Book auditing
An honest structural read of your manuscript before you spend money publishing it.
Most manuscripts that fail do not fail on spelling. They fail on structure — a slow opening, a middle that sags, a point of view that shifts without meaning to, a theme the writer can see clearly and the reader cannot see at all.
An audit reads for that first. You get a written report that says what is working, what is not, and specifically what to do about it — not a marked-up file with commas moved.
This is deliberately sold separately from formatting. Auditing a book you are also paying me to typeset creates an incentive we would rather not have; you should be free to take the report and publish elsewhere.
Structural read
from K1,500
1–2 weeks
Is this book working? Tell us straight.
- Full read, up to 40,000 words
- Written report, 4–6 pages
- Structure, pacing and arc
- What is working — specifically, so you keep it
- The three things to fix first, in order
Start with Structural readNot included
- Line editing
- Proofreading
- Changes made to your file
- Most chosen
Line & copy audit
from K2,800
2–3 weeks
The structure holds. Now the sentences.
- Everything in Structural read
- Line-by-line notes on your manuscript
- Consistency check — names, dates, timeline, facts
- Voice and register notes
- Grammar and punctuation pass
- Up to 80,000 words
Full audit
from K6,500
3–4 weeks
Everything, plus where this book sits in the market.
- Everything in Line & copy audit
- Any length
- Market positioning — who this is for and what it sits beside
- Blurb and back-cover copy, written
- Title and subtitle options
- A call to walk through the report properly
50% to start, 50% on delivery. Prices in ZMW and exclusive of domain, hosting and store fees — those are listed per service so there are no surprises.
- Will you tell me it is bad?
- If it is not working, yes — clearly, with reasons, and with what to do about it. A report that flatters you costs you more than it costs me. You are paying for the read you cannot get from friends and family.
- Do you fix it, or just tell me?
- The first two tiers tell you. If you want the changes made, that is a separate conversation and a separate quote — and often you should make them yourself, because it is your voice.