Frequently Asked Questions

First of all, welcome! We know writing can be stressful, and getting published–well, even more so. We’re here to help.

To choose the best program for you, think about which problem you’d most like to solve:

1. I don’t know why my query isn’t working, I need editorial feedback and notes, and/or can someone please tell me what I should do about a unique situation.
2. There’s so much about the industry I don’t know or understand. I don’t know what I don’t know!
3. Some combination of 1 and 2.

So, if you’re more 1, we recommend you check out our consultations with agents and editors. Everyone is nice, promise. No one’s going to tell you you did a bad job–instead, they’ll give you thougthful, kind feedback on how to get better results. Live consultations start at just $49, and include a real conversation with a real professional.

If you’re more 2, we recommend our classes, panels, and live events where you can ask our faculty what’s on their mind. Monthly memberships start at just $49, with no monthly minimum. If you can somehow watch 30 hours of content in one month, we applaud your dedication and, yes, you’ll just pay $49.

If you’re both, we recommend our gold membership, which is a meeting ($49 value) + all the classes ($49) for just $69/month. You can also cancel at anytime and, yes, if you can learn everything in a month, $69 is all you’ll pay.

Check out our page about memberships here. 

Have a unique situation? You’re welcome to get in touch here.

Your best bet is to check out our free podcast, and then imagine a more prescriptive (do this, then do this) versus conversational (I like this) style.

You can listen here: https://manuscriptacademy.com/podcast

You can also check out our live events (scroll down for free replays!) here: https://manuscriptacademy.com/live

Please don’t be nervous–we purposely choose faculty members who are warm, supportive, kind–and also quick on their feet, ready to give thoughtful feedback. You don’t have to worry about judgment here. This is a judgment-free learning zone. They’re here to help.

Think of it as a conversation over coffee (or tea, or bourbon–whatever you like best) with a friend who happens to have years of experience in publishing. You can view their profiles here: https://manuscriptacademy.com/10-minutes-with-an-expert

We have a number of tips on our podcast (see episode #6, How To Spend Ten Minutes With an Agent, here: https://soundcloud.com/user-965795498/episode-six-how-to-spend-ten-minutes-with-an-agent).

We also have a number of episodes with real, live consultations, on our podcast feed.

You can listen here: https://manuscriptacademy.com/podcast

We have a full range of resources at multiple price points.

Free: Our podcast, with interviews with agents, editors, and authors. See: https://manuscriptacademy.com/podcast

$9.95: Live event tickets–Q&A’s with faculty, live recordings of podcasts, some first page panels. Join our list to hear about these limited-time events when they become available: https://manuscriptacademy.com/subscribe, and view a selection of our upcoming events here: https://manuscriptacademy.com/live.

$25: A la carte recorded, edited classes. If you have just one topic (first lines, pitch letters, publicity, platform, etc.) that you want to learn about, this is a great way to move forward. Each comes with a ticket to the live event (if you attend live, you can ask questions!) or the recording of the live event, so about 1.5-2 hours of content. You can view options here: https://manuscriptacademy.com/join

$49: A meeting with the agent or editor of your choice, with one page submitted ahead of time for review. View meetings here: https://manuscriptacademy.com/10-minutes-with-an-expert

$49: A month of access to our full library of classes. If you can watch 30 hours of content in one month, we’re impressed. If that’s you, and you cancel before your renewal date, $49 is all you’ll pay.

$69: One month of access to our full library of classes ($49 value) PLUS a ten-minute consultation with the agent or editor of your choice ($49 value). Like with the $49 membership level, if you’re super caffeinated and watch everything in a month, yay you! You’ll just pay $69.

$69 and up: Written critiques with the faculty member of your choice. Not tech-savvy? Super busy? Want to just open your inbox one day and have all (okay, not all, but a lot!) of the answers? This option is for you. Written notes will be emailed to you on the date on the calendar. Book here: https://manuscriptacademy.com/all-written-critiques/

$99: Submit 10 pages of your work to the agent or editor of your choice, then discuss for 15 minutes to get feedback. This does not include written notes. You can book here: https://manuscriptacademy.com/10-minutes-with-an-expert

You do not! Anyone can book meetings and written critiques.

However, members get a 24-hour head start when meetings are posted each month.

Hey, it’s okay! Your faculty member also has your phone number and email address, and will get in touch–either now, to have your meeting over the phone, or in a few minutes, to reschedule.

Don’t worry. You haven’t missed your chance. 

So that you get the most out of your investment, we want you to receive feedback you can take with you throughout your writing and querying journey–versus a simple “Sure, send it” which you can get for free through ordinary channels (like following the submissions guidelines on each agent’s agency site).

Additionally, it will be a much more comfortable experience for you and for your faculty member if you listen to their feedback, ask clarifying questions, and use the time focused on editorial improvements.

Our agents will ask to see more if they are interested! 

If they don’t ask, but also don’t say “This would never be a good fit for me” (or similar), go ahead and query them normally. Mention at the beginning of your query that you met them through Manuscript Academy and (if true) enjoyed the meeting.

Yes, you can! This is just like meeting them at an in-person conference. It just means they have a face (or a voice, if you choose phone) to put with a name.

Not to worry! We’re here to help.

Here’s what to do, step-by-step:

1. Get to a computer–this works much more easily on desktop than mobile.
2. Go to https://manuscriptacademy.com/10-minutes-with-an-expert. If you’re a member, go to https://manuscriptacademy.com/member-booking-system to access early booking and (if you’re a gold member) use your code. If you’re a member and can’t see that page, please view instructions for logging in here: https://manuscriptacademy.com/faq#login.
3. Ensure that there are, in fact, meetings available–meetings are posted once a month. If you see the two meeting options–ten minutes with an expert, or a 15-minute consult, you’re good to go.
4. Click on the meeting type you’d like (either 10 or 15 minutes).
5. Click on the faculty member you’d like to meet with (need help choosing? See the question on that topic, below).
6. If you get a flash and just see blank white space, SCROLL UP. If that doesn’t work, scroll down. We don’t know why this sometimes happens, but we’re working with our developer to fix it.
7. Click the red Set Time Zone button. If you don’t see it, you may have to scroll up or down. Set your time zone to ensure that you know when your meeting will take place.
8. Click a bolded date on the calendar, and then click on the time that works best for you. BE SURE that you note am/pm. Some of our faculty are international, and we don’t want you getting up in the middle of the night unnecessarily, or missing your meeting by 12 hours.
9. If you don’t see any bolded dates, that means the faculty member is booked up for this month. However, if you were looking for a longer meeting, check to see if they have shorter meetings available. Many faculty members set a limit on 15-minute meetings per month, but will still accept 10-minute meetings.
10. Follow the prompts to insert your correct contact information (if you’re not tech-savvy, phone is just fine! Even if you’re international) and the query or first page you’d like reviewed for your meeting. Please note that you cannot send a new version for longer meetings–you need to be ready with those pages when you book. For 10-minute meetings, you may send a revision later, for $10 each.
11. Click Stripe or Paypal, and enter your payment information.
12. Yay! You did it! Look for your confirmation email, which will come from academy at manuscriptwishlist dot com.

This is most likely because of a pop-up blocker on your computer. In this image below, you’ll see what that might look like:

If you see the icon that looks like a calendar with an X in it in your URL bar, please click that, and tell it to allow the pop-up.

We recommend using the browser Chrome throughout the site.

If all else fails, please get in touch, and we can find a workaround: https://manuscriptacademy.com/contact

Please make sure that you’re on the member booking system, here: https://manuscriptacademy.com/member-booking-system. The codes will only work when you’re in the member booking system.

If you’re on that page and not seeing the booking system, that means that you’re not logged in. Please see https://manuscriptacademy.com/faq#login if you need help!

Yes! And you can combine several of your codes toward one longer critique, too. Please login and get your new code here: https://manuscriptacademy.com/change-my-code

Unfortunately, no–our system isn’t built that way. Your codes are one time use and do not come with change.

Absolutely! Just choose the Phone option when selecting how your faculty member should get in touch, and s/he will give you a call at the appointed time.

Meetings are posted once a month, at the beginning of each month. If you’d like to get an email when they go up, please visit https://manuscriptacademy.com/subscribe

Not to worry–this happens. Our faculty members sometimes run a few minutes behind. If the problem is on your end (your computer died, Skype exploded), not to worry. Either way, your faculty member will be in touch to reschedule. If you don’t hear from them after 20 minutes, use our missed meeting form here.

If it’s a ten-minute meeting, and your meeting is more than 72 hours from now, yes, you can. Click the red “Cancel” button in your initial confirmation email, and you’ll be able to cancel your meeting yourself. You’ll then receive a refund in 5-7 business days. (This is because of our payment processor, not because of a delay on our end.)

Unfortunately, we don’t allow cancellations on other meeting or critique types, as faculty members often begin reading as soon as they receive your work.

If it’s a ten-minute meeting, and your meeting is more than four hours from now, you can send a revision here: https://manuscriptacademy.com/send-revision. Each revision is $10 to make up for the additional stress for your faculty member.

If your is a 15-minute meeting, or a written critique, unfortunately, we do not offer revisions. This is why we had so many “I understand revisions are not available for this meeting type” checkbox confirmations on the intake form.

That said, if it’s within 24 hours of booking, we can check with your faculty member to see if they’ll be willing to take a look at a different version. If they’ve already begun reading, however, they will stick with the original version.

If it’s a ten-minute meeting, and your meeting is more than four hours from now, you can send a version later from here: https://manuscriptacademy.com/send-revision. Each revision is $10 to make up for the additional stress for your faculty member. When booking, just upload a blank document that says “New version coming.”

If yours is a 15-minute meeting, or a written critique, unfortunately, you do need to upload your work when you book.

Please rest assured that, if they’re interested, agents and editors will ask to see your work. If you’ve met with an agent and they don’t say anything about this, yes, you can query traditionally–but we recommend that you do their suggested changes first!

Otherwise, asking often makes things awkward, and uses up time that could be spent learning more about how to make your work stronger.

Please note that everyone we work with has been chosen for their kindness, brilliance, and ability to come up with insightful feedback on the spot. That said, many writers choose to meet with someone who works in their genre.

Members can ask for suggestions through our concierge service (login to view). Otherwise, we recommend that you head to the booking system, read the short profiles next to each name, and choose someone who seems like a good fit for you.

You can also click the meeting type you’d like and, once you can view the list of faculty, hit CTRL+F or Command+F, type in your genre, and look at your highlighted results.

There are advantages to both approaches! If you’re just looking for feedback, and you don’t think your query or page is close to done, choosing an editor might make sense–editors do, in fact, edit for a living. Plus, this way, you’ll have a polished draft before approaching agents.

If you’re hoping to make connections and get requests–which, by the way, are added bonuses, and we hope you’ll go in with the goal of getting feedback versus a request–going with an agent makes sense.

It’s really up to you.

Please note that there isn’t a rule about submitting work to agents after meeting with them–this is a conference, not an editing service. Also, if an agent or editor does make a request, of course you may send to them traditionally–but that’s where the traditional submissions process begins, and our conference ends. We don’t have any control over response times once you are in the general submissions pile, and wait times are often long–just as they are for any writer waiting to hear back from a publishing professional.

These are similar services, in that both will get you feedback on your first ten pages, and light feedback on your query letter (though it’s mostly there for reference).

The meeting is better if you:

• Have specific questions you’d like answered
• Want to have a live conversation with a publishing professional
• Have a fifteen-minute period you can dedicate to your work

The written critique is better for you if:

• You don’t like talking and taking notes at the same time
• You don’t have specific questions, just want an overall read, and prefer detailed notes
• You can’t easily set aside 15 minutes to discuss your work

Yes, you can, if they’re available. Please note that you’ll just get the amount of time paid for, not the time in between–so, if you book two 10-minute meetings, you’ll get 20 minutes total; if you book two 15-minute meetings, you’ll get 30 minutes total.

Please note that we have a max of two back-to-back meetings per writer per month. 

Please get in touch with us as soon as possible with “New contact information for meeting” in the subject line. You can email us at Academy at ManuscriptWishList dot com.

You’ll receive your critique by email within 24 hours of the date you choose on the calendar. You don’t have to do anything–it’s now up to your faculty member to deliver insightful feedback. All you have to do is keep from hitting Refresh until then.

You’ll receive not just overall, thoughtful notes–akin to an edit letter from an editor at a large publishing house–but also line notes to point to specific moments in your work.

The critique will be delivered within 24 hours of the date you choose on the calendar.

We’re so happy you can join us! We love the community of live events.

Members can view live events and replays here (login to view): https://manuscriptacademy.com/event-space.

You’ll also receive instructions the day before and day of the event at the same email you used to purchase your membership.

If you’re looking for a live event, click the “join event” button under “Join Our Next Live Event.” All events, unless otherwise noted, are included with membership.

Great! We understand that life is busy, and we’re so happy you’re interested.

You can view a full calendar of events (including things like when member meetings will go live) here: https://manuscriptacademy.com/calendar

Thank you for asking! Please book in the member booking system, here: https://manuscriptacademy.com/member-booking-system.

If you need any help picking out your faculty member, we are happy to advise! Send us a note here: https://manuscriptacademy.com/concierge

Please note that early booking and gold membership codes will only work in the member booking system. 

Please make sure that you’re on the member booking system, here: https://manuscriptacademy.com/member-booking-system. The codes will only work when you’re in the member booking system.

If you’d like to turn your code into written critique credit, please login and let us know here: https://manuscriptacademy.com/change-my-code

If you’re on that page and not seeing the booking system, that means that you’re not logged in. Please see https://manuscriptacademy.com/faq#login if you need help!

Easy fix! This means you’re not logged in. Please view instructions here: https://manuscriptacademy.com/faq#login

Head to https://manuscriptacademy.com/all-written-critiques/.

Please note that you’re free to ask us for recommendations here as well! Just use our concierge service: https://manuscriptacademy.com/concierge.

No need! Your complimentary ticket and instructions will automatically arrive the day before each event. 

You can view your live events here: https://manuscriptacademy.com/event-space. 

To plan ahead, check out our full member calendar here: https://manuscriptacademy.com/calendar

Fantastic! There’s so much to explore, and we can’t wait to hear your thoughts.

You can find the full library of classes for members here: https://manuscriptacademy.com/classroom.

Click on one of the six categories (craft, business, writing for children, adult fiction and nonfiction, live events, or archives) to view those classes.

Can’t see the six categories–even when you scroll down? You’re probably not logged in. Click here for more information: https://manuscriptacademy.com/faq#login

Not to worry! One of the perks of membership is concierge service–you can go ahead and ask us, and we’ll make personalized recommendations here: https://manuscriptacademy.com/concierge

Please note that this step requires an actual human, 🙂 and it may be a few hours before you hear back. Our normal hours are 9a-5p NYC time, Monday to Friday.

Each code is good for one use. If you get the “Code already used” message, that means you can either 1) Buy another meeting, or 2) Wait for your next code, which will arrive with your renewal date (every 30 days).

You’ll automatically get an email with your code each time your membership renews. Don’t see it? Be sure to check spam for an email from Academy at Manuscriptwishlist dot com.

If you still don’t see it, please get in touch! We can find your code in the system and send it to you.

Yes, you can! Each code is good as long as you’re a member (and can login to the member booking system, here: https://manuscriptacademy.com/member-booking-system).

As long as you can view that page, your code will not expire.

Yes! Your code can be used toward any of our live meetings on this page: https://manuscriptacademy.com/member-booking-system

It can also be used toward written critiques upon request–we need to make the change in our system first. Please login and get in touch and we’ll switch your code over: https://manuscriptacademy.com/change-my-code

Yes! Login and head to https://manuscriptacademy.com/my-account/subscriptions. Click View (the blue button) next to your subscription. Then click Renew Now. This will renew your subscription early.

Then check your email for a code in the next few minutes.

Access To Top Agents, Editors & Authors

• Have real conversations that move your work forward. 
• Ask questions in real time over video chat (or phone), or have your notes delivered by email.
• Choose from 60+ top agents and editors
• Receive real, actionable feedback on how to make your work stand out
• Each of our faculty members is chosen for their kindness, brilliance, and ability to come up with feedback on your spot
• Members receive early booking + can make custom requests

60+ Hours Of Classes on the Craft, Business & Community of Publishing

• Everything you’d learn at an in-person conference–and more, since you don’t have to choose between sessions at the same time
• Watch on your schedule
• Pause, rewind, take notes
• Thoughtfully edited to maximize efficiency

Live Events Designed For Maximum Interaction, Support & Community

• First page and query panels with top agents & editors
• Live monthly classes where you can ask questions in the moment, as they occur to you
• Workshops designed for real results for real people
• Supportive, thoughtful, talented community
• Can’t make it live? Send your questions ahead and watch the replay

Member Support To Make The Most of Your Time With Us

• Early booking in the meetings and critiques system–get your top-choice meeting before they open to the public
• Concierge service–show us your query, and we’ll pair you with your best faculty meeting match
• Special requests–if your preferred faculty member is sold out for the month, we’re happy to ask them to add a spot on your behalf (no guarantees, but it often works!)
• Custom services–want a longer written critique than is available in the system? Need a faster turnaround? Ask, and we’ll do our best to make it happen

Absolutely! We’re designed to make your publishing research as easy, comfortable, and human as possible. Our classes offer everything from defining terms (what is “high concept,” anyway?) to walking you through basic strategies to maximize your success. You do NOT need any prior knowledge–just a notepad and a pen to take down notes.

At present, we do not have a minimum number of months for a membership, though that may change. All you need to do is cancel before your thirty days are up, and you won’t be billed again.

The answer is that you can see every class we have available! That’s about 30+ hours of recorded, edited content. Woo hoo!

Plus, you have access to 100 percent of our live agent panels, live classes, workshops and more.

Here’s a list of some of the classes available:

• How To Pitch Your Book Like A Publicist with Rachel Ekstrom Courage, Folio Literary Management
• Great First Lines with John M. Cusick, Folio Literary Management
• Platform, Publicity & Publishing in Your Pajamas with Dawn Michelle Hardy, agent and publicist at Dream Relations
• Middle Grade Basics with Alyssa Jeannette, Stonesong Literary
• Making The Perfect Pitch with Katharine Sands, The Sarah Jane Freymann Literary Agency
• Finding The Funny In Your Manuscript with Jilly Gagnon, author of #Famous (Harpercollins, 2017)
• Trendsetter, Not Trendy and #OwnVoices: How to Write What You Know with Quressa Robinson, Nelson Literary
• From Concept To Picture Book with Hazel Mitchell, author/illustrator
• Worldwide Appeal: What You Need to Know About Foreign Rights with Rena Rossner, The Deborah Harris Agency
• Character, POV, and the All-Important Voice with Laura Zats, Headwater Literary
• How To Edit A Bestselling Romance Novel with Lane Heymont, The Tobias Agency
• A Beginner’s Guide to Publishing Law with Melissa Edwards, lawyer and agent at Stonesong Literary
• How To Write A Manuscript That Gets And Keeps Everyone’s Attention, with Linda Camacho, Gallt & Zacker Agency
• Writing Villians Readers Love To Hate with Stacey Graham, Red Sofa Literary
• Unbranding Yourself: Revealing The True You to the Book Community with Laura Barbiea, Alloy Entertainment
• Worldbuilding 101 with Roseanne Wells, The Jennifer DiChiara Literary Agency
• Writing Picture Books: How? Why? When with Julie Falatko, author of Snappsy The Alligator Did Not Ask To Be In This Book
• High Concept: What It Means, How To Make It Work for You with Jennifer Johnson-Blalock, formerly of Liza Dawson Associates
• Finding The Narrative In Your Nonfiction with Erik Hane, Headwater Literary
• Marketing 101 with Jalissa Corrie, Lee & Low Books
• School Visits: How To Meet Young Readers, Build An Audience, And Sell Books with Cameron Rosenblum, bestselling author
• Nonfiction Basics with Amanda Shih, Scholastic
• The Art of the Break for Writers with Elizabeth Ross Holstrom
• Internet Stalking Without Being Creepy: How to Research, Network, And Become A Priority in the Slush Pile Jessica Sinsheimer, Context Literary

Your best bet is to check out our free podcast, and then imagine a more prescriptive (do this, then do this) versus conversational (I like this) style.

You can listen here: https://manuscriptacademy.com/podcast

Both memberships offer the following:

• 24/7 access to our Full Library of Classes
• Early booking in our Member Booking System
• Concierge services: Special requests for meetings & critiques (as available), dedicated contact form for express service
• A full schedule of agent panels, live classes, workshops, and more

The gold membership comes with all of the above, plus a code good for one 10-minute consultation ($49 value) each month. This can be used for a ten-minute meeting with any faculty member available.

You’ll receive a new code each time your membership renews–so one instantly, when you sign up, and then a new one every 30 days you remain a member.

If meetings are going up, you plan to stay on, and you’d like this month’s code early, you can always get in touch.

Yes! Login and head to https://manuscriptacademy.com/my-account/subscriptions. Click View (the blue button) next to your subscription. Then click Renew Now. This will renew your subscription early.

Then check your email for a code in the next few minutes.

You’ll receive a new code each time your membership renews–so one instantly, when you sign up, and then a new one every 30 days you remain a member.

Please make sure that you are in the member booking system at https://manuscriptacademy.com/member-booking-system. Your code won’t work on the open booking system.

Trying to book a written critique? Get in touch, and we’ll turn your live meeting credit into written critique credit: https://manuscriptacademy.com/change-my-code

You do not. In fact, you don’t even need a laptop! All of our classes are designed to work on smartphones, tablets, and computers. If you want to add to your experience, you could get a bluetooth speaker, so you can get that surround sound feel as you learn–but that’s a nice bonus, not a necessity.

Basically–if you can use YouTube, you can use our site.

Most events are through Zoom.

Monthly members can view their classes in the Manuscript Academy classroom, here: https://manuscriptacademy.com/classroom

For help with viewing, and for those who’ve purchased a single class, please check out our How To View page here: https://manuscriptacademy.com/how-to-view 

The good news is that, once you purchase your membership or class, your computer will almost certainly log you in and keep you logged in.

If you see a link that says “logout” just to the left of the blue “My Account” button, you are logged in!

You can also visit https://manuscriptacademy.com/classroom and, if you can see the six images for the types of classes when you scroll down, you are logged in.

Please look for an automatic email from Academy at ManuscriptWishList dot com with your login name and a randomly assigned password.

If needed, you can manually reset your password here: https://manuscriptacademy.com/my-account/lost-password. Please note that the reset email may take a few minutes, and may go to spam. 

The site works best in the browser Chrome.

If you get stuck in a loop–that is, you login, and yet somehow end up logged out again–we recommend using an Incognito window in Chrome. Learn more here.

If all else fails, please send us a message, and we’ll do our best to help!

You can manually reset your password here: https://manuscriptacademy.com/my-account/lost-password

Head to https://manuscriptacademy.com/my-account/subscriptions, then click View. Once you’re there, click Change Payment.

Head to https://manuscriptacademy.com/my-account/subscriptions, then click View. Once you’re there, click Cancel.

We know. For some reason, a lot of active accounts seem to still say “processing” even when everything is up and running. To confirm that you’re in and your payment cleared, please go to https://manuscriptacademy.com/my-account and, if you see the two blue buttons at the top for classes and member services, you’re good.

We’re so happy you’re interested! Writers report feeling uplifted, inspired, and energized by our events and talented community.

You can purchase a ticket under the “Classes & Events” heading in the menu at the top of the page.

You can view a list of upcoming events here: https://manuscriptacademy.com/calendar

If you have any trouble viewing your event, please visit https://manuscriptacademy.com/how-to-join-a-live-event

They are! 100% of past and present live events are included with membership–past events as replays, and present events as live interaction with our agents, editors, and fellow talented writers.

We’ll send your one-click link by 6pm NYC time the day of the event–but you can always view them from our live events space, here: https://manuscriptacademy.com/event-space.

Just click on the event tho join. 

And we invite you to send questions ahead, even if you can’t be there live, here: https://manuscriptacademy.com/send-a-question

If you have any trouble viewing your event, please visit https://manuscriptacademy.com/how-to-join-a-live-event

First of all, we love that you want to be prepared!

That said, we don’t want you to stress about it.

Here are a few things you don’t have to do:

• Dress up (no one will be able to see you)
• Listen in private (though headphones are a good idea if children may overhear accidental swearing)
• Homework (unless you want to Google our guest!)

That said, we recommend (but do not require!) the following:

• Bring a notepad and your favorite writing implement so you can take notes
• Sign in early to meet your fellow writers + make sure everything is working properly
• Consider using a laptop (and the browser Chrome!) to have your best experience–this makes it easiest to participate in the text chat and to ask and upvote questions
• Interact with your fellow writers! Make friends, find critique partners, and support each other

For extra credit: 

• Send a question ahead for our guest here: https://manuscriptacademy.com/send-a-question

Absolutely! Your replay will be available starting the next day.

Your replay will be at the same link as the live event. Check your confirmation email for details.

You can even send a question ahead and then watch the replay later! Please use: https://manuscriptacademy.com/send-a-question

You should receive an automatic email from us as soon as you sign up–and it will send you the link for submitting your work.

We recommend sending your query or page by 6pm the day of the event (for 8:30pm ET events) at the latest, as we usually draw them at about 6:30pm.

For events starting at 2:00pm ET, we recommend sending by noon ET.

Can’t find the link to send? Check your email for messages from us (academy at manuscriptwishlist dot com) and it’ll be in there.

The good news is that, once you purchase your membership or class, your computer will almost certainly log you in and keep you logged in.

If you see a link that says “logout” just to the left of the blue “My Account” button, you are logged in.

You can also visit https://manuscriptacademy.com/classroom and, if you can see the six images for the types of classes when you scroll down, you are logged in.

Please look for an automatic email from Academy at ManuscriptWishList dot com with your login name and a randomly assigned password.

If needed, you can manually reset your password here: https://manuscriptacademy.com/my-account/lost-password. Please note that the reset email may take a few minutes, and may go to spam. 

The site works best in the browser Chrome.

If you get stuck in a loop–that is, you login, and yet somehow end up logged out again–we recommend using an Incognito window in Chrome. Learn more here.

If all else fails, please send us a message, and we’ll do our best to help!

Monthly members can view their classes in the Manuscript Academy classroom, here: https://manuscriptacademy.com/classroom

A la carte class purchases will automatically send the direct class link to you in your email. Please look for an email from Academy at ManuscriptWishList.com.

For help with viewing, and for those who’ve purchased a single class, please check out our How To View page here: https://manuscriptacademy.com/how-to-view 

You can manually reset your password here: https://manuscriptacademy.com/my-account/lost-password

Drop us a line at Academy at ManuscriptWishList dot com. We’ll reset your password and send you your new login information. Please note that, since this requires a human, there may be a short delay.

If you’re not a member and haven’t purchased a class: Happily, you don’t need to login! While there is the option to create an account within the booking system to more easily purchase classes in the future, that is optional. You do not need to log in.

If you’re a member or have purchased a class: The good news is that, once you purchase your membership or class, your computer will almost certainly log you in and keep you logged in (even if the blue button at the top still says Member Login versus You Are Logged In).

Please look for an automatic email from Academy at ManuscriptWishList dot com with your login name and a randomly assigned password.

You can also manually reset your password here: https://manuscriptacademy.com/my-account/lost-password. 

Please note that you may need to check spam to find the password reset email, and it may take up to five minutes to work its way through the system.

Still not working? Please get in touch! https://manuscriptacademy.com/contact

If you’re not a member: Happily, you don’t need to do so. Everything you need is available without a login/password, unless you’d like to upgrade to membership. While you may have an optional account within our booking system, you do not need to be logged in to book.

If you’re a member: You can manually reset your password here:  https://manuscriptacademy.com/my-account/lost-password. Please note that the reset email may take a few minutes, and may go to spam. 

The site works best in the browser Chrome.

If you get stuck in a loop–that is, you login, and yet somehow end up logged out again–we recommend using an Incognito window in Chrome. Learn more here.

If all else fails, please send us a message, and we’ll do our best to help!

Not to worry! We’re here to help.

Here’s what to do, step-by-step:

1. Go to https://manuscriptacademy.com/10-minutes-with-an-expert
2. Ensure that there are, in fact, meetings available–meetings are posted once a month. If you see the two meeting options–ten minutes with an expert, or a 15-minute consult, you’re good to go.
3. Click on the meeting type you’d like (either 10 or 15 minutes).
4. Click on the faculty member you’d like to meet with (need help choosing? See the question on that topic, below).
5. If you get a flash and just see blank white space, SCROLL UP. We don’t know why this sometimes happens, but we’re working with our developer to fix it.
6. Click the red Set Time Zone button. If you don’t see it, you may have to scroll up or down. Set your time zone to ensure that you know when your meeting will take place.
7. Click a bolded date on the calendar, and then click on the time that works best for you. BE SURE that you note am/pm. Some of our faculty are international, and we don’t want you getting up in the middle of the night unnecessarily, or missing your meeting by 12 hours.
8. If you don’t see any bolded dates, that means the faculty member is booked up for this month. However, if you were looking for a longer meeting, check to see if they have shorter meetings available. Many faculty members set a limit on 15-minute meetings per month, but will still accept 10-minute meetings.
9. Follow the prompts to insert your correct contact information (if you’re not tech-savvy, phone is just fine! Even if you’re international) and the query or first page you’d like reviewed for your meeting. Please note that you cannot send a new version for longer meetings–you need to be ready with those pages when you book. For 10-minute meetings, you may send a revision later, for $10 each.
10. Click Stripe or Paypal, and enter your payment information.
11. Yay! You did it! Look for your confirmation email, which will come from academy at manuscriptwishlist dot com.

Hey, it’s okay! Your faculty member also has your phone number and email address, and will get in touch–either now, to have your meeting over the phone, or in a few minutes, to reschedule.

Don’t worry. You haven’t missed your chance.