Free Tool

Manuscript IQ Analyzer

See what is required to get your book ready to be placed with major retailers.

3

3 free analyses remaining

Free analyses reset on the 1st of each month

Step 1 — Select your genre

Your genre sets the standard. A memoir is not measured like a thriller. Choose what your book actually is.

Step 2 — Where is your book meant to sell?

Choose your English standard so editorial quality is evaluated against the right market. Canadian, American, or UK. Your readers will notice either way.

Evaluated against Canadian Oxford Dictionary standards (e.g., colour, centre, programme, licence/license distinction).

Step 3 — Upload your cover

Your cover is the first thing every buyer sees. Upload a high-resolution image to get scored on the detail that decides most sales before a word is read. Accepted formats: JPG or PNG.

Drop your cover image here or click to browse

JPG or PNG

Step 4 — Upload your back cover (optional)

The back cover is critical for retail placement. Upload a high-resolution image to get scored on back matter compliance, ISBN placement, and copy effectiveness. Accepted formats: JPG or PNG.

Drop your back cover image here or click to browse

JPG or PNG

Step 5 — Upload your manuscript

This is where the full picture comes together. Your manuscript is measured across up to 12 professional criteria, from interior layout to front matter compliance. The score does not lie. Accepted formats: PDF, DOC, DOCX, EPUB, TXT, RTF, ODT.

Drop your manuscript here or click to browse

PDF, DOC, DOCX, EPUB, TXT, RTF, ODT

Select a genre to begin

Your file is used only to run this analysis. It is never stored, shared, or kept. Just analyzed and released. Privacy statement

What your score is built on

Your manuscript is scored across up to 12 professional publishing categories. Each carries a maximum point value weighted by its impact on retail readiness. Your final score is a percentage out of 100, calibrated to your genre. Not all 12 categories apply to every book. Yours will be scored only against the ones that matter for what you wrote.

Front Matter Compliance
Back Matter Compliance
Word Count vs. Genre Standard
Interior Layout and Typesetting
Editorial Quality
ISBN and Metadata Readiness
Cover Design Standards
Digital and Ebook Compliance
Distribution and Retail Readiness
Legal and Rights Compliance
Accessibility Standards
Genre-Specific Standards

91–100

Publish-ready

80–90

Almost there

70–79

Needs work

0–69

Not ready

Not all 12 categories apply to every genre. Genre-specific exclusions are applied automatically — for example, Children's Book Specific Standards only appear for Children's Picture Book scans. The score is recalibrated to the applicable categories for your declared genre.