Sample report
The Great Gatsby (public domain sample)
Full Manuscript Review · 150 simulated reader profiles · literary fiction panel
Launch-readiness
87/100
Publication-ready. One mid-book drop-off in Ch 3 is the main risk; a targeted revision there would lift launch-readiness above 92. Ending payoff is strong.
Engagement heatmap
Ch 1 — Nick arrives in West Egg96%
Strong opening; genre-promise clear within 3 pages.
Ch 2 — The valley of ashes88%
Setting-heavy; readers reported waiting for the plot to move.
Ch 3 — Gatsby's first party62%
DROP: readers described the party scene as long and repetitive; several set the book down.
Ch 4 — Gatsby's history78%
Recovers well; Meyer Wolfsheim named as a memorable beat.
Ch 5 — Daisy meets Gatsby again90%
Emotional payoff. Panel described being "re-hooked".
Top reader objections
- ▶Nick is passive too early — readers wanted a clearer sense of what he wants.
- ▶The party scene in Ch 3 drags. Multiple readers stopped between here and Ch 4.
- ▶A few readers found early metaphors ornate to the point of distraction.
Suggested rewrites (in priority order)
- Cut the guest-list catalogue mid-Ch 3 by 40% and end the chapter on the "old sport" line.
- Give Nick one decisive move by end of Ch 2 (declining a drink, walking away from Tom, choosing to visit Gatsby).
- Trim the second paragraph of Ch 1 by half — the metaphor lands harder without the preamble.