See your novel through the eyes of a commissioning editor
Publishers reject you without a reason, and an edit costs thousands. Vellam tells you plainly what works in your novel, what does not and what to fix first. Every note comes with a quote from your text and a concrete fix. Dimension by dimension, the way a senior developmental editor reads.
You pay for your book, not a flat fee
Carl Spitzweg, The Bookworm, c. 1850 The score is not a black box
Four steps to a full read
- 01
Read chapter by chapter
Each chapter is read on its own: strengths, problems, an editorial note with quotes from your text.
- 02
Per-dimension analysis
From the chapter reads we build a score for 11 craft dimensions, broken into factors and sub-factors.
- 03
Factors with a named principle
Each factor is a concrete aspect of craft grounded in a named craft principle, with evidence and a fix.
- 04
Score and recommendation
Sub-factors add up to a dimension score and an overall result. The recommendation reconciles craft with your text's intent.
A full report, not one number
Not one number and good luck. You get the overall score, dimensions with evidence, every chapter assessed on its own, a revision plan ordered by what matters most, and a style profile. All quoted from your text.
Each dimension broken into factors, with a quote from the text and a fix.
A score, strengths and a list of fixes for each chapter on its own.
A prioritized list of editorial tasks with a severity level and a concrete fix.
Register, narrative mode, pacing intent and the themes of your book.
A 0-100 number and a band label, from „raw” to „publication-ready”.
Vittore Carpaccio, The Vision of Saint Augustine, 1502 The exchanges carry the plot, but too often say outright what the scene already shows.
Chapter 4: „I am angry at you because you forgot”, she said angrily.
Cut the named feeling, keep the gesture. Let the anger play in the pause and in what she does not say.
Eleven dimensions of craft
Each dimension has its own score, an assessment and expandable factors with evidence and fixes.
- 01
Language & style
Showing over telling, sensory specifics, sentence rhythm and clean prose.
- 02
Structure & plot
Cause and effect, turning points, stakes and structural coherence.
- 03
Pacing & scene craft
Scene goal, tension, economy of time and the rhythm of action and rest.
- 04
Characters
Desire, arc, believable motivation and the depth of relationships.
- 05
Dialogue
Subtext, distinct voices, scene function and naturalness of exchange.
- 06
Point of view & distance
Consistency of narration, distance from the character and discipline of perspective.
- 07
World & setting
Grounding scenes in space, world coherence and the dosing of backstory.
- 08
Theme & meaning
What the book says under the plot, whether theme emerges from scenes or lecture.
- 09
Premise & originality
Freshness of the idea, genre promise and what sets the text apart.
- 10
Opening & hook
The first pages: promise, tension and a reason to keep reading.
- 11
Ending & payoff
Whether the ending pays off the threads it planted and lands emotionally.
Named craft principles
Every scoring factor names a concrete, checkable craft principle, not an anonymous opinion.
- showing over telling
- the scene turn
- the central idea
- distance from the character
- filter words
- scene vs summary
- premise
- character arc
- escalating stakes
- the invented world's logic
- in medias res
- subtext in dialogue
11 dimensions. 161 factors. The full taxonomy is open in the app.
You see exactly what and why we score
For every aspect you see when something is off, how to fix it and which craft principle it rests on. No black box.
The biggest turns summarized in one sentence, while trivia gets full scenes.
Find the emotional peak of the chapter and play it out in real time: dialogue, gesture, a concrete detail.
Analysis points to the work. The decision stays with you.
Vellam brings findings from across the novel into one view, orders them by priority, and leads back to specific passages.
| Stage of work | Vellam | Human editor | General chatbot |
|---|---|---|---|
| Whole-manuscript context | Connects chapter findings and surfaces patterns across the novel. | Reads the manuscript as a whole and judges it in its literary context. | Responds from the context supplied in the conversation. |
| Editorial recommendation | Orders findings and points to passages that need review. | Interprets the manuscript's intent and recommends an editorial direction. | Can discuss the excerpts and questions it is given. |
| Final authorial decision | Does not rewrite the manuscript. The author chooses. | Recommends and explains, while the author approves the change. | Every response still needs the author's judgment. |
First chapter free · No subscription · Your text remains yours
A read in your book's language
A French book gets a French read, a Swedish one Swedish, a Polish one Polish. Twelve languages, with scores, evidence and fixes always in the language of your text.
You pay for your book, not a flat fee
You pay for the real length of your novel, not a flat fee. You see the estimate before you start, and it comes out around half the price of a comparable editorial critique.
Frequently asked questions
001 How is this different from proofreading or a beta read?
A proofreader fixes errors, a beta reader shares an impression. This is a whole-book craft read, dimension by dimension, with a method, evidence from the text and named craft principles.
002 What exactly do I get?
A 0-100 score with a band, an assessment of 11 dimensions broken into factors, evidence quotes from your text, fixes, a per-chapter read and a prioritized revision plan.
003 What is the read based on?
On named craft principles you can check against the text: the scene turn, distance from the character, filter words, escalating stakes and over a hundred and fifty more. Every factor carries a description, a red flag and a fix, and the full taxonomy is open in the app.
004 What language will the read be in?
The language of your book. Vellam reads novels in twelve languages, from Polish and English to Swedish and Finnish.
005 What does it cost?
You pay by the real length of the book, not a flat fee. Before you start you see a conservative estimate. A larger, longer novel costs more.
006 Can I see an example before buying?
Yes. We have a full, ready example analysis you can read in full before you commit to your own.
007 Does Vellam replace an editor?
Vellam does not replace an editor and does not write your novel for you.
See your novel through the eyes of a commissioning editor
Upload the novel and see what to fix first. Dimension by dimension, with evidence from the text.
You pay for your book, not a flat fee
Józef Chełmoński, Indian Summer, 1875