Submission guidelines

Before submitting your work, please read our Terms of Service. We are currently only accepting submissions for Middle Grade (MG) and Young Adult (YA) novels. Paula Stokes will consider adult novel manuscripts on a case-by-case basis. At this time we do not critique picture books, chapter books, non-fiction, poetry, or short stories.

QUERY CRITIQUE ($35)

Email your query letter to [email protected]. Please ensure you:

Put Query Critique in the subject line
Attach your query letter as a .DOC or .DOCX file
Format your document with standard margins, single-spacing, 12pt Times New Roman
Specify which country you're from (this is because some of our editors are only accepting submissions from the UK or US).

Upon receipt of your request, we will contact you to confirm which editor has been assigned to you. We will endeavor to have your query critique completed within two weeks of submission. Please note, during busy periods it may take longer. In these instances, your assigned editor will contact you directly.

10-PAGE CRITIQUE ($40)

Email your first 10 pages to [email protected]. Please ensure you:

Put 10 Page Critique in the subject line
Attach your 10-page sample as a .DOC or .DOCX file
Format your document with standard margins, double-spacing, 12pt Times New Roman
Include a short summary (a couple paragraphs is plenty) in the body of your email, just to give us an idea of what the story is about
Specify which country you're from (this is because some of our editors are only accepting submissions from the UK or US).

Upon receipt of your request, we will contact you to confirm which editor has been assigned to you. We will endeavor to have your 10-page critique completed within two weeks of submission. Please note, during busy periods it may take longer. In these instances, your assigned editor will contact you directly.

AGENT SUBMISSION PACKAGE ($70)

Email your query letter and first 10 pages to [email protected]. Please ensure you:

Put Agent Submission Package in the subject line
Attach your query letter and 10-page sample as separate .DOC, or .DOCX files
Format your query letter with standard margins, single-spacing, 12pt Times New Roman
Format your 10-page sample with standard margins, double-spacing, 12pt Times New Roman
Specify which country you're from (this is because some of our editors are only accepting submissions from the UK or US).

PARTIAL CRITIQUE ($195)

Email your first 50 pages to [email protected]. Please ensure you:

Put Partial Critique in the subject line
Attach your 50-page sample as a .DOC or .DOCX file
Format your 50-page sample with standard margins, double-spacing, 12pt Times New Roman
Include a short summary (a couple paragraphs is plenty) in the body of the email, just to give us an idea of what the story is about
Specify which country you're from (this is because some of our editors are only accepting submissions from the UK or US).

Upon receipt of your request, we will contact you to confirm which editor has been assigned to you. We will endeavor to have your Partial Critique completed within four weeks of submission. Please note, during busy periods it may take longer. In these instances, your assigned editor will contact you directly.

LONGER CRITIQUES (BIG PICTURE, LINE EDIT)

For longer critiques (Big Picture or Line Edit), MCS editors charge by the hour. (As of Jan 1, 2021, our rates are $40/hr, $35/hr for qualified students). We've found this to be the fairest system for both writer and editor, as some projects require much more feedback than others. To request a longer critique, you will need to first purchase a 10-page or 50-page partial critique. This is for both sides to see if the partnership will be a good fit. We want to work with projects that resonate with us, in genres where we have expertise to share. You want to work with an editor who is passionate about your work and can provide worthwhile feedback in a way that inspires and encourages you. Submitting a partial also allows us to prepare an individualized estimate for the costs of critiquing your entire manuscript, based on the amount of time it takes us to finish your 10-page or 50-page sample.

To request a longer critique, in the body of your email, please state which service you would like. Upon completion of your 10-page or 50-page critique, if your editor feels like a good match for your project, she will invite you to submit your full manuscript. Big Picture critiques for middle grade and young adult manuscripts commonly cost between $400 and $800 and Line Edit critiques (which also include Big Picture notes) run an average of $650 to $1150. However, some projects fall outside of the normal range, and we will provide an individual estimate for your entire manuscript after reviewing your 10-page or 50-page sample.

FURTHER INFORMATION

If you have any further questions, please check our FAQs page or email us at [email protected]

"Jess understands voice, she has a knack for characterization, and she knows how to bring a book to the next level. Without her, my last three books would definitely have been missing something. She rocks!"
Miranda Kenneally, CATCHING JORDAN

"Without Elizabeth, I can 100 per cent say I'd never have got my two-book deal with HarperCollins."
Tracy Buchanan, MY SISTER'S SECRET

"Paula has a remarkable ability to hone in on weaknesses of plot and characterization, and her insights always dramatically improve my work."
Antony John, ELEMENTAL

"Emily has an editorial eye that understands not only what a book is--but what it has the potential to become." Courtney Summers, ALL THE RAGE

"Tiffany is a master of pointing out where characters should go deeper, give more to the reader, peel back a layer. Her critiques are the magical blend of intelligence and encouragement."
K.M. Walton, CRACKED (Simon Pulse)