Filter Testimonials
The Guidance we Don’t Know we Need Until we Do
I had already read a lot about Fiona and decided to submit to her, but then discovered to my dismay that she was not accepting unsolicited manuscripts. Then I discovered she was on the MA’s list of guest agents. I’ve been querying for about 18 months now with only one full request, so I figured this would be a great opportunity to get some one-on-one time with a highly experienced agent in my genre, to help me see how to improve it.
Fiona was exactly as I expected: personable, amusing, thorough, to the point. My perfect agent. With her wealth of experience, she spotted my mistakes and laid out a map to follow that will vastly improve my chances of receiving a request for a full in future submissions.
I am very grateful for the opportunity the MA gave me with this live meeting and highly recommend Fiona as a mentor.
Christopher Kennedy
December 4, 2025
Phenomenal Critique
Dani’s critiques and notes were so helpful! She helped identify a major gap in my writing that I will take with me. My pages are so much better now because of it. I also appreciate how she pointed out a couple good areas, which helped me see what was working well. I’m so grateful for Dani and recommend her highly!
Melissa J
December 7, 2025
Lease focused and kind
Ms. Segelbaum made a big difference in my query and first ten pages. We covered a lot of ground in the time allotted. I’m so glad for the session!
Cynthia Webster
December 11, 2025
Brilliant
Tackling the query writing nightmare just got a little easier. Being so close to my own work left me unable to see the forest for the trees. Katherine boiled it down for me. She was encouraging, insightful, and critiqued with care. I’m more confident that I will land an agent for my debut manuscript, The Storm is on the Doorstep: A memoir of Secrets, Devotion and the Storm Beneath A Family’s Surface. I highly recommend anyone stumped by crafting the perfect query sign up for a 1:1 query critique with Katherine Sands.
MaryLee Blackwell
December 12, 2025
Short & sweet
The query critique I received was informative and helpful. I have since rewritten it and Alice was correct in what was missing. Greatly appreciated
Angelica
December 15, 2025
Gave Me A Second Chance
I somehow missed the link for our live 15 minute meeting to discuss my query letter and first 10 pages. Vanessa reached out to me within less than 10 minutes after or scheduled time to check on things. She managed to squeeze me in her schedule that same night, and I was so grateful.
Vanessa had great notes on my query and my pages, and she clarified any questions that I had. She made sure that I had time to ask my questions, and did a great job answering them. I look forward to working further with Vanessa. I suggest anyone who is writing YA fantasy fiction such as I am to book a live meeting with her.
Thank you,
Bonnie Basham
Bonnie Basham
December 1, 2025
Teacher Appreciation
As a high school English teacher, I was so excited when Eric reached out to me a week before our scheduled live meet. He had extensive notes for my query and first 10 pages in our shared MS Word document. It made it so much easier to make corrections and then to ask follow up questions during our 15 minutes together.
In addition, Eric made me feel comfortable and relaxed as this was my first manuscript academy review of any kind. He made sure to lead the conversation asking me if there was anything I wished to talk about first. Another great perk.
Believe me, 15 minutes can fly by when you are talking craft with an expert. And Eric is definitely an expert!
Thank you,
Bonnie Basham
Bonnie Basham
December 1, 2025
Opening Doors
Sometimes writing can feel a bit lonely. Cloistered behind a closed door, honing in on page after page, leaves me a bit myopic and claustrophobic. When Natalie entered my little bubble via a Zoom screen, my writing world burst open and I was able to view my query letter and the first ten pages of my memoir with a second set of eyes and ears. She rapidly offered fresh ideas and suggestions that I hadn’t entertained, but made so much sense when I heard them. Her experience as a seasoned agent was just what I needed at this time, letting a breath of fresh air settle in my thoughts and my room with a view. Many thanks to Manuscript Academy and Natalie:)
Stacy West
November 27, 2025
Amazing and Throrough
My conversation with Kiana was great! She really put some thought into my query and shared a lot of useful insights with me. We had a long conversation during which I made a ton of notes that I will now go through and hopefully turn my query into something that gets me some bites. I highly recommend a consultation with Kiana! She’s also super friendly and just easy to talk to. 🙂
Inger
November 27, 2025
Thorough and insightful
I was quite nervous of have my letter and pages looked at by an agent, but Natalie put me at my ease. She went through the letter and advised clarification that rang true, and helpful encouraging comments re pages. I will be incorporating her advice in my edits. Thanks Manuscript Academy,
Issy
From London
Issy Mahmousd
November 27, 2025
Cut to the Bone
Natalie was very insightful in helping me understand that I had overcomplicated the query to the point of confusing what was at stake, that my metaphor was too dramatic for readers unfamiliar with art, and that I hadn’t focused on younger readers who wouldn’t even know what the International jet set meant. And wouldn’t’ know what post-traumatic grow was. This was well worth my money.
She also helped me with my questions about my inciting scene.
Cassandra Langer
November 22, 2025
The Best Money I’ve Spent for my Writing!
Jonathon went above and beyond during our conversation about my query. I learned exactly what it will take to position myself to catch the attention of agents which is — most importantly — having a firmly established writing practice and many projects on the go. He reviewed my submission and streamlined it for clarity. Thanks to Jonathon, I now have a plan moving forward and I’m excited about the next phase of this journey towards publication. Thanks so much Jonathon. Much appreciated!
Karen Hugdahl Meyer
November 22, 2025