---currently not accepting new clients Until April 2015--
Looking for an Unbiased Critique?
Then you've come to the right place.
Are story critiques even necessary? The simple answer is yes. Your manuscript is competing against hundreds of thousands of others to grab the attention of agents, publishers, and even readers. You want to do everything you can to make sure your story stands out from the rest, and the best way to do that is with a story critique. Line edits and proofreading are essential (never skip that), but few writers think to have their books critiqued first to make sure the story elements and plot even work. Every writer, whether seasoned or new to the game, needs a critique of their story before their manuscript hits the desk of an editor. Why pay for a story critique? There's the old adage that you tend to get what you pay for. And while there are amazing and wonderful people in your life (friends and family) who will read your work for free, you may not end up with the type of advice you really need to take your book to the next level. That's where I come in. Pats on the backs and Atta Boy's from your loved ones will only take you so far (and believe me, I love a good pat on the back...they feel so good), but there comes a time when we need to know if our story is working, if our characters are believable, and if we have the ability to hook a reader from the first page and carry them all the way to the very end. We need an honest and objective critique. If you're tired of passing off your manuscript to friends and family who never tend to get around to reading your work, making one excuse after another, or you're having trouble finding beta readers, then maybe it's time to look into paying someone to go over your work with a critical but constructive eye. Why me? As an author who has been down this road before, having faced frustration, disappointment, setbacks, and self-doubt, I've come to realize that the more eyes that look over my work prior to publication, the better prepared I am to face my readers and reviewers with a product I'm proud of. I'm the kind of person who likes to know if I have broccoli in my teeth before I step into the public with a cheesy grin on my face. I want honest, but helpful feedback. I'm quite certain that's what you want too. I also realize that it takes a lot of courage to hand over your manuscript (your baby) to someone, not knowing if they might rip it to shreds. That's a huge fear we all face. It can happen, but with me, it won't. That's not how I do things. I promise. The feedback you will receive from me will not only point out the things you might need to address, but it will also point out the things you're doing right, so that you can repeat those trends. I bring to my critiques some things that a copyeditor or even another critiquer may not. My goal is to help you, encourage you, and instruct you along this bumpy road to publication, and provide you with sound, honest, and unbiased advice. I believe in the value of a critique so much so that I've done my best to make my critique service affordable to fit all budgets. What will you receive from me? Before I delve into your manuscript, I will email you to find out exactly what you are hoping to learn from doing this critique. What are your concerns, your goals? Once we've established that, I will then make comments and notations in the margins of your document so you will be able to review in the Track Changes options in Microsoft Word. It is an easy and convenient way for you to see the examples and suggestions I have for you. I will NOT make any changes to your document that you won't have the final say over. Your ideas are safe with me. Turn around time will be one month or less, depending on my workload. If you need the critique sooner, we can make that happen (see pricing). Will you have a perfect manuscript when I'm done critiquing? No. There is not such thing as a perfect manuscript/novel/story. Even traditionally published and edited novels have errors. That's a given. The best you can hope for is near-perfection and strive for that. Now keep in mind, I'm not an editor. That's not what I'm offering here. If I do see things that are repeating grammatical errors or issues, I will point those out to make you aware, but that's not what a story critique consists of. My focus will be on your plot, characters, and flow. It won't matter if you have all the commas in the right place if your story has a lagging middle or unrelatable characters. The other thing to keep in mind, is that critiques are subjective. Just as agents, publishers, and readers are subjective. The critique and advice I give to you will be my opinion and will be based on things I've learned along the way. I've worked with several editors over the years and will pass the knowledge they've taught me on to you. Will you agree with everything I suggest? Probably not. No one knows your story better than you do, so you will have to decipher what advice you agree with and what advice you don't. And that's okay. So . . . do you have . . .
Then I can help you! How Do I Sign Up? It’s easy! Just fill out the simple online order form, choosing the service you’d like to have. But first, be sure you have formatted it according to the formatting requirements. Learn more What Happens Next? Once your material and payment are submitted, I will get started right away on your critique. If I am backlogged and estimate it will take longer than a month to return your completed critique, I will contact you with an estimated time of completion. I want to give your manuscript the serious attention it deserves and not rush through the critique process. I’m ready! Take me to the Order Form |
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Why A Critique?
Formatting Requirements
Pricing
SPECIAL: First 10 Pages $25
First 50 Pages $75 Manuscripts 25K and Under $150 Manuscripts 26K to 75K $250 Manuscripts 76K to 100K $375 Manuscripts over 100k (we will need to discuss) EXPEDITE for an additional $45 Testimonials
"Beta readers are essential to me as a writer, but it is difficult finding the kind of reader who isn't afraid to make you better simply by saying, "this isn't working" or "I need more." I've been involved in several critiquing relationships and the only one that has survived is my relationship with Angela Scott. I met her at a writer's workshop several years ago. She agreed to read my novel and offer me some feedback. This ended up being just what I needed to push myself further. She has an eye for emotion. She reads a book and wants to feel it--experience it. Don't we all want that from a book? She isn't afraid to tell me the bad or the good part of having a critique and reminding me how real writing is rewriting and not settling for just okay. That is what I was missing in all my other beta reading relationships. They were all afraid to point out the real problems, simply because they didn't want to hurt my feelings. As nice as that is, I need to challenge myself to always be better, and she helps me do that." --Diana Tracy
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