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What We Look for in Editorial Reviews

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A process-driven guide to how we evaluate manuscripts at Black Stone Publishers

From the Editors at Black Stone Publishers

At Black Stone Publishers, editorial reviews are not surface-level checklists. They are diagnostic deep dives—layered, rigorous, and rooted in literary and commercial intelligence. Whether we’re reviewing a debut novel, a personal memoir, or a nonfiction title by a seasoned expert, our focus is always the same: How can this manuscript reach its highest potential—and how do we help the author get there?

Here’s how our editorial team thinks, analyzes, and responds—across genres, stages, and story types.

1. Structure Before Syntax: Is the Spine Intact?

We begin every review at the macro level. Before a single comma is addressed, we ask: Does the manuscript have structural integrity? That means understanding how the material moves—its momentum, clarity, and emotional or intellectual rhythm.

In Fiction:

  • Is the narrative arc emotionally coherent and psychologically believable?
  • Are stakes escalating in a way that keeps the reader engaged?
  • Is there thematic architecture beneath the plot?

Case Insight::

In a recent coming-of-age novel, we identified that while the individual chapters were compelling, the inciting incident came too late—on page 47—leaving readers uncertain about the protagonist’s objective. Our structural feedback led the author to move key scenes forward and establish clearer early tension.

In Nonfiction:

  • Does the manuscript build authority in a way that’s digestible?
  • Is the logic of idea progression clean and persuasive?
  • Are insights reinforced through narrative or just relayed as statements?

Case Insight:

One thought leadership manuscript provided bold insights but lacked connective scaffolding between chapters. Our review focused on anchoring each idea to a practical framework, resulting in clearer intellectual continuity.

2. Voice and Intent: Does the Narrative Know What It’s Doing?

Voice is not just about how the book sounds. It’s about whether the voice reflects authorial confidence and narrative alignment. We assess:
  • Is the tone consistent, purposeful, and genre-appropriate?
  • Is the voice serving the subject matter—or competing with it?
  • Is it doing more than “sounding nice”?

Quote from an Editor:

“We often see memoirs that confuse lyricism with depth. Beautiful sentences can’t carry confused purpose. We look for tone that supports clarity, not obscures it.”

—Senior Nonfiction Editor, Black Stone

3. Character Credibility and Dimensionality (Fiction Focus)

Characters must be more than functional—they must feel lived-in. In our reviews, we examine:
  • Is the protagonist’s inner life evolving alongside the external plot?
  • Are character motivations rooted in personal history, not just convenience?
  • Do secondary characters hold narrative weight, or are they ornamental?

Case Insight:

In one literary novel, the antagonist’s actions drove major conflict, but their motivations were never interrogated. Our editorial team helped shape a backstory that made the conflict feel earned rather than imposed.

4. Information Architecture (Nonfiction Focus)

In nonfiction, clarity is currency. We evaluate how information is introduced, layered, and reinforced:
  • Does each chapter have a defined purpose and endpoint?
  • Are complex concepts scaffolded and contextualized?
  • Are examples and case studies doing real narrative work?

Industry Note:

According to the Editorial Freelancers Association (EFA), strong nonfiction editing requires both “structural coherence” and “functional segmentation”—ensuring that readers absorb content without cognitive overload.

5. Originality and Market Positioning: Does It Deserve Shelf Space?

  • What gap does this manuscript fill in its category?
  • Is it truly saying something new, or reframing something better?
  • Would its core premise survive a 15-second pitch?

Case Insight:

A wellness book arrived with beautiful writing and a fresh perspective, but it echoed several established titles too closely. We worked with the author to reposition the framing around a personal journey—turning similarity into differentiation.

SIDEBAR: What Developmental Editing Is vs. What Authors Think It Is

Authors Often Expect…

Fixing typos and polishing style

Light suggestions on characters

General feedback on clarity

Quick turnaround

What We Actually Do…

Rebuilding chapter structure and flow

In-depth analysis of motivation and arc

Strategic alignment with audience + genre

Immersive manuscript study and layered notes

6. Editorial Markers: What Stage Is the Manuscript In?

Not every manuscript is ready for the same depth of review. One of our roles is to identify where the manuscript really stands:
  • Is it still conceptual and in need of developmental architecture?
  • Is it entering polish phase, where line-level feedback adds refinement?
  • Does it need editorial triage before it's even reviewable?

We return each manuscript with a roadmap, not just a margin full of markup. Tiered feedback ensures that authors aren’t just told what isn’t working—they’re shown how to evolve it.

7. What We Don’t Do in an Editorial Review

We’re as intentional about our limits as we are about our input:
  • We don’t impose genre tropes or formulaic expectations
  • We don’t dilute a unique voice to achieve “clean” copy
  • We don’t run manuscripts through editorial software and call it insight
  • We never forget: the book belongs to the author, not to us

In Closing: Editorial Integrity as a Creative Partnership

Editorial reviews at Black Stone are not transactional. They’re transformational—when both author and editor are aligned in their commitment to excellence. We don’t review manuscripts to fix them; we review them to understand them deeply, and to return something sharper, more resonant, and more aligned with its own highest version.

This is what we mean by editorial integrity.

This is the promise of our process.