Katharine Sands, The Sarah Jane Freymann Literary Agency

I was so inspired after our conversation

Ms. Sands was an absolute pleasure to speak with. Her guidance was thoughtful and kind, and I never felt rushed. I was so inspired after our conversation that I immediately got to work implementing her suggestions for my query letter! It was a wonderful experience.

Goes the Extra Mile

Katharine Sands is the best! Some people say or make the motions of caring about you, she REALLY does care. I say this because she put in extra time with me when I was struggling with a concept. She got back to me with new ideas when I was stalled. She brainstormed with me for a perfect title and sent me an email with fresh ideas.
Katharine is like that fun cousin you’ve known all your life. She’s warm and fun to be around. I felt I could tell her anything. A JOY to be with.
I’ve used Katharine twice. I’m booking her again once I finish implementing her excellent suggestions.

Katharine gave me a good sense of what I need to concentrate on while I revise my proposal and my book.

Katharine was incredible! I learned so much from our brief meeting. She gave me tremendous advice, not only about my writing, but about the manuscript I am currently working on. She is the best! Thank you.

Thank you, Katharine for an amazing chat. Your insight and recommendations made such good sense. We are very lucky to have meaningful interactions with writing experts through the Manuscript Academy.

More insightful than hours of research

Katharine was the very first person in the industry I had the pleasure of speaking to. Her notes were so helpful and conversational. I felt like I was speaking to a friend instead of a leader in the literary industry. I had already read countless articles on how to write a query. In the time I spoke with Katharine I got more insight than I had in hours and hours of reading!

This is a tremendous service for a writer seeking advice and I thank The Manuscript Academy and Katharine!

My very brief consultation with Katharine was filled to the brim with cogent information. Katharine had obviously reviewed my material beforehand and she shared with me her specific ideas for strengthening the proposal. Her ideas were extremely helpful and I so appreciated how patient and kind she was. This is a tremendous service for a writer seeking advice and I thank The Manuscript Academy and Katharine!

I had a 30/30 consultation with Katharine Sands last July that changed the way I looked at my manuscript. Iíd been struggling with it for some months, but after speaking with her, I was excited and inspired to rework the entire manuscript. Her insights had a profound impact, and I attribute her ìinterventionî with a completed manuscript of which Iím very proud.

Iíve just finished a 15-minute query and 10-page consultation with Katharine, and once again Iíve come away with a clear direction and a goal. Sheís generous with her time, and she puts the work in. You KNOW sheís carefully read your work. It doesnít matter your genre (mine is psychological suspense), Katharine has a unique ability to pinpoint the strengths and the weaknesses of your query and your pages. Youíll see things differently, have a better understanding of the process, and most importantly, have a way forward. As far as Iím concerned, that is priceless.

Reframing the Pitching Mindset

My query-letter consult with Katharine Sands was absolutely fantastic. She immediately zeroed in on what could be improved in my pitch and helped me see why it might not be landing. She also offered a lot of encouragement by pointing out what worked, and she provided insights into pitching that went well beyond my query letter. I chose her because in her MA class she talks about thinking of the pitch as a way to SHARE your work vs. as a pressure-filled vehicle to SELL it, and that really resonated with me. I felt comfortable sharing my work with her, and I am confident that her insights will make my query letter WAY stronger.

Refocuses Submission Package Effectively

Katharine helped me re-focus my submission package to more accurately depict my work. She is kind and generous and savvy and smart. Our conversation was a game-changer for me.

Her guidance was thoughtful and kind, and I never felt rushed.

Ms. Sands was an absolute pleasure to speak with. Her guidance was thoughtful and kind, and I never felt rushed. I was so inspired after our conversation that I immediately got to work implementing her suggestions for my query letter! It was a wonderful experience.

Actionable and Thought-Provoking Guidance

My meeting with Katharine was very insightful, productive and action oriented. Her review and suggestions were specific and thought provoking. I left my meeting recharged from her passion, detail and wealth of knowledge of the publishing world. The Manuscript Academy is a fabulous resource that creates a solid framework for aspiring authors make their voices heard in our transforming world. If you are ready to take your manuscript from paper to people The Manuscript Academy is for you! Glowing bubbles of appreciation.

Katharine was the very first person in the industry I had the pleasure of speaking to. Her notes were so helpful and conversational. I felt like I was speaking to a friend instead of a leader in the literary industry. I had already read countless articles on how to write a query. In the time I spoke with Katharine I got more insight than I had in hours and hours of reading!

Techniques for Stronger Storytelling

Katharine was GREAT! She gave me honest and incredibly helpful advice on how to rework my first chapter as well as my query letter. She helped me understand Why areas needed rework and then gave terrific techniques on How to do it.
Katharine has an immediately likable personality that put me at ease. She gave great instruction and listened well to help with my concerns. She also went out of her way to put me in contact with a local resource that could help me further.
Thanks again Katharine!

Katharine was terrific. I had a hard time keeping up with my notes she gave so many specific suggestions for my query letter and first chapter. Iím working on a memoir and she was graciously sensitive to the subject matter while still giving pointed feedback on the execution. She was exactly what I needed and both are so much better in the rewrite.

Believes in Writers and Their Work

I cannot heap enough praise on Katharine Sands. She deserves more than I can ever say.
First off, Katharine believes in me. Thatís a BIG thing for someone who has been on a publishing journey for a decade. Her enthusiasm and persistent cheeriness is infectious. It makes every session, no matter how brutal, a pleasure. Sheís also not afraid to tell the truth. She delicately convinced me that my opening chapter wasnít appropriate and offered several suggestions on how to fix it while educating me on what a first chapter should be. Katharine also set me up with an online writing class that vastly improved my skills. She continues to seek out further classes for me.
Again, canít say enough about Katharine. A joy to work with.

Katharine is excellent. Bright, honest, and creative. I enjoyed speaking with her and hope to reconnect in the future .

Inspiring and Thoughtful Guidance

Ms. Sands was an absolute pleasure to speak with. Her guidance was thoughtful and kind, and I never felt rushed. I was so inspired after our conversation that I immediately got to work implementing her suggestions for my query letter! It was a wonderful experience.

I had a wonderful, informative, and genuine conversation with Katharine Sands.

I had a wonderful, informative, and genuine conversation with Katharine Sands. She was targeted with her advice and she shared her considerable experience generously. I ended the session feeling inspired along with having a clear direction for my next move for my book. I felt like I was speaking with a knowledgable friend. I highly recommend Katharine without reservation!

Katharine Sands, You could not have anyone better to look at and critique your work. She is very easy to talk with and extremely knowledgeable in the art of writing and can give you good constructive criticism of your work to put you on the right path, so you have the best chance of getting read by an agent, publisher, and she knows what readers want to hold their interest. I found her suggestions invaluable. I have started to implement everything she suggested into my work, knowing I have a lot of rewrite to do in certain areas. I believe I will have a much better book I can be proud of when finished, people will want to read. With a better chance of getting a deal to publish. I say chance because we all know how hard it is, especially if you are unknown. If you listen to Katharine, she will give you the key to having your best chance. It still comes down to your writing and your ability to connect, both in writing and being able to communicate what you have written. She can’t write it for you. LoL. With Katharine’s expertise. She would be a Dream Agent. My suggestion, look at her video Pitch to Page a couple of times if you do nothing else. If you can book her to look at some of your work, either critique or consultation. Do it, don’t even think about it.

Game-Changing Query Advice

Katharine was unbelievably generous with her time and advice, both on Zoom and via email after her query critique. Her advice was really groundbreaking for me because what I thought was understandable was not to her. She (very patiently and kindly) explained that agents read fast and need simple, chronological accounts. She identified the backbone of my story and got me thinking of how readers will approach my title. She is a gift.

Fresh Perspective on Story Structure

Katherine Sands was amazing! She was sensitive and clear, explaining why the introduction that I had sent her, wasn’t doing its job. Her comments gave me so much to work with, and I’m back at work with a new perspective. I think each writer has her/his own challenges. For me, because the writing itself is easy, I write and then hope that the structure makes sense. But using the “other” brain that Katherine talks about, the brain that has to answer hard questions about the work, has given me a way to make my work much stronger. Because it was clear from her comments that she wanted to help me, I felt it was easy to listen and learn. Save yourself the heartache of rejections and book a meeting with Katherine. You won’t regret it.