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Thank you Jessica and Julie for your request for feedback. I am happy to share my experience was extremely rewarding. I met with Erica Bauman for a ten-minute consultation regarding my debut novel, ìEscape of the Swamp Girlsî.
I received a timely email prior as an opportunity to share any discussion points so that time would be efficiently managed, a very thoughtful gesture.
As a new writer and from a nonliterary back ground, I found the style and content of the consultation very approachable. In fact, the information was shared in a manner quite familiar to me as a physician leader. With healthcare improvements, we strive to make interventions through ìSMARTî goals. Erica did just that.
Erica was specific (S) as to my concerns (commercial viability for concept, genre refinement, voice improvement). She provided measurable (M) ways to gauge my progress (step by step for how to narrow the narrative distance for the YA audience). She provided achievable (A) means for success (suggested content-targeted publishers, the must do close of narrative distance and to keep up the good pacing and intriguing concepts). She explained the relevance (R) of certain aspects of the writing and publishing process. Finally, the time bound (T) nature of this industry requires one to work hard and be dedicated and prepared. The ten minutes we shared was a master class in how to share and reap as much as possible in a small window of time.
I feel much better prepared as I travel along my writing journey. Please share these thoughts in any way you deem helpful. I will add that writers really need to think about not what they want to say but what they need to hear. Time with a content expert is a rare and precious thing, treat it as such as you will be rewarded.
Keep up the fabulous work and services.
Sincerely yours,
Jill Williams
Jill Williams
March 24, 2025
Carina was great. She was easy to talk to and I felt comfortable with her. It was clear she had carefully read my materials and was able to offer both positive feedback and helpful suggestions. I felt like she was genuinely interested in helping me improve and, eventually, succeed.
Laurel Hendrix
March 24, 2025
Caitlin McDonald was tremendously helpful in our critique session.
I impressed by the amount of ground we managed to cover in just fifteen minutes. Her insights were thoughtful, pointed and focussed on helping me create a great cover letter and sample.
Recommended, especially if you’ve got an SFF manuscript to pitch!
Mark Rayner
March 24, 2025
This was the best MA session I’ve ever had, and I’ve had many. Jessica answered all my questions and provided amazing insights into my story and characters and how I can increase tension from page 1. I was ready to shelve the book prior to this meeting, but she helped me see its good points and encouraged me to keep going. Perhaps the best testimonial of all comes from a friend of mine who didn’t know I was meeting with Jessica: “You seem totally different today, like way more confident!!” That’s shortly after I met with Jessica. I’m so grateful for this opportunity.
Jaimie Hunter
March 24, 2025
Melissa’s comments were very helpful. She let me know what confused her and gave me suggestions as to how to deepen the experience for the reader and draw her closer. Her questions made me think about some of my choices and realize how I might improve the novel. She also had feedback on my query. I was very glad that I had the chance to talk to her. I appreciated it.
Karen Uhlmann
March 24, 2025
Eric was super helpful! He provided his notes on my query letter in advance of our consultation and answered any questions I had. He went above and beyond by providing additional feedback on changes I made based on his comments. My query letter is now much stronger and clearly defines the stakes in my story. He’s definitely given me more confidence to continue the querying process.
Elle Boyd
March 24, 2025
My 10-minute consultation with Melissa was a tremendous help. Having heard Melissa on the podcast, my expectations were that she would be straightforward and succinct. She met those expectation. Every critique and suggestion got me excited to dive in and tweak my query. Even during our brief conversation, I got the sense that we were making real progress. I hope to one day work with her further. Thanks!
Bruce Franchi
March 24, 2025
Adeptly balancing respect with honesty, Jenissa Graham provided specific feedback that I found easy to apply to my manuscript and query letter. She also answered my questions and even gave an example when I asked for clarity. I highly recommend a consult with Jenissa for anyone looking to improve their writing.
Kristine Carter
March 24, 2025
This was my first time using this service through Manuscript Academy, and Katie was great. I heard comments that I already knew, but Katie confirmed my flaws. She also pointed out areas I hadn’t considered. I’m looking forward to having another session with Katie in the future. I’m always looking to improve and Iím happy with this new direction.
Ben Lucas
March 24, 2025
Consultation with Hannah was an amazing experience. She was warm, kind and showed genuine interest. Hannah offered very detailed and supportive feedback. She had a clear grasp of my story, characters and mission. Talking to her was an absolute pleasure. She is a great resource, approachable and very knowledgeable in her field. I can’t recommend her enough.
Duygu Balan
March 24, 2025
Larissa was friendly, professional and helpful. She suggested I make a substantial change to the plot of my story which would make it more appealing to agents. I havenít decided yet whether I will follow her advice but I understood her reasoning and it gave me a lot to think about. She also pointed out other issues that I hadnít considered previously. Not to say that her feedback was all negative ó I felt that she appreciated and understood what I had presented in my query letter and that she basically liked my ideas. It was an incredibly productive fifteen minutes! No matter which direction I go in Iím sure both the query and the manuscript will be stronger because of the consultation. Iím very grateful to have had the opportunity to speak with Larissa. Thank you, Manuscript Academy.
Valerie Cole
March 24, 2025
I have only good things to say about my consultation with Alyssa Jennette. A nice balance between compliments and specific, clearly personalized, constructive suggestions. I felt Alyssa ìgotî my novel more than any other agent Iíve spoken with, so she seems like she mightíve been the ideal agent for me, except, sadly, sheís closed to queries.
Tom Hess
March 24, 2025