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Manuscript Assessments

Make a Booking Meet the Editors FAQs

Why Might You Need a Manuscript Assessment?

If you’re a writer who is preparing to submit a short story or essay to a publisher, agent, magazine or writing prize, have a work-in-progress fiction or non-fiction manuscript and are looking for experienced, objective feedback to make it shine, sharing your work with family or friends or planning to self-publish, our editorial assessment service will put you on the best path towards publication in one comprehensive review.

How Does an Assessment Work?

After you’ve made a booking, KYD will work with you to establish a schedule for your assessment and pair you with a suitable editor.

You’ll then be introduced to your editor via email, where you will send them your manuscript, along with any notes about what you hope to get out of the assessment or any particular areas you’d like them to pay close attention to. For longer assessments (over 50,000 words), you’ll be able to share these notes in an introductory phone consultation with your editor.

Your editor will then read your manuscript and put together comprehensive feedback in the form of an editorial report. This report will examine the key elements of the work (structure, character, plot, chronology, dialogue, etc.), as well as identify areas for further improvement. This process usually takes around 4–6 weeks from the delivery of your manuscript, but will depend on word length.

For longer assessments, you’ll have the option of another phone consultation with your editor at the end of the process, where you can talk through your report and ask any additional questions.

What Genres Do You Assess?

Literary fiction, commercial fiction, historical fiction, genre fiction, memoir, autobiography, narrative non-fiction, history, personal development, poetry, short story collections, YA fiction, middle-grade fiction, children’s books.

Meet the Editors

Our team of professionals have years of experience working at some of Australia’s best publishing houses. If you have an editor preference, please let us know in the order notes. (We’ll do our best to accommodate your request, but this can depend on editor availability.) We understand that it can be daunting to share your work—all of our editors will work with you in an understanding, encouraging and constructive way to make your work the best it can be.

Adult Fiction Genre Fiction YA Fiction Editors

Available Now

Abigail Nathan

Abigail runs Bothersome Words and has edited genre fiction since 2004. She works with publishers and authors across Australia and the UK, and is also an agent with Alex Adsett Literary.
Commercial Fiction essays Literary Fiction non-fiction short stories Editors

Available September

Angela Meyer

Angela has worked for more than 20 years as an editor and publisher. She is also an award-winning author and a lecturer in the Master of Writing and Publishing at RMIT University.
Commercial Fiction Literary Fiction memoir Narrative Non-Fiction Thriller Editors

Available Now

Armelle Davies

Armelle is a freelance editor working across all genres in trade publishing for adults. Previously, she was an in-house editor at Fremantle Press and Affirm Press.
Commercial Fiction Literary Fiction memoir non-fiction Editors

Available Now

Camha Pham

Camha is a freelance editor with over 10 years of experience, working for publishers including Hachette and University of Queensland Press (UQP).
essays Literary Fiction memoir short stories Editors

Available June

Ceridwen Dovey

Ceridwen is the award-winning author of seven books of literary fiction, including Only the Astronauts, Only the Animals and Life After Truth.
historical fiction Literary Fiction memoir Middle Grade Fiction non-fiction Speculative Fiction YA Fiction Editors

Available July

Clare Strahan

Clare is a writer and editor with over a decade of experience. She teaches writing at RMIT University, has published two novels and was a manuscript assessor at Writers Victoria.
Genre Fiction Literary Fiction memoir non-fiction short stories Editors

Available Mid-July

Coco McGrath

Coco has worked in the book industry for over 10 years, with roles at Griffith Review and Affirm Press. She specialises in structural editing.
Crime/thrillers Literary Fiction memoir short stories Editors

Available Now

Elena Gomez

Elena has been an editor for over a decade, most recently at Text Publishing and Penguin Random House, where she was deputy managing editor. She is also a published poet.
Crime/thrillers Literary Fiction memoir Narrative Non-Fiction Speculative Fiction YA Fiction Editors

Available June

Kate Goldsworthy

Kate has worked on trade books since 2010 for many publishers, including Allen & Unwin, Penguin Random House, HarperCollins and Black Inc.
fiction memoir non-fiction Editors

Available Now

Kirsten Alexander

Kirsten is a writer, editor and copywriter. She has worked as an editor for Text Publishing and Penguin Random House, among others.
Crime/thrillers historical fiction Romance Editors

Available June

Lauren Finger

Lauren has worked in publishing since 2001. She spent a decade at Allen & Unwin before moving to the UK, where she worked at Atlantic Books and Bookouture. She has run her commercial fiction editing business since 2018.
Literary Fiction Narrative Non-Fiction short stories YA Fiction Editors

Available Now

Maame Blue

Maame Blue is a short story writer and the author of two novels. She has mentored emerging writers, including at Faber Academy UK and The Literary Consultancy.
Children’s Fiction fantasy Middle Grade Fiction Science Fiction YA Fiction Editors

Available Mid-May

Meg Whelan

Meg is commissioning editor for the children’s book team at Simon & Schuster. Previously, she was was the children’s book buyer at Hill of Content in Melbourne.
essays Literary Fiction memoir Narrative Non-Fiction short stories Editors

Available Now

Mireille Juchau

Mireille is an award-winning author of three novels and currently teaches in the postgraduate writing program at the University of Technology, Sydney.
poetry Editors

Available Now

Panda Wong

Panda is an editor and prize-winning poet. Her work has appeared in Overland, Liminal, Australian Poetry, Cordite and more. She was co-editor for Best of Australian Poems 2023. She currently sits on the Suburban Review board, where she previously worked as an associate editor.
autofiction children's books Literary Fiction memoir Narrative Non-Fiction short stories Editors

Available June

Dr Kate Ryan

Kate is an award-winning writer, manuscript assessor, writing mentor and teacher. Her work has appeared in various literary journals and anthologies and her debut novel The Golden Book (Scribe) was published in 2021. Her latest novel HOUSE explores families, architecture and emotion.

Make a Booking

Share your work with a professional editor and gain support, guidance and practical next steps to enhance your chances of publication.

Make a Booking

Hear from Our Editors

Elena Gomez

‘The writer–editor relationship is special. The creative process, especially in that formative writing period, is so important, and I enjoy the collaborative and supportive aspects of my editorial role. To finish writing a book is a huge accomplishment, and it’s an honour when someone trusts me to read their work. I strive to be an honest and useful reader for the author.’

Camha Pham

‘Editing is very much about entering into a space of dialogue and collaboration with the author, helping them to realise their original intentions with the manuscript. What I hope with all of the writers I work with is that they have walked away having learnt something, whether it be something technical about language or about their own practice, so that they can ultimately feel empowered by the editorial process and grow as a writer.’

Kate Goldsworthy

‘I love working with authors on their early drafts. There’s so much freedom at that stage in the revision process, with lots of time and space for experimentation. You can luxuriate in crafting the best possible version of your manuscript, and it’s a good idea to have a professional editor in your corner who can help you take a step back to see the big picture.’

Mireille Juchau

‘When I develop and assess manuscripts I try to stay keenly attuned to the writer’s vision through the entire process. I ask lots of questions! I believe the writer holds all the answers. Teaching at university and judging literary awards has extended my understanding of the creative process and the technical skills required to finish and polish a work for publication.’

Angela Meyer

‘I love working with manuscripts on the structural level. I understand how difficult it can be to see your work as a whole when you’re so close to it. Every assessment is unique. I approach with openness, try to understand the intentions of the work, raise questions and provide insight, and guide with sensitivity towards practical possibilities and solutions.’

Jennifer Nguyen

‘My editing approach is friendly and pragmatic. I wish to understand the author’s intention for their work and to edit with a constructive approach that is supportive, kind and helpful. I look at the overall piece to see if the writing is achieving what the writer has set out to do, followed by identifying more specific parts that require attention.’

Dr Kate Ryan

‘As a writer as well as an editor, I am very aware of the importance of tuning into a writer’s unique vision for their work and helping them achieve that. I love working alongside writers to refine and strengthen their writing during the editing process.’

Panda Wong

'Writing can be lonely work—editing is an opportunity for dialogue. I love editing's collaborative nature, relational qualities and the conversations that come up around shaping a writer's work with intention, care and specificity. I love the deep dives and unexpected places someone else’s work can take me! As an editor, I always aim to provide a supportive and thoughtful approach that stays true to the writer.'

FAQs for Manuscript Assessments

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