Jonathan Baker, Collaborative Query Consultations

As an editor, writer, and publishing consultant, Jonathan Baker has worked with Richard Powers, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Charles Palliser, John Lahr, and Jonathan Eig, among many other authors, and his projects have been nominated for the National Book Award and the Booker Prize. He lives in Portland, Maine.

At the Manuscript Academy, we sometimes hear that writers want even more than we offer.

With this in mind, we’ve brought on submission expert Jonathan Baker to help.

Offering:
Thirty-minute conversation about project.

(Here, you’ll discuss what is working, what is needed, potential comps, and even some agent suggestions)

Baker will then rewrite your query for you!

This includes two email follow-ups (revisions) if needed via email.

Member Reviews of Jonathan

Grrrreat! Very informative. He got where I was at, what I’d done well, what needed to change. I half expected he’d mail it in, treat me like someone who hadn’t a clue and needed to start from scratch. (He wouldn’t be the first.) He was quite the opposite: honest, blunt, engaged, tuned in to me. It felt like a mind meld, and he gave me hope when I thought my hope had run out. I’m looking forward to seeing what we come up with. Thank you so much for making him available as a resource!

Jaso Luban

Jonathans’ consultation was amazing. His knowledge about the market and his fresh view on my book put everything upside down in a good way. He showed me several different ways that I could go, where I only saw one. I need to process all the information and decide which way to go, but it opened up my mind. Thank you!
Jennifer

Jennifer Hagens

Jaso Luban

Work with Jonathan

LIVE Meetings: Meet face-to-face, from home. Choose Zoom, Google Meet, or phone, and speak for the appointed time about your query, first page, and/or first ten pages (for longer meetings). Does not include written notes, but is a chance to have an honest discussion about your work, and to ask follow-up questions. International meetings welcomed.

HYBRID is a live meeting at the appointment time, with written notes.

WRITTEN Critiques: Get detailed, thoughtful notes on your work. Comes with large-scale edits (character, world, plot, tension, concept, conflict, and similar as needed) in an editorial letter and small-scale, line-by-line notes as needed (for longer critiques, an average of three per page). Work arrives in your inbox within 24 hours of thedate on the calendar.