A professional poetry critique or a manuscript evaluation of your fiction and nonfiction typically includes:

• An objective assessment with general impressions and specific suggestions for you to consider as you revise.
• Practical ideas and honest encouragement to help you improve your work now but with workable suggestions you can also use in your writing times to come.
• Light editing if needed to correct minor mistakes.
• A realistic but kind appraisal of your manuscript’s “reader appeal” and its readiness for publication.
• Prayer for you and your work -- given freely!

Poetry Critique: Provide the line count, and identify the form you used, such as a sonnet, villanelle, or free verse.

• For a poem up to 25 lines, $10.00
• For a batch of 5 or more poems with each typed on a separate page, $7.50 per poem
• For a poetry chapbook or a book of poems with your title and theme included and each poem typed on a separate page, $5.00 per poem

Note: If you have studied Poetry: Taking Its Course and would like a critique of your practice sessions or if Mary Sayler has previously critiqued your work, take a 10% discount on your critique order.

Critique of a Short Manuscript of Fiction or Nonfiction: Include your theme, purpose, page length, and intended readers for your article, devotionals, or story.

• For each double-spaced page to 5 pages, $10.00
• For each double-spaced page to 30 pages, $5.00

Critique of a Book Proposal: A critique of your nonfiction book outline or novel synopsis will let you know if you’re on the right track and also save you the expense of a time-consuming critique of a full-length manuscript.

For a novel, write a synopsis of the book in the present tense (as though it’s happening now) within 10 pages.

For a nonfiction book, outline the book with your chapter headings or titles and a sentence or two about what each chapter will include.

• For either a fiction or nonfiction book proposal, send a brief statement about your theme, purpose, and intended readers.
• Give a short summary of your marketing research and/or tell how your book fills a gap.
• Provide a brief paragraph telling why you’re the person to write this book, including for example, your relevant experiences, education, or training.
• Include your first chapter up to 20 pages, $150.00.

Critique of Children’s Picture Book Text: Typically, a picture book manuscript will be about 1000 to 2000 words around a single subject, theme, and purpose.

• Specify the age group for whom you’re writing.
• For nonfiction, include a bibliography of your resources.
• Do not send artwork, but do provide a sentence or two describing the illustrations you envision for each page.
• Type the text for each page below the brief description of its related artwork. 
• For an evaluation of the complete manuscript and a description of the artwork you envision, $50.00.

Note: If Mary Sayler has previously critiqued your writing in any genre, include date/title and take 10% discount on next critique.

With each group of poems, each book proposal, and each fiction or nonfiction manuscript you want critiqued, please be sure to include this important information:

• Your name
• Full mailing address
• Email address and/or phone number
• Type of form or genre in which you’re writing
• Titles for each poem, book proposal, or manuscript
• Your intended readership, age group, or market
• Total word count for a children’s picture book
• Total line count for each poem
• Total page count for manuscripts and book proposals
• A brief statement about the theme and purpose of each poem, book proposal, or manuscript

For the return of your work, please enclose a self-addressed stamped envelope (SASE) along with your manuscript and check or money order payable to Mary Sayler, P.O. Box 62, Lake Como, Florida 32157-062.

Question! I’m not Catholic, and my work isn’t religious. Would you critique my manuscript anyway?

Answer: I’d be glad to, assuming, of course, that your manuscript is not blasphemous to God nor sacrilegious to the Church nor unkind to any group. You’ll find current rates posted in the column to your left. I look forward to working with you.

Question: If I send in my manuscript or poems for a critique, would you evaluate them yourself or hire someone else?

Answer: I read each manuscript and poem myself (usually several times) then note areas of strength or weakness and make practical suggestions on how you might improve the work. If light editing is needed to correct spelling or any minor flaws in grammar, I usually go ahead and do that too unless it’s a lengthy manuscript that repeats mistakes. If so, I point those out for you to correct as you revise. In most cases, feedback will help your current work and also boost your future manuscripts or poems to the next level of professionalism.

Question: Now that a few of my poems have seen print in magazines or journals, I want to put together a chapbook, but I’m not sure what the theme or title will be. Can you help me with this anyway?

Answer: I’d welcome the opportunity to be part of that important process. To begin, select 18 to 20 of your best poems to send me with the book/ chapbook fee. If you include any previously published poems (which I recommend), be sure to list titles for the poems and the publications on an acknowledgments page. Include, too, the volume number, issue number, or publication date. If, however, you have more than 40 poems that you feel are ready, you might aim toward a book, rather than a chapbook. Either way, we’ll look at what needs revising, what themes emerge, what titles might work, and what sequence will best display each poem.

Question: Your free tips on writing and revising have helped, but I need someone to tell me if I can even write! Some websites or blogs give feedback for free, so why does anyone want to pay for a critique?

Answer: Most people don’t! Most seek advice or approval from friends who can’t identify any problems or improve the work. Eventually, you might talk yourself out of doing something you love or have some unrealistic expectations about publication. However, a professional critique will show you what is not working, why, and/or how you can avoid those mistakes as you revise or begin your next writing project.