Structure
Whether each act carries its share of the book, and where the proportions work against the story.
Manuscript critique
An editorial read of your whole manuscript.
A second opinion on the book as a whole, written in prose: where the structure sags, where the pacing stalls, where tension flattens. Every change stays yours to make.
Free trial. It includes enough credits to try the analysis on your own manuscript.
What it reads for
The big picture an editor would write to you about.
Each section names specific chapters and scenes, so a note points somewhere you can go.
Pacing
Where the book runs at one speed too long, and where a change of gear would land.
Tension
Flat runs, valleys and peaks, and whether the climax reads as an arrival.
Storyline
How point of view, threads and stakes carry the reader from chapter to chapter.
Craft
Patterns in the prose across the whole manuscript, not one sentence at a time.
Into your revision list
Add any section to My Actions in one click. Nothing is added unless you choose it.
Labeled for what it is
One reading, not a measurement.
The Editorial Read is marked subjective wherever it appears in the app. It is generated from your manuscript and never applied to it, and you can switch it off in Settings at any time.
What it costs
Part of analyzing the whole book.
The Editorial Read is written at the end of Analyze Entire Manuscript, priced by the manuscript's size, and shown in the cost before you start. The free trial includes credits to try it, and a license comes with 300 starter credits.
The short version
Questions, answered.
What is the Editorial Read?+
A critique of your whole manuscript in prose rather than charts: what is working, what is not, and where, across structure, pacing, tension, storyline and craft. It reads like the letter a developmental editor sends after a first read.
Does it change my manuscript?+
No. Nothing is applied to the manuscript. When a point is worth acting on, add it to My Actions, your revision list, and make the change yourself.
Is it a replacement for a human editor?+
It is one reading, offered as an opinion. Ask two editors and you will get two different answers. Weigh it the way you would weigh notes from an editor you hired: a lens worth considering, never a verdict.
How do I get one?+
Run Analyze Entire Manuscript. Bookshaper analyzes each chapter, then writes the Editorial Read from that analysis. You see the credit cost before the run starts.
How much does it cost?+
It is priced by the size of your manuscript and included in the cost shown before you analyze the whole book. The free trial includes credits to try it.
Can I print it or turn it off?+
Yes. Print it or save it as a PDF from the print dialog. If you do not want an opinion at all, switch the Editorial Read off in Settings › AI features and it disappears from the Analyze list.
How much does Bookshaper cost?+
$29.99 one-time at launch pricing, through December 31, 2026, for Windows, macOS and Linux on one license, with 300 starter credits.
Try it on your own manuscript.
7 days of actual use, not 7 calendar days. Buy once when you are ready; one license covers Windows, macOS, and Linux.