I can help get your manuscript in shape.

Also, a few words from a writer who just went through the process...

Hello Writers—

This is just a quick note to let you know that I have a few slots available for one-on-one editing, coaching, and consulting for book-length manuscripts—two slots for July, and two for August.

Here's how it will work: You send me your manuscript (either fiction or nonfiction), I read it, and I send you back detailed written comments and notes, from sentence-level issues to bigger organizational issues, depending on what your manuscript needs. We'll also have a couple of hour-long Zoom conversations to talk through my feedback.

If you've ever done one of my small-group workshops, I'll be providing the kind of line-by-line critique I provide there. The difference is that a) you won't be limited to 5000 words, as in the workshops, and b) there's no group component; everything will be one-on-one.

I should also mention that I won't be providing guidance regarding publishers, agents, query letters, etc.—simply because any expertise I have in that matter is somewhat outdated. But I have ample expertise in the matter of helping people write better books. 

I recently helped a writer named Len Woods with a novel he’s been working on. Here’s what he had to say about the experience:

When I finished a fiction manuscript in 2023, I did what every inexperienced novelist does—I shared it with (more like "shoved it upon") a few friends and family members. As you would expect, I got some vague, obligatory compliments, but since they had no expertise in novel structure, character development, etc., they weren't very helpful in finding the holes and fixing the flaws in my story.

While pondering what to do next, I got an email from Jonathan Rogers. (I’d been subscribed to his weekly newsletter since hearing him on a podcast in 2018.) In the email, he mentioned his manuscript review service. 

Intrigued, I reached out him immediately. A few days later, after a short Zoom call, I knew I’d found the person with the right training, experience, and coaching skill to help me improve my manuscript.

Jonathan was incredibly thorough, insightful, honest, and encouraging. He gave me a wealth of detailed notes and practical suggestions.

 If you’ve got a story you want to take to the next level, I recommend you give Jonathan a call.

As you can imagine, this will be quite a bit more expensive than any of my other offerings. If you're interested, or if you just have questions, reply to this email and we'll talk about it.

Thanks!
JR