editors with Big 5 publisher experience
Holly Seddon
Editor • International bestselling author
- Bio
- Genres
Holly is an international bestselling author with six published novels to date. She is also a mentor and tutor on our Ultimate Novel Writing Course.
Holly is endlessly supportive and encouraging of every writer we send her way. We love her concise and on-point editorial style.
- Contemporary
- Literary (Including ‘bookclub’)
- Crime/Thriller/Action
- Women’s fiction
- Short Stories & novellas
- Plays and screen scripts
Helen Lane
Editor • Literary agent with Ki Agency
- Bio
- Genres
As an agent, Helen is very hands on developmentally, and works with her clients to perfect their manuscripts before submission, encouraging her authors to push their writing to new levels. Before becoming an agent, she spent years producing developmental edit reports for the agents she interned under. Her strengths lie particularly in identifying plot holes and pacing, world building, and character development.
- Science Fiction
- Fantasy
- Paranormal
- Young Adult
Philip Womack
Editor • Critically acclaimed author
- Bio
- Genres
Philip is the author of The Other Book and The Liberators (Bloomsbury). The Liberators was a Children’s Book of the Year for 2010. He teaches Creative Writing to BA and MA students at London University, and has been a literary critic for nearly twenty years, as well as a freelance journalist for a variety of national newspapers and magazines.
Philip is known for his honest and well-informed editorial reports – particularly those he does for children’s authors and sci-fi and fantasy writers. Philip is also a Tutor on our Ultimate Novel Writing Course.
- Contemporary
- Literary (Including ‘bookclub’)
- Crime/Thriller/Action
- Science Fiction
- Fantasy
- Comic/satire
- Paranormal
- Short Stories & novellas
- Children’s
- Young Adult
- Memoir/autobiography
- Other Narrative Non-fiction
Why choose Jericho Writers?
Many companies promise to get your book published, but we only offer services we believe will genuinely benefit you. Unsure if this is the right fit? Give us a call – we’ll be honest with you. This commitment to integrity has helped Jericho Writers thrive for over 20 years.
Jericho Writers’ Manuscript Editing
Other Providers
Don’t take just our word for it…
We’ve been helping writers achieve their goals for over 20 years. Here’s what some of them have had to say:
Could you be our next success story?
Over the last 20 years, many of our clients have gone on to win prizes, become bestsellers, get film and TV deals, achieve huge global sales, and more. After a manuscript assessment, John David Mann went onto become a New York Times Bestselling author; Paul Braddon’s The Actuality has been optioned for a TV series; and Eleanor Anstruther won the Desmond Eliott prize. Now it’s your turn.
Get feedback to improve your work in as little as two weeks
Get an instant quote based on your wordcount.
Manuscript Assessment
Express Manuscript Assessment
Find the right editing service for your book
Ideal for writers with an early draft, our Manuscript Editing Service offers broad, insightful feedback on key areas. For more polished drafts, we recommend our Developmental Editing Service, which includes in-text comments and additional follow-up support.
Manuscript Editing
Developmental Editing
Frequently asked
questions
How do I submit my manuscript?
Do you have manuscript or screenplay in need of a professional set of eyes? Here are the steps to follow to submit your manuscript for our professional editing service:
1) Select your word count in the box above.
2) ‘Click on “Add to basket’
3) Once you’ve made your payment, you’ll be sent an email with a link to upload your manuscript.
How should I format my manuscript?
Please use an easy-to-read font like Times New Roman, 12pt. Don’t forget to also number your pages and use double spacing.
Should I include my illustrations (picture books only)?
You’re more than welcome to include your illustrations when you submit your picture book(s) so your editor can have a look. Don’t have any illustrations? Don’t worry, this isn’t essential and in fact if you’re thinking of publishing traditionally, publishing houses will often provide their own illustrator.
How long will it take to match my manuscript with an editor?
We aim to match you with the right editor within 2-4 days. We’ll get back to you as soon as the choice has been confirmed.
How do you choose the editor?
We match manuscripts based on 15 years of experience working with our editors. We consider editor experience, their genres of interest, and whether they themselves feel they are the right fit for your work. As all our editors are freelance, this depends on availability.
Can I choose my editor?
If you have a particular editor in mind, we will of course do our best to match you with them. We cannot guarantee this, however, as all of our editors are freelance and there are times when they are unavailable due to demand and/or other commitments.
Once you have placed your order, you’re welcome to send a shortlist of 4-5 editors from our website (and we’ll do our best to place you with your preferred editors).
Is there a discount for resubmitting the same manuscript for a second read?
Yes. You’re entitled to a 10% discount if you’re submitting the same manuscript again for a full manuscript assessment. To get the coupon code you need, just get in touch!
What if my book is good enough? Will you help me find an agent?
On some occasions, an editor will flag a manuscript as submission ready. When this happens, a member of the Jericho Writers team will look at the author’s agent submission pack and provide some free advice on it, plus access to AgentMatch. On some occasions, where the manuscript shows real promise, we’ll also approach agents on the author’s behalf.
It’s worth noting however, that this service is reserved for manuscripts which editors believe have strong commercial potential and are of a very high quality. Please don’t be disappointed if yours isn’t selected – most manuscripts require quite a few rewrites before reaching submission standard!
Which editorial service is right for me?
We offer quite a few editorial services, so you’re right to take the time to consider all of your options. The writing process is a long one, so whether it’s line editing or copy-editing, or something on a larger scale, like a manuscript evaluation or developmental edit, we have the service for you. You can take a look at all of our editorial services here. You might also like to read our article explaining all the different types of editorial services. If you’re still not sure, feel free to get in touch with us and we’ll be happy to offer more advice.
What is manuscript editing?
Manuscript editing refers to the process of receiving comprehensive, structural feedback on your entire manuscript. This professional editing includes feedback on things like structure, pacing, writing style, characterisation, and marketability. It’s helpful whether you’re looking to self-publish, or whether you’re planning on querying literary agents and becoming traditionally published.
Can manuscripts of any genre be submitted?
We offer manuscript assessments for manuscripts of all writing styles and genres, including children’s fiction and non-fiction. We will ensure that you’re matched with a manuscript editor who has experience with your chosen genre.
How do you professionally edit a manuscript?
A manuscript that’s edited by a professional editor will often go through several rounds of edits. The big picture types of editing (developmental edits, structural edits etc) will often be used in the early stages of a manuscript’s development, while other types of editing that focus on the more minute, sentence level details (copy-editing, proofreading etc) are used once a manuscript gets closer to completion and/or publication. Our manuscript editors have lots of experience working in the publishing industry, and they’ll work with you to enhance your manuscript.
