Digital decision support for editorial acquisition
Better acquisition decisions. Faster at auctions. The judgment stays with you.
- 1Pre-selection
- 2Analysis & acquisition decision
- 3Editorial support
- 4Sales-ready metadata
What narratiQ means for your publishing house
narratiQ does not replace publishing judgment. It provides the structured basis publishers need to decide faster, more consistently and with stronger business context.
More list options at the same process cost
Every submission receives a well-founded initial assessment. The cost per acquisition decision goes down – and your list has more vetted options.
Fewer bad acquisitions
Weaknesses, narrow target audiences and positioning risks surface before advances, production and marketing cost money.
Decide with data, not just gut feeling
Every acquisition decision also rests on a systematic analysis of quality, audience and market fit.
Faster at auctions and licenses
For agency offers and international titles you get a well-founded basis for decisions within a short time.
Shorter time to market
Analysis, editorial preparation, positioning and metadata happen in parallel rather than in sequence – marketing and sales are involved earlier.
Scale instead of multiplying costs
Handle more submissions, licenses and imprints without raising organizational costs at the same rate.
Time is an economic factor
narratiQ shortens the time to a structured first assessment. When an agency offers a manuscript to several houses at once, you gain room to act – for alignment, costing and an offer within the deadline.
What the time advantage gives your publishing houseOne analysis engine. Multiple outputs for the publisher.
In the background, narratiQ reads the complete manuscript in depth. On the surface, it creates the views and materials your team needs at each stage.
The detailed analysis is the engine
narratiQ first builds a full understanding of the manuscript. That analysis does not remain a technical report; it feeds every subsequent publishing workflow.
- Plot, turning points, character development, relationships, setting and narrative perspective are captured across the full text.
- Style, tone, pace, tension, target audience and genre conventions are assessed in a structured way.
- The result is not a loose collection of notes, but a consistent evaluation logic for every manuscript.
- Editors keep their judgment; narratiQ complements sample reading and full reading with a complete, evidence-based analysis layer.
Quick analysis
See within minutes whether a manuscript deserves deeper review for your list.
Detailed view
A structured basis for sample reading, reports and editorial board decisions.
Market comparison
Core manuscript features feed comparable titles, market fit and differentiation.
Editorial support
Issues, risks and development areas remain visible even under time pressure.
Metadata and sales
The analysis turns into positioning, audiences, keywords and sales-ready metadata.
One tool for your entire publishing workflow
Manuscripts, exposés and sample chapters arrive — and you need to decide: assess, acquire, edit, market. narratiQ is with you every step: , , and .
Acquisition & Publication Process
narratiQ offers four dedicated modules:
Decide faster and more cost-effectively which manuscripts belong in your list.
Fast initial assessment
A manuscript arrives – narratiQ delivers a structured overview within minutes covering genre, style, characters, dramaturgy, target audience, and key strengths and risks. Instead of reading the manuscript, you first review the analysis – and make an informed decision on the next step. Especially for sought-after titles being offered to multiple publishers, a faster signal can make all the difference.
- Earlier programme signals to agencies and authors
- Faster responsiveness to trending topics
- Fewer opportunity costs from misprioritised reading
Decide with confidence
The detailed analysis makes visible what can easily disappear during fast reading: structure, pacing, character development, story arc, style and concrete text evidence. The editor still reads and judges the manuscript - first through targeted sample reading, later fully when an acquisition becomes serious. narratiQ adds a second, complete analysis layer that structures impressions, surfaces evidence and makes evaluations comparable across manuscripts.
- Reduced review time per title
- More titles reviewed per programme cycle
- Faster acquisition and committee decisions
Comparable titles based on the complete manuscript
The market comparison does not start from a blurb or a short summary. It uses the results of the full detailed analysis: characters, turning points, setting, tone, tropes, audience, conflicts and differentiating features.
Complete analysis
narratiQ first understands the manuscript in terms of structure, dramaturgy, character work and audience logic.
Extract core features
The analysis produces search and evaluation features that go beyond simple keywords.
Query Amazon and Google Books
Using these features, narratiQ searches for potentially comparable titles and relevant market segments.
Classify, not just list
Found titles are assessed for list fit, saturation risk, differentiation and commercial potential.
The market comparison is a decision aid, not a sales forecast. It shows where a manuscript connects, where it differs and which risks should be discussed early.
Bring acquired titles to publication faster and more cost-effectively.
Faster to publication
After acquiring the manuscript, narratiQ supports you with prioritised notes – structured by chapter and visualised via heatmap. Your team adds comments, sets tasks, and keeps track of progress. With each revision round, narratiQ shows what has been implemented, what remains open, and where new inconsistencies have emerged. The focus is on changes – not on re-reading the entire manuscript. Your editors remain the decision-makers – you cut costs without quality risk.
- Clearer communication with authors
- Fewer coordination loops
- Documented revision status
Sales-ready metadata at the click of a button
Blurb, keywords, product group, BISAC and Thema codes – narratiQ generates all metadata directly from the manuscript. Platform-specific variants for Amazon, Thalia, VLB, Apple Books, Google Play and Kobo can be copied, edited and exported as ONIX 3.0.
From crime fiction to quantum physics
Fiction
- Character development: Do the characters grow, or do they stay flat?
- Tension arc: Where does it hold, where does it drop?
- Style & tonality: Narrative voice, pacing and register in detail
- Genre deep analysis: Which conventions does the manuscript follow, which does it break?
- Trope detection: The key tropes at a glance
Non-Fiction
- Jargon → plain language: Complex terminology, clearly broken down
- Argument logic: Is the argument coherently structured?
- Source quality: Are claims substantiated, sources traceable?
- Fact check: Critical claims checked against current sources
From jargon to editorial language
“The study shows that 5-HT2A receptor agonism combined with psychotherapeutic support leads to significant reductions in MADRS scores, comparable to first-line SSRI therapy for treatment-resistant depression.”
“The book explains how psychedelics act on serotonin receptors in the brain. The central thesis: a single guided session can be as effective for severe depression as months of antidepressants — with fewer side effects.”
You immediately understand what it’s about — without being a domain expert.
Automatic market comparison
narratiQ breaks down every manuscript into its core building blocks — genre tropes for fiction, central theses for non-fiction. Based on these, it finds comparable titles on the market: not by keyword search, but through content understanding. Which books address the same themes? How does the manuscript position itself competitively? What gap could it fill?
narratiQ thinks in your list
Once configured, narratiQ becomes the application tailored to your house: you store your publishing profile with dos and don'ts – and every analysis measures the manuscript against exactly your standards. A good book becomes a good book for your list.
Sophisticated prose required
A literary publisher demands an elevated style – narratiQ assesses the language more strictly.
Happy ending is mandatory
A romance publisher needs a reconciliatory ending – manuscripts without one are flagged as a list mismatch.
No explicit violence
Another publisher rules out graphic violence – narratiQ makes any breaches visible in the report.
Two ways to use narratiQ
Standalone platform or seamless integration -- you decide.
Get started instantly
Upload manuscripts, run analyses, and access all results directly in narratiQ. No setup, no IT effort.
Test in your publishing houseIntegrate into your system
Connect narratiQ via REST API to PONDUS, knkVerlag, or your own system. Full control, full automation.
Explore the APINo AI training. GDPR compliant
No AI training
Your manuscripts are not used to train language models. Microsoft guarantees this contractually for Azure OpenAI.
Processing in Europe
All data is processed exclusively in European Azure data centers. No transfer to the USA.
Deletion after 30 days
Processing data is automatically deleted after 30 days. Additionally, you have a GDPR right to deletion at any time.
The blind benchmark: you judge us, not the other way around
Give us a manuscript your house has already decided on. We analyze it blind – you compare our result with your judgment. Confidential, within 48 hours, at no cost and with no software rollout.
Blind benchmark with a manuscript you have already decided on
We analyze blind, without knowing your judgment. You then compare our report with your original assessment – the toughest test you can set us.
Or with a manuscript that is currently under review
Want to experience narratiQ in a real process? We analyze a title that needs reviewing now and support your current decision.
Start the blind benchmark
Choose your way to start. We handle the preparation and will contact you to arrange secure manuscript transfer.
Reach us directly
General inquiries
kontakt@narratiq.deSupport
support@narratiq.deResponse time: We typically respond within 24 hours on business days.
All benefits at a glance
The blind benchmark: you judge us, not the other way around
Give us a manuscript you have already decided on. We analyze it blind – you compare our result with your judgment. Confidential, within 48 hours, at no cost and with no software rollout.