Molly Cusick, Former Agent & Editor

Offers Actionable Insights on First Pages

Molly is kind, insightful, and knowledgeable, and my conversation with her left me feeling encouraged and inspired about my draft. Her feedback helped me see what is working in my book, and exactly what I need to do to improve it. I feel empowered now to make my book the best it can be, while at the same time making it marketable and stand out in the slush pile.
Thank you Molly!
These consults are an amazing value – a rare opportunity to have an expert in the field look over what you are doing and help point you in the right direction. If you are spinning your wheels trying to work everything out on your own, or just not 100% sure about what your novel needs right now, I would highly recommend it.

Molly was very knowledgeable and provided excellent feedback. She was professional, courteous, and especially helpful considering the limited time we had together. Turned out to be a far more impactful conversation than I couldíve hoped for.

Molly was great! She had very helpful feedback for my query and PB manuscript. She also answered my questions and was very nice!

I had a 10 min zoom meeting for my query letter with Molly Cusick. She was the most generous and kind person you can possibly ask for. I was at ease right away because of her friendly interaction. She gave me so many meaning full and practical feedback that I literary had two full page of note in just the 10 min. She allowed me to ask many questions, and responded very honest yet with care. I got so much out of this short session, and truly learned how to improve my query letter. Thank you Molly and M.Academy for this great opportunity. It went beyond my expectation!

Molly Cusick looked at the first ten pages of my novel, and I couldnít be happier that she did. Primarily, I wanted to know how someone would react to that all-important opening, and Molly gave me great, objective insights into how the setting, characters, and voice come across. Along with her keen eye for details, Molly has a big heart. She was really warm, down-to-earth, and encouraging. With her extensive experience in the industry, she was able to fill me in on the current trends and offer advice about querying. After talking to her, I was excited to hit the keyboard.

Beyond my expectations!

I had a 10 min zoom meeting for my query letter with Molly Cusick. She was the most generous and kind person you can possibly ask for. I was at ease right away because of her friendly interaction. She gave me so many meaning full and practical feedback that I literary had two full page of note in just the 10 min. She allowed me to ask many questions, and responded very honest yet with care. I got so much out of this short session, and truly learned how to improve my query letter. Thank you Molly and M.Academy for this great opportunity. It went beyond my expectation!

Clarifies Querying Hurdle with Precision

I reached a wall in my querying process and needed to speak to an industry professional about what I was doing wrong. I requested a consultation with Molly Cusick because I appreciated her vast experience as both an agent and an editor. She was exceptionally professional and straightforward. She complimented me on my work, which was lovely, but she was very, very clear about the hurdle I faced. Fifteen minutes is so brief, and I loved that she did not dawdle with small talk or fluffy nonsense. When I found myself pondering further questions after our conversation, I wrote to her and she promptly replied with a lengthy, insightful message. She is fantastic.

Delivers Concise and Helpful Critique

Molly conveyed a lot of information in 15 minutes. She came well prepared and had insightful comments during our discussion–she went a long way towards assuaging some concerns I had with my query package, and I’m glad she offers her time to do this!

It’s the best money I’ve ever spent!

Positive Manuscript Consultation Experience

I recently had a consultation with Molly Cusick regarding the first 10 pages of my manuscript. At first I was nervous, as I wasn’t sure if she was going to be harsh, and I didn’t know what to expect. I’m extemely pleased to say that she was kind, encouraging and provided amazing feedback. All of the ideas she gave for improving my work, had the gears in my head turning and had me thinking- I can’t wait to make these changes! Everything she brought up were ways to elevate my pages and strengthen my work, I never felt as if she was cutting my writing down. Aside from the helpful feedback, she made me feel confident about my work, encouraging where the story would fit in the market and going out of her way to answer all of my questions. I never felt rushed out of the conversation, and she was engaging and helpful throughout the whole phone call. It was truly a pleasure having a consultation with her, and I would consider it an honor to ever work with, or recieve feedback from Molly Cusick in the future.

Helpful and Relaxed Critique

It was a great experience. She had some good advice including a great example for a comp book and she sandwiched it nicely with compliments. Overall, it remained professional and yet relaxed. As someone who was pretty nervous going in, I was relieved I felt so at ease. Thanks for a great critique and experience.

Molly was wonderful!! She was kind, approachable, specific in her suggestions, and very encouragingóin a genuine-non-syrupy way. She even offered the opportunity for a follow-up question by email. How generous!

P.S. Itís pronounced /Cueí-sick/. I asked!

I had the pleasure of working with Molly Cusick on my query letter and I couldn’t be more grateful for her expertise. Molly’s keen eye for detail and insightful feedback transformed my letter into a polished and compelling representation of my work. She not only helped me convey my ideas more effectively but also boosted my confidence in the submission process. I highly recommend her services to anyone looking to elevate their writing!

Detailed and Respectful Editorial Feedback

I had a wonderful consultation with Molly Cusick! I paid for three ten-minute consultations, and they were worth every penny. She told me line by line what worked and what did not–and why–and all her feedback was very kindly and respectfully given. She was very knowledgeable about the children’s publishing market and had even researched the comps I used in my queries so she could give me feedback on them. I will definitely seek her advice again.

Clear and Actionable To-Dos

This was my second meeting with Molly, and again, she didn’t disappoint. She gave me pointed, positive feedback and I left with a specific to-do list to polish my manuscript. Thanks to those 10 minutes, I now have a submission-ready MS! (At least, I hope I do…)

I had a 10 page consultation with Molly that was wonderful. Her comments and remarks were extremely helpful and I feel like her guidance will help make my query and story that much more compelling. She was open, honest, and answered all the questions I had. I would highly recommend Molly.

Molly was very professional and kind in our consultation. She spent time on both my query letter and ten pages and provided insightful feedback that greatly improved my material. She was also happy to answer publishing and marketing questions about my genre. Highly recommend!

Professional and Thoughtful Story Insights

What a wonderful opportunity it was to speak with Molly Cusick! She is kind, thoughtful and professional. Molly provided excellent suggestions and insight. I would highly recommend her, especially since she has experience not only as an editor, but also an agent.

If you’re looking for feedback that will get your manuscript to stick out above the rest, then I definitely recommend signing up for one of these critique sessions.

Molly was incredibly helpful and sweet. If you’re looking for feedback that will get your manuscript to stick out above the rest, then I definitely recommend signing up for one of these critique sessions. I came away from the phone call with a couple of really insightful tips, and I look forward to seeing how my manuscript does in the year.

She was so generous in sharing her knowledge and expertise.

My meeting with Molly was excellent. She was very conscious of our limited time so made sure from the get-go that she understood what I was hoping to focus on during the meeting. She was so generous in sharing her knowledge and expertise and I left the meeting with a much clearer vision and so much energy and enthusiasm. I highly recommend a meeting with Molly at any stage in your development, she is likely one of the most supportive and helpful publishing professionals you could spend 15 minutes with!

It was so wonderful to work with Molly again! Not only was she was enthusiastic about what worked with my manuscript, she was very specific about what I needed to do to make my story more marketable. Molly is amazing!

Strongly recommend!

Molly Cusick provided thoughtful and patient query feedback. Her editorial skills were clearly apparent as she helped me with specific improvements and guidance, enabling me to craft a more impactful and compelling letter.

Exceptional Consultations

I had consultations with both John and Molly Cusick and found them to be wonderful to work with. They’re friendly, smart, practical and very knowledgeable. Excellent resources and super pleasant people, too!

Helpful and Succinct Critique

I had the opportunity to meet with the editor, Molly Cusick, to discuss my query and first ten pages of my middle grade manuscript. She was prompt, kind and knowledgeable. Fifteen minutes goes by very quickly, but she was able to give me helpful and succinct feedback on my writing. She was gracious enough to answer a few questions concerning appropriateness of content, and writing for middle grade, in general. Overall, a great experience and highly recommend.

Friendly, smart, practical and very knowledgeable

I had consultations with both John and Molly Cusick and found them to be wonderful to work with.  They’re friendly, smart, practical and very knowledgeable.  Excellent resources and super pleasant people, too!

Clarifies and Strengthens Query Letters

Thank you for critiquing my query for 101 Glasses of Wine. Molly Cusick was great to work with, straight to the point and helpful. Definitely get a session with her!