For writers with notes in hand
Revision Plan From Editor or Beta Notes
Paste your editor's letter or beta notes and get a revision plan: every note sorted biggest first, tied to chapters, with a checklist per pass.
Free to start. No card needed.
How to turn notes on your manuscript into a revision plan
Read all the notes once, then wait. Former literary agent Nathan Bransford, who now edits books, says not to act on an editorial letter for at least a couple of days1. When you come back, copy every note into one list, one change per line, with who said it and the chapter it touches. Merge notes that ask for the same change and count them. A problem three readers hit is real, however differently they describe it; a note only one reader raised may come down to taste.
A note is a reliable report of where a reader felt something, but its suggested fix is only one option. Bransford advises you to drill past the surface suggestions1 and diagnose the root problem. "The middle drags" might mean a missing turn, a fuzzy goal or two scenes doing one job. Then color-code the notes as he suggests (green for yes, yellow for probably, red for no) and give each red a one-line reason. Ask the reader about any note too vague to act on.
Fix the biggest problems first, because big changes undo small ones. Bransford warns that 10 or more changes can cascade from a single one1, and line edits in a chapter you later cut are wasted work. So plan three passes: structure (plot, arcs, stakes, pacing), then scenes, then lines. Book coach Monica Cox suggests you fix one problem all the way through the manuscript2 before starting the next, rather than going page by page from chapter one. Keep the self-editing checklist beside you for the line pass.
How it works
What is a revision plan?
A revision plan is one ordered list of the changes your next draft needs, built from the notes on your book. Paste an editor's letter, beta readers' notes or a critique into the box at the top of this page, or drop in up to 10 files. River reads everything first, then merges repeated notes, labels who raised each one and sorts them into structure, scene or line work, biggest first. It writes the plan into a doc in your free River workspace.
Within each of the three levels, the notes more readers raised, or that reach more chapters, come first. Where one fix waits on another, the plan flags it, so you don't polish a scene that may still move. River never guesses a chapter: a note that names none is marked Not stated, unless your manuscript is attached and River finds the passage. Vague notes, clashing ones and any it can't place go under Questions to settle first, each with one question for you to answer.
River organizes your notes and doesn't judge them. It adds none of its own, keeps the ones it might question and never rewrites your manuscript. The Your call column stays blank, because the book is yours. It works with any notes: a paid edit, a critique group, your own read-through, or reports from the AI beta reader and AI book editor. When the plan sends you back to rebuild a chapter, sketch the new version on a scene card.
How it works
From notes to a plan
Paste your notes
Paste an editor's letter, beta notes or a critique, or drop in up to 10 files at once.
River sorts them
It merges repeats, flags notes that disagree, and sorts every note into structure, scene or line work.
Get your plan
A short version, then every note in a table, biggest first, and a checklist for each pass.
Make your calls
Fill in Your call, merge in late notes, and ask River to walk you through pass one.
| Note | Level | Chapters | Your call |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. The middle sags: the same argument, replayed | Structure | 9–14 | |
| 2. Why does Nell stay after the bank letter? | Structure | 3 | |
| 3. The ferry chase runs long | Scene | 11 | |
| 4. Too many dialogue tags | Line | Throughout |
Repeats merged and counted. Your call stays blank for you.
What you'll get
Your editor's or beta readers' notes, turned into an ordered plan
- Every note in one list, repeats merged, biggest changes first
- Each note tied to its chapters, with a column for your call
- A checklist for each pass, from structure down to sentences
Before and after
Scattered notes in. One plan out.
Editor: The middle loses tension. Chapters 9 to 14 replay the same argument between Nell and her sister. Beta reader 1: I got bored around the ferry chase in chapter 11. And why doesn't Nell just leave after the bank letter in chapter 3? Beta reader 2: Loved the bakery! Middle felt slow. Lots of "she said softly."
1. The middle sags: chapters 9–14 replay the same argument · Structure · Chapters 9–14 · Editor and beta reader 2 2. Why Nell stays after the bank letter · Structure · Chapter 3 · Beta reader 1 3. The ferry chase runs long · Scene · Chapter 11 · Beta reader 1 4. Too many dialogue tags ("she said softly") · Line · Throughout · Beta reader 2 Pass 1, Structure: settle #1 and #2. #3 waits on #1, since the chase may move.
Every requested change kept, sorted big to small, with who asked for it.
What lands in your doc
What's in your revision plan
- A short version up top: the biggest change your notes ask for and where to start
- Every note in one table, repeats merged and counted, with who raised each one
- Each note sorted into structure, scene or line work, biggest changes at the top
- The chapters each note touches, found in your manuscript if you attach it, or marked Not stated
- A checklist for each pass, in order, showing which fixes wait on another one
- A blank Your call column for each note, and questions to settle before you start
Questions authors ask
Common questions
What should a revision plan include?
A revision plan should list every requested change, who asked for it, the chapters it touches and its size: structure, scene or line. Add your decision on each note and work in order, biggest first. Professional editing follows the same order: when a line edit is paired with a developmental edit, the Editorial Freelancers Association says it comes after big-picture issues have been addressed3.
What is an editorial letter?
An editorial letter, also called a revision or edit letter, is a developmental editor's written assessment of your manuscript. The Editorial Freelancers Association3 says it outlines the big-picture issues and offers suggestions for how to address them. It may come with comments in the manuscript as well. Our types of editing guide shows how it differs from a line edit.
How do I make a revision plan with River?
Paste your notes at the top of this page, or drop in up to 10 files, one per reader if you like. Include your manuscript if some notes name no chapter, and River looks for the passage. It merges repeats, sorts every note big to small and writes your plan, with a checklist for each pass, into your free River workspace.
What if two readers' notes contradict each other?
Weigh who said it before you choose. Editor Nathan Bransford says that with contradictory advice, the tie will probably go to the person with more experience1. Then look for the problem both notes are reacting to, since one fix can sometimes answer both. River keeps both as separate rows marked Readers disagree and lists them under Questions to settle first, so neither quietly disappears.
Do I have to take every note?
No. The notes are advice, and the final say is yours. Writer and literary consultant Grace Bialecki says criticism isn't useful when it's vague, demeaning or centered on the reader's personal preference4. She also notes that "sometimes the hardest critiques to swallow are the most relevant," so sleep on a note before you decline it. River never decides; each note gets a blank Your call column.
I don't have any notes yet. Where do I start?
Get a first read. Paste a chapter into the AI beta reader to see where a reader got lost or would stop. The AI book editor writes an editor's letter on a chapter's stakes, turn and cuts. Critique swaps with other writers give you human notes too. Then bring everything back here and turn it into one plan.
Is the revision plan tool free?
Yes, it is free to start, and you don't need a card. Your revision plan opens in a River workspace, where you can edit it, share it or ask River to change it. Paid plans add more AI use and access to the most advanced models.
Your next step