Things writers ask before they upload.

Your manuscript is used only to create the Pencil Pass report you requested.

We do not keep it. Twenty-four hours after your last analysis, we delete your manuscript — both the text and the file you uploaded. Your manuscript is never sold, published, shared, or used to train AI models.

Your report stays in your account, including the passages it quotes from your book. To re-run a module or upgrade after your manuscript is deleted, upload it again. You can also delete your report whenever you like.

Yes.

Your report is stored privately in your account and is not published, sold, shared, used as a public sample, or used to train models.

It remains available to you until you choose to delete it.

Pencil Pass staff do not read or browse customer manuscripts.

Your manuscript is handled only by the systems required to perform the analysis, and it is deleted 24 hours after your last analysis.

Your report is reached through your account, so protecting your password and login information keeps it private to you.

No.

Neither your manuscript nor your report is used to train models, improve results for other customers, create samples, develop marketing materials, or for any purpose other than providing the Pencil Pass service you requested.

Your work is never added to a training library or repurposed to benefit another customer.

My Library keeps your completed Pencil Pass reports, so you can read a report, return to it, and download it as a PDF. It does not keep your manuscript: that is deleted 24 hours after your last analysis, and upgrading or re-running after that means uploading it again.

Everything in My Library is private to your account, and you can delete any report whenever you like.

Because Pencil Pass supports its findings with evidence from your pages, a report may quote selected passages from your manuscript. Those passages stay part of your private report — they are what you paid for, so they remain after the manuscript itself is gone — and are never used for any other purpose.

Deleting a PDF report permanently removes that PDF file, and it cannot be recovered — so download it first if you would like to keep your own copy.

You can also delete a manuscript from My Library to remove it from your account.

You do.

You retain all ownership and rights to your manuscript. You also own the Pencil Pass report created for you.

Uploading a manuscript does not transfer ownership, publishing rights, licensing rights, or any other rights to Pencil Pass.

An account keeps your work safe. Your report is saved securely while it is being prepared and afterward, so if you close the browser or lose your connection, your results are waiting when you come back.

You can upload a manuscript and start the free Manuscript Snapshot right away, and you create a free account to view and keep your results. A paid report also requires an account so you can return to it, download it, or upgrade your report level.

Your report stays in your account until you delete it. Your manuscript does not: we delete it 24 hours after your last analysis.

The first sections begin appearing as they are completed, so you can start reading while the rest of the report is still being prepared.

Most complete reports are ready to save or download in about 30 minutes.

DOCX or PDF.

DOCX usually preserves chapter structure most cleanly. Plain text can also work. Scanned PDFs are not currently supported.

A developmental editor gives you a deep human read, usually over weeks, often for $1,500 to $5,000 or more.

Pencil Pass is a different instrument. It is faster, more structured, and more systematic. It reads the manuscript across focused editorial, reader, market, and next-step questions, then quotes the evidence back from your pages.

It is not a replacement for a great editor. It is a clearer signal before you decide whether to hire one, what kind of help to ask for, or whether the manuscript is ready for the next step.

No.

Pencil Pass does not line-edit your sentences, rewrite your chapters, or try to make your voice sound like someone else’s.

It reads the manuscript, identifies what is working, shows where the reader may be getting lost, and gives you a clearer path forward.

Yes. When you submit your manuscript, you can tell Pencil Pass what stage you’re in and what kind of feedback would be most useful right now. The core read stays the same — careful, complete, and grounded in the manuscript — but the emphasis of the report changes based on your goals.

If you’re querying agents, Pencil Pass helps you understand where the book stands before your pages reach an agent’s desk, with attention to readiness, clarity, opening pages, reader pull, and positioning.

If you’re self-publishing, Pencil Pass focuses on strengthening the book, the reader promise, and the way the work is positioned before you publish.

If you’re still revising, Pencil Pass helps identify the highest-impact improvements for your next draft, so you can focus your energy where it matters most.

You can also choose the feedback tone that fits you best: Supportive Coach gives encouraging, confidence-building feedback that helps you keep going. Constructive Editor gives clear, direct notes with specific paths for revision. Publishing Strategist gives market-aware feedback on audience, positioning, and next steps.

In every mode, the goal is the same: to help you see the manuscript more clearly and decide what to do next.

Pencil Pass is best for finished or nearly finished manuscripts: novels, memoirs, narrative nonfiction, commercial nonfiction, and other book-length projects where the writer needs a serious read before revising, querying, self-publishing, or hiring more help.

It is not meant for loose ideas, early outlines, or a few sample chapters that do not yet represent the whole book.

Then the report will tell you that clearly — and show you why.

The goal is not to flatter the manuscript. The goal is to help you understand what is working, what is not ready yet, and which next steps would matter most.

That can happen. A Pencil Pass is a structured read, not a final authority on your book’s worth.

But every major claim should be supported by evidence from your pages. If the report misses the mark or fails to support its conclusions, let us know within 14 days.

Yes. You can start with a smaller report and upgrade later.

You only pay the difference between the tier you already purchased and the tier you want to unlock.

Because we delete your manuscript 24 hours after your last analysis, upgrading after that means uploading it again so the new sections can be written. Upgrading within the first 24 hours needs nothing from you.

You can re-run and refine your report's analysis for free while your manuscript is active — as often as you like.

We delete your manuscript 24 hours after your last analysis, though, and each run resets that window. A revised draft is new pages, so re-analyzing a revision means uploading it as a new report rather than re-running the old one.

A different book is a new purchase.

Yes. Every paid tier includes a downloadable report.

Many writers use the report as a starting brief for an editor, coach, writing partner, or publishing advisor. You can also use pieces of it to help shape your query, synopsis, positioning, or revision plan.

Agents and publishers evaluate the manuscript you submit.

Pencil Pass does not rewrite your book or replace your voice. It helps you understand the manuscript, its intended reader, its market position, and the work that may still need to be done.

Any query letters, synopses, positioning language, or other materials created through Pencil Pass should be reviewed and revised in your own voice before you submit them.

No.

Treat generated query letters, synopses, messaging, and launch materials as strong working drafts. They are meant to give you structure, language, and direction — but you should revise them in your own voice before sending anything to an agent, editor, publisher, or reader.