Gail Anderson-Dargatz

Work with Gail

Gail Anderson-Dargatz

Work with Gail

Explore Our Services for Writers

Meet and Greet

Blue Pencil

Fiction Mentorship

Beta Reading

Manuscript Evaluation

Developmental Edits

Clean Sweep

Fall Retreat

Group Workshops

Manuscript Evaluations

About:

evaluationLooking for an editor’s perspective on a complete draft, but not yet ready for an in-depth developmental edit? A manuscript evaluation is the affordable next step between a beta reading and a developmental edit.

Our manuscript evaluation service is for writers at all levels of experience, including emerging writers, self-published writers, and writers with one or more books published by a traditional publishing house. We offer an overview of the problems from an editorial standpoint and suggest possible solutions to help you take your project to the next level.

The manuscript evaluation is not a line-by-line or copy edit service. A critique will not guarantee publication.

To develop your manuscript even further, consider an in-depth developmental edit, which will help you redefine and restructure your project.

How it works:

First, contact Gail's office to make sure your assigned editor has time in their calendar. We'll schedule you in and email you an invoice. Once you've paid and sent us your manuscript, we'll get to work. Depending on manuscript length, you can expect three to five pages of notes on your project within a month of submission.

To keep the cost low, there is no Zoom meeting or email discussion as there is in Gail’s developmental editing package.

Manuscripts must be submitted as a single Word document, in 12-point, Times New Roman, double-spaced.

When:

You may book a manuscript evaluation at any time, but please contact Gail's office in advance to make sure there is room available.

Cost:

For projects under 5,000 words, the cost is $125. To purchase, click the button below.

For projects over 5,000 words, the cost is two cents a word Canadian, plus GST/HST for your province. For example, a 40,000-word manuscript would cost $800, plus GST/HST. An 80,000-word manuscript would cost $1,600 plus GST/HST. To purchase, contact Gail's office.

Grants for writers can often be used for professional development, including this manuscript evaluation. Check out the Canada Council for the Arts and provincial arts councils to see if this funding is a possibility for you.

Not ready for a manuscript evaluation? Check out our even more affordable alpha and beta reading services, or book a meet and greet session with Gail to discuss which services are right for you.

For a more in-depth, face-to-face workshop, check out a blue pencil session or a fiction mentorship with Gail.

For more information, email Gail's office.

 

Testimonials

Jessica Waite

"Gail is the total package: brilliant writer, keen-eyed editor, ace story architect, and warm genuine human. The structural foundation she taught saved me years of floundering in the dark. Thank you Gail!"

-- Jessica Waite, author of the Widow's Guide to Dead Bastards,  one of The Globe and Mail's best 100 books of 2024.

Jessica Waite

Darcy Friesen Hossack

"By the end of the first draft, I'd rediscovered colour in a world that had faded to black and white. I can not thank Gail enough."

-- Darcy Friesen Hossack, Danuta Gleed runner-up and Commonwealth Prize-shortlisted author of Mennonites Don't Dance  and Stillwater.

Darcy Friesen Hossack

Kelly S. Thompson

"Not only did Gail help me to polish my prose, but she also showed my how to believe in my own work, how to play, how to explore language with the writer's tools. What a gift, to have someone champion your work in a way that makes you, the writer, feel seen."

-- Kelly S. Thompson, national bestselling author of Girls Need Not Apply: Field Notes from the Forces.

Kelly S. Thompson

Lise Mayne

"Time Enough became the novel I longed to create thanks to Gail’s expert advice and encouragement. Gail helps writers find the heart of their own story, the mark of the very best teachers. I highly recommend her as a professional mentor and a sincere guide."

-- Lise Mayne, author of Time Enough.

Lise Mayne

Maia Caron

"Perhaps there's no greater proof of a manuscript editor's work than when the writer they mentor gets a publishing contract, but what I found most valuable was applying Gail's insightful comments when I began to plot a new book."

-- Maia Caron, author of Song of Batoche

Maia Caron

Elle Wild

"Gails fiction course was the best class I have ever taken. Full stop. Her notes and analysis were invaluable and I still use the creative exercises she shared with us."

-- Elle Wild. #1 bestselling author of Strange Things Done and winner of the Arthur Ellis Award for Best Unpublished First Crime Novel.

Elle Wild

Daniel Griffin

"Gail has been a great help to me for many years, reading my novels and stories and providing practical, clear and meaningful feedback. Her focus on the structure of a story, its arc, the conflict that drives it and the development of characters and their transformation has been invaluable."

-- Daniel Griffin is the author of Stopping for Strangers and Two Roads Home.

Daniel Griffin

Leila Marshy

"I've been writing my whole life, but in the past two years I can say that Gail has pretty much taught me everything I now know. I am convinced that without Gail's ministrations, my novel The Philistine would not be enjoying its current success"

-- Leila Marshy, author of The Philistine.

Leila Marshy

Nerys Parry

"(Gail's) greatest gift is her passion. She truly loves the craft and throws her heart into her work as not only a teacher but also as a coach and inspiration to aspiring writers. She always knows just how far to push you without breaking you, and if you let her, she can help you become a far better writer than you ever imagined..."

-- Nerys Parry, author of Man & Other Natural Disasters, a finalist for the Colophon Prize and tied for seventh in the Giller Prize Reader’s Choice Awards.

Nerys Parry

Jennifer Manuel

"Gail has a firm grasp on what effective mentorship looks like: supportive, challenging, fully engaged. Immediately Gail got to the heart of my novel’s problem and then worked with me to find possible solutions, pushing my craft to a higher level and deepening my understanding of narrative structure. It was nothing short of a shattering breakthrough.”

-- Jennifer Manuel, author of The Heaviness of Things That Float

Jennifer Manuel

Liisa Kovala

"Working with Gail during an early stage of my historical fiction manuscript was like taking a masterclass. Both my novel and my skills as a writer improved through her guidance. Best of all, Gail is not only knowledgeable about everything to do with writing, she is also delightful to work with."

-- Liisa Kovala, author of Surviving Stutthof: My Father's Memories Behind the Death Gate and Sisu's Winter War.

Liisa Kovala

Emily De Angelis

"Gail was knowledgeable, thoughtful, and kind as she coached me through the process. Her feedback validated my journey and help me to move forward with my story in countless meaningful ways..."

-- Emily De Angelis, author of The Stones of Burren Bay.

Emily De Angelis

Maggi Feehan

"Gail is nothing short of an editing genius. She has the rare ability to give feedback laced with compassion, appreciation and respect... that will inspire you to go back to the page and transform your narrative, words and characters in truly remarkable ways."

-- Maggi Feehan, author of The Serpent's Veil

Maggi Feehan

Kimmy Beach

"I'm so happy I chose Gail as my first foray into the world of hiring an outside eye. I've loved her work for ages, and hoped her insight would take my new project where it needed to go. I'm overwhelmed with gratitude (and work!). Thank you, Gail. You 'get' me."

-- Kimmy Beach, author of The Last Temptation of Bond.

Kimmy Beach

Chris Tarry

"Working with Gail has become the measure by which I rate every workshop I've taken, or will ever take. And she has set the bar impossibly high. To study with Gail is to understand the plight of the Apprentice Writer, to take solace in her direction, and to witness one's growth in virtually real time."

-- Chris Tarry, four-time Juno Award winner and author of How to Carry a Bigfoot Home.

Chris Tarry