The Literary Consultancy Reviews 

My deepest thanks to Aliya for taking the time to engage with my work. Her thoughts on the hook, plot and characters and the opportunities she has identified to strengthen elements through increased interconnectedness and world building are all incredibly valuable.

I forgot to share my synopsis as part of the package for review but nevertheless it seems that Aliya was able to identify where I could invest time to ensure my next edit is targeted. I love words and tend to invest lots of time poring over my use of words and metaphors, and strengthening these elements when reading back my scenes.

Aliya has sparked the thought to now boldly zoom out and look again at the bigger picture of my protagonist's world. There are opportunities to tighten the screws around specific plot points that I will reflect on.

I am sure there is more I will take away on a second read of the report, but that is my initial takeaway. Overall, the encouragement and insight on what is working really well, combined with ideas for subtle improvements, will propel me forwards.

I had not written any fiction since I was 17 years old at school under duress; like many boys/young men my reading habits were very limited until 15 when I needed some qualifications.

However I always had a notion to write a novel and a few decades later with noting to do I sat down and wrote one finishing in March 2026. I did not know anyone who had written fiction and was enjoying my new life with no rules, no targets, no meetings and no constraints. But by March 2026 I had exhausted the goodwill of my family and friends with my self obsession about writing a novel.

I needed some professional help. I transferred my money and submitted my manuscript for a manuscript assessment to TLC expecting a butchering.

A great thanks to Aruna Vasudevan and TLC; she took a lot of time and effort reviewing my manuscript and did an excellent job. I would highly recommend the review and the money spent.

The process of writing and getting publishing is very challenging and a writer needs help somewhere. I will continue to pursue my dream of having a novel published and have signed up for some TLC courses and will start the re write early next year.

Ewan

I wrote an initial review of the first report I received from Harry Gallon back in May which was very positive and would like to add a second review in response to the follow up report on my second draft which incorporated a lot of his initial advice. The second report was more detailed as requested and highlighted stylistic points as well as the main framework of the plot. Really very much appreciated since so much trouble was taken to correct errors and suggest alternative phraseology. Most important to me was the encouragement throughout, but the fact that I was always made aware of points where the potential reader may be misled or overloaded and in particular where the plot seemed unclear or hard to believe. I was really grateful for this combination of detail and overall clarity.

This is one of the rare places a writer can get an honest assessment with constructive notes. I also had a one-to-one session with the editor who was assigned who turned out to be a very respected published writer and writing teacher. We write in a vacuum. This is a place to go for legitimat feedback

The report was lengthy. It pointed out some areas for development that helped but there was a lot of re-telling of the story and detailing the credentials of the reader. It would have been helpful to have detailed feedback on the opening 3 chapters, plus comparative titles with clear steps on how to improve its appeal to agents.

I was given useful and encouraging advice.
A heartening experience.

My experience was mixed. The proofreading itself contained useful corrections, and I appreciate the effort that went into reviewing my manuscript. However, I was disappointed by the overall communication and reliability.

The manuscript was originally due on 17 June but was delivered on 29 June, almost two weeks late. Even after the manuscript was delivered, I received no response to my follow-up questions or confirmation that my payment had been received.

In addition, I had sent a revised file to replace an earlier version, but this was not used, which created unnecessary complications.

The editorial work was helpful, but the lack of communication, the missed deadline, and the failure to use the correct manuscript made the overall experience less satisfactory than I had expected.

The feedback I received from the TLC was just what I needed for me to really think about where my story actually started, its arc, and characters. It made me finally acknowledge that all the extraneous material I had put in because I had enjoyed writing them, wasn't necessary and the story would do well enough without them. I'm so glad I took this opportunity for some detailed, professional advice. Thank you TLC

I'm so pleased I found TLC. I deliberated for ages before committing to the manuscript assessment, and it was 100% the right decision. I'm so grateful to my reader for all her detailed and thoughtful feedback. There were many lightbulb moments when I read it! Her points were all incredibly constructive, and I feel very focused for a new draft.

Thank you so much for this. I was a bit deflated after receiving the report. But after leaving it a few of days and after a few days of hiking in Cornwall, I also got my husband John, who had been helping my novel to read the report, he totally agreed with the report and me too after having time to reflect on it :)

I would like to extend my sincere thank you to Sarah Butler for her thorough and thoughtful feedback. Much appreciated her taking the time to write the report with lots of good tips on how I could improve my novel.

It's an amazing gift to get the kind of attention that TLC's consultants provide. Their assessment of my manuscript was detailed and supportive, giving me the push I needed to complete the project. I feel energised to begin making revisions and thinking about next steps. Thanks for the resources you offer to writers who may not have had the advantage of formal training or who may not yet have built up a writing community of their own.

After receiving my report I just wanted to say thanks for all your help and support. .
I've read the report three times now, though doubt I have fully taken in a quarter of what's been written. I can, however, already see how useful it will be going forward and I'm so grateful for all of the advice and recommendations.
I'm going to leave the report for at least a week now before I return to it again, but I just wanted to pass on my thanks. Thanks too for looking after me during the process.

I was recently offered the opportunity to have a review of the early chapters of my manuscript by a TLC writer/editor, as part of a prize in a writing competition. It was very helpful to have a completely different set of eyes on this work. The feedback (from Jennifer Obidike) was really encouraging, detailed and instructive. The comments and suggestions were both extremely thoughtful and very practical. They were also delivered in a warm and generous way. Thank you. This is a great service for writers.

I would (and do) recommend TLC to anyone at whatever stage of their writing. I am extremely grateful for the help I received on my WIP, and the thoughtful, positive feedback from my editor, Jonathan Barnes.
I definitely feel more positive about the whole thing - I was struggling with the 'nobody wants it, is it rubbish?' and Jonathan pulled me out of that pretty fast.
Thank you, to all at TLC.

This was the tailored approach I needed.
They gave me time, space and guidance to ensure I was submitting the best of myself at every turn. I always felt like my voice was validated. The process has given me the motivation to go further than ever. The kindness and generosity of time and effort has encouraged me no-end.

I received a manuscript assessment from TLC as part of the Free Reads scheme. What I received back was brilliant. The assessment gave me some excellent insights into how agents receive and read through unsolicited manuscripts, and helped me to redraft my cover letter and synopsis to a much higher standard. Tom, my reader, an experienced literary agent, even drafted parts of my cover letter himself.

I've put together a plan of action on the back of this assessment and now have a much clearer idea of how to make my novel more publishable. Thank you!

I always rely on a professional, constructive and honest appraisal of my work before moving forward to publication. I wasn't disappointed by James Aitcheson's thoughtful and detailed consideration of my novel, Bubbling Well Road, which gave me praise, encouragement and constructive advice moving forwards. I agreed with all the points he raised and also appreciated his help with comp titles - something I find quite difficult to pin down. I will certainly name check both TLC and James Aitcheson in my book's acknowledgements come publication. Thank you!

I have used this service a couple of times and intend to use them for a third, because I feel that the feedback and the professionalism is top notch. The growth that I have experienced as a writer would not have happened had it not been for this honest and respectful service. If you're planning to get your work published or just to get some insight, I would defintely recommend this service over and over again!

I sent my 100k word first draft to TLC late 2025 and they quickly found me a great match (John Baker at Bell, Lomax,Moreton) to read my work and to send me a report on it. About 6 weeks later I received 7 pages of detailed analysis, full of insights and lots of helpful ideas and suggestions about how to take the draft forward. John also included useful tips about how to connect successfully with the publishing industry in general and my novel's genre in particular. So, I was very happy with the feedback and reassured that this was money well spent. Tony Purves

The manuscript assessment of my YA novel, recently carried out by Emma Pass for the TLC, is really helpful and encouraging; just what I need to help me to further improve my work. Her positive comments have boosted my confidence in myself as a writer and made me eager to carry on. At the same time, I appreciate her detailed and straight forward criticism, where it is needed. The way that she has suggested an improvement and then followed this up by pointing out an example of where I have already used this technique, makes it very clear how to carry out her suggestions. Before sending in my manuscript, I felt something was lacking but I wasn't sure exactly what it was. Now I can see a way forward, thanks to Emma's assessment.