Copyright Mary Buckham 2010 All rights reserved
Manuscript Evaluation Services
Are your pages ready for an agent or editor? If you hesitated to say “yes”
then you should get a professional opinion.
Mary Buckham is a national writing teacher, but more important – she’s a
professional author. The best advice you can get is from an author who
understands what it takes to get published. She’s also one of the two authors
who created the highly-successful Break Into Fiction® program taught
nationally. Mary works with both unpublished writers and published authors on
a limited basis as noted below.
What to expect from this service:
As both a fiction and nonfiction author, she is respectful and aware of the
effort we all put into our work. She believes in giving constructive feedback
that is grounded in examples from your own manuscript, with potential
suggestions of both craft issues and further resources for you to have options
if the work is not yet ready for submission. She makes a point of:
* explaining why a suggestion is made on your pages
* pointing out your strengths as well as areas you can improve
* looking at specific issues that impact fiction authors including pacing, conflict,
tension and character development [if applicable]
* focusing on plot development with specific suggestions on what is weak and
how to repair plot holes
Note - She will not do line edits or grammar though she can recommend
services for both.
Mary recommends a two-step process with either the first 5 or first 30 pages
reviewed before moving to the entire manuscript evaluation. The major
problems in most manuscripts are in the first chapters where set up is so
important. If you send a full manuscript with set up issues then Mary will likely
be marking the same mistakes repeatedly throughout your pages.
FEES
All fees are noted in US dollars only
Query letter: A query letter, consisting of a one-page cover letter (single
spaced) for $25
Synopsis: Short or long [up to 10 pages] – Mary will analyze your synopsis
and return her critique with a bonus set of templates you can use to repeat the
process on your own (one review of synopsis for fee) - for $75
Combination Query plus Synopsis (based on above stipulations): $90
____________________________________________
Opening pages 1 to 5 pages - $30 – Analyzed for Hooks in opening
sentences, opening paragraphs and at key points in the pages, ending hook,
pacing, character development
Opening pages - Up to 30 opening pages - $85 – Analyzed for Opening
Hooks, Pacing, Set-up. This is a professional critical read-through and
assessment of your manuscript’s strengths and weaknesses
Opening pages - 30 to 45 opening pages - $100 – Analyzed for Opening
Hooks, Pacing, Set-up. This is a professional critical read-through and
assessment of your manuscript’s strengths and weaknesses
Opening pages - 46 to 70 pages - $200 (Includes a 30 minute phone
conversation if scheduled within 2 weeks after return of pages.) This is the
most critical part of the story where the key introductory information is inserted,
major hooks are set, story questions are established and pacing must be
strong.
Full manuscript up to 70,000 words - $350 (Includes a 30 minute phone
conversation if scheduled within 2 weeks after return of pages.) *If you had the
75 page partial of this manuscript analyzed within six months of submitting this
full manuscript deduct $75 from the $350 fee.
Full manuscript over 70,000 up to 85,000 words - $445 (Includes a 30
minute phone conversation if scheduled within 2 weeks after return of pages.)
*If you had the 75 page partial of this manuscript analyzed within six months of
submitting this full manuscript deduct $75 from the $445 fee.
Full manuscript over 85,000 up to 100,000 words - $485 (Includes a 45
minute phone conversation if scheduled within 2 weeks after return of pages.)
*If you had the 75 page partial of this manuscript analyzed within six months of
submitting this full deduct $75 from the $485 fee.
Phone consultation [If after you’ve had 5 or 30 pages critiqued you would
like additional clarification email Mary to arrange a phone appointment] – 30
minutes for $35
(Available to USA and Canadian Clients Only)
Time sensitive material with specified deadline (must be arranged ahead of
time): add $30 for query/synopis/5-30 pages
For longer projects add $50 for rush fee
PROCESS for submitting your pages
Before submitting your work or paying any fees, email Mary at MaryBuckham.
com
Mary usually has a busy schedule of editing and writing commitments and will
give you an estimated time for when to expect her analysis of your pages. If
you need something quickly, email her and she will a) let you know if she can
squeeze your work into her current schedule and b) tell you what the additional
rush cost will be. So if you have revisions to turn in or a specific time frame
for your completion date, please plan ahead accordingly.
Once an agreement is made for consultation, follow these steps for submitting
work:
Submission of the agreed upon document is done so via email in either a
WORD or RTF format that Mary can download and edit on directly, as well as
address any specific questions or concerns you wish her to look at [within the
parameters of the service] in the body of an email.
. Formatting
If your manuscript does not follow these guidelines, it will be returned so you
can correct it:
* All manuscript pages double-spaced
* Courier, Courier New or Courier Dark font – in 12 point
* Margins are one inch all around
* Pages are to be numbered at top, right hand side
* For proposals, novels and synopses use a header that includes your title/last
name
* For query letters and one or two page synopses – single spaced with one-
inch borders, Courier, Arial or Times New Roman – in 12 point
Once Mary receives the manuscript pages and respective fee (listed above),
she’ll acknowledge receipt and begin work.
TURNAROUND TIME
Standard time for evaluation of your query letter and up to 2 page synopsis is
three weeks unless otherwise agreed upon.
Standard time for evaluation of your partial manuscript is four weeks unless
otherwise agreed upon.
Standard time for evaluation of your full manuscript is six weeks unless
otherwise agreed upon.
Your pages will be returned via email. If you have a full manuscript reviewed
that comes with a phone consultation, the phone consultation must be
scheduled for a time no more than 2 weeks after return of full manuscript.
Mary respects your valuable time as a writer and trusts that you will respect
hers. Please understand that once she returns your material and completes
any phone consultations your working arrangement is complete. She is always
happy to chat with writers at events and signings, but she can’t “take another
quick look” once you’ve revised your pages [unless, of course, you wish to
purchase another critique].
CONFIDENTIALITY
She respects your confidentiality, either in written form or verbal discussion.
She never shares your work with others and will destroy any electronically-
submitted material you have sent to her two weeks after she has confirmation
that you have received and saved the pages.
LIMITS
Mary is not an acquisition editor nor can she guarantee a sale of your material
though if she is aware of an editor/or agent who might be seeking what you are
writing she will share that information with you, if appropriate. She is not
responsible for unsolicited material and if pages show up without prior
arrangement they will be destroyed.
Payment:
For 5 or 30 page analysis - Payment in full via either Paypal or by check prior
to submitting pages
For all other manuscript pages – 50% of fee is payable prior to submitting
pages and the 50% balance is payable when Mary notifies you that she’s
completed the review of your pages. Upon receiving the final payment, she will
send the pages. If a phone consultation is included, she’ll discuss a mutually
agreeable time via email.
For any questions please contact Mary at Mary@MaryBuckham.com
Are your pages ready for an agent or editor? If you hesitated to say “yes”
then you should get a professional opinion.
Mary Buckham is a national writing teacher, but more important – she’s a
professional author. The best advice you can get is from an author who
understands what it takes to get published. She’s also one of the two authors
who created the highly-successful Break Into Fiction® program taught
nationally. Mary works with both unpublished writers and published authors on
a limited basis as noted below.
What to expect from this service:
As both a fiction and nonfiction author, she is respectful and aware of the
effort we all put into our work. She believes in giving constructive feedback
that is grounded in examples from your own manuscript, with potential
suggestions of both craft issues and further resources for you to have options
if the work is not yet ready for submission. She makes a point of:
* explaining why a suggestion is made on your pages
* pointing out your strengths as well as areas you can improve
* looking at specific issues that impact fiction authors including pacing, conflict,
tension and character development [if applicable]
* focusing on plot development with specific suggestions on what is weak and
how to repair plot holes
Note - She will not do line edits or grammar though she can recommend
services for both.
Mary recommends a two-step process with either the first 5 or first 30 pages
reviewed before moving to the entire manuscript evaluation. The major
problems in most manuscripts are in the first chapters where set up is so
important. If you send a full manuscript with set up issues then Mary will likely
be marking the same mistakes repeatedly throughout your pages.
FEES
All fees are noted in US dollars only
Query letter: A query letter, consisting of a one-page cover letter (single
spaced) for $25
Synopsis: Short or long [up to 10 pages] – Mary will analyze your synopsis
and return her critique with a bonus set of templates you can use to repeat the
process on your own (one review of synopsis for fee) - for $75
Combination Query plus Synopsis (based on above stipulations): $90
____________________________________________
Opening pages 1 to 5 pages - $30 – Analyzed for Hooks in opening
sentences, opening paragraphs and at key points in the pages, ending hook,
pacing, character development
Opening pages - Up to 30 opening pages - $85 – Analyzed for Opening
Hooks, Pacing, Set-up. This is a professional critical read-through and
assessment of your manuscript’s strengths and weaknesses
Opening pages - 30 to 45 opening pages - $100 – Analyzed for Opening
Hooks, Pacing, Set-up. This is a professional critical read-through and
assessment of your manuscript’s strengths and weaknesses
Opening pages - 46 to 70 pages - $200 (Includes a 30 minute phone
conversation if scheduled within 2 weeks after return of pages.) This is the
most critical part of the story where the key introductory information is inserted,
major hooks are set, story questions are established and pacing must be
strong.
Full manuscript up to 70,000 words - $350 (Includes a 30 minute phone
conversation if scheduled within 2 weeks after return of pages.) *If you had the
75 page partial of this manuscript analyzed within six months of submitting this
full manuscript deduct $75 from the $350 fee.
Full manuscript over 70,000 up to 85,000 words - $445 (Includes a 30
minute phone conversation if scheduled within 2 weeks after return of pages.)
*If you had the 75 page partial of this manuscript analyzed within six months of
submitting this full manuscript deduct $75 from the $445 fee.
Full manuscript over 85,000 up to 100,000 words - $485 (Includes a 45
minute phone conversation if scheduled within 2 weeks after return of pages.)
*If you had the 75 page partial of this manuscript analyzed within six months of
submitting this full deduct $75 from the $485 fee.
Phone consultation [If after you’ve had 5 or 30 pages critiqued you would
like additional clarification email Mary to arrange a phone appointment] – 30
minutes for $35
(Available to USA and Canadian Clients Only)
Time sensitive material with specified deadline (must be arranged ahead of
time): add $30 for query/synopis/5-30 pages
For longer projects add $50 for rush fee
PROCESS for submitting your pages
Before submitting your work or paying any fees, email Mary at MaryBuckham.
com
Mary usually has a busy schedule of editing and writing commitments and will
give you an estimated time for when to expect her analysis of your pages. If
you need something quickly, email her and she will a) let you know if she can
squeeze your work into her current schedule and b) tell you what the additional
rush cost will be. So if you have revisions to turn in or a specific time frame
for your completion date, please plan ahead accordingly.
Once an agreement is made for consultation, follow these steps for submitting
work:
Submission of the agreed upon document is done so via email in either a
WORD or RTF format that Mary can download and edit on directly, as well as
address any specific questions or concerns you wish her to look at [within the
parameters of the service] in the body of an email.
. Formatting
If your manuscript does not follow these guidelines, it will be returned so you
can correct it:
* All manuscript pages double-spaced
* Courier, Courier New or Courier Dark font – in 12 point
* Margins are one inch all around
* Pages are to be numbered at top, right hand side
* For proposals, novels and synopses use a header that includes your title/last
name
* For query letters and one or two page synopses – single spaced with one-
inch borders, Courier, Arial or Times New Roman – in 12 point
Once Mary receives the manuscript pages and respective fee (listed above),
she’ll acknowledge receipt and begin work.
TURNAROUND TIME
Standard time for evaluation of your query letter and up to 2 page synopsis is
three weeks unless otherwise agreed upon.
Standard time for evaluation of your partial manuscript is four weeks unless
otherwise agreed upon.
Standard time for evaluation of your full manuscript is six weeks unless
otherwise agreed upon.
Your pages will be returned via email. If you have a full manuscript reviewed
that comes with a phone consultation, the phone consultation must be
scheduled for a time no more than 2 weeks after return of full manuscript.
Mary respects your valuable time as a writer and trusts that you will respect
hers. Please understand that once she returns your material and completes
any phone consultations your working arrangement is complete. She is always
happy to chat with writers at events and signings, but she can’t “take another
quick look” once you’ve revised your pages [unless, of course, you wish to
purchase another critique].
CONFIDENTIALITY
She respects your confidentiality, either in written form or verbal discussion.
She never shares your work with others and will destroy any electronically-
submitted material you have sent to her two weeks after she has confirmation
that you have received and saved the pages.
LIMITS
Mary is not an acquisition editor nor can she guarantee a sale of your material
though if she is aware of an editor/or agent who might be seeking what you are
writing she will share that information with you, if appropriate. She is not
responsible for unsolicited material and if pages show up without prior
arrangement they will be destroyed.
Payment:
For 5 or 30 page analysis - Payment in full via either Paypal or by check prior
to submitting pages
For all other manuscript pages – 50% of fee is payable prior to submitting
pages and the 50% balance is payable when Mary notifies you that she’s
completed the review of your pages. Upon receiving the final payment, she will
send the pages. If a phone consultation is included, she’ll discuss a mutually
agreeable time via email.
For any questions please contact Mary at Mary@MaryBuckham.com
Mary~ Thanks so very
much for the precise,
insightful, and
encouraging feedback
you so articulately offered
when we spoke on
Monday evening.
Through your few
probing questions you
immediately understood
my vision for the text and
were able to guide me so
that I could see how to get
there. You are amazing!
~Elizabeth
much for the precise,
insightful, and
encouraging feedback
you so articulately offered
when we spoke on
Monday evening.
Through your few
probing questions you
immediately understood
my vision for the text and
were able to guide me so
that I could see how to get
there. You are amazing!
~Elizabeth
I feel like I've pulled my
manuscript apart and
stuck it back together
with Superglue instead of
sticky tape. You have to
be the best writing
investment around!
~Chris
manuscript apart and
stuck it back together
with Superglue instead of
sticky tape. You have to
be the best writing
investment around!
~Chris
I finished the first round
of edits to the first book I
have to edit, and it's a
new book! It's so much
better, all thanks to you!
~Stephanie
of edits to the first book I
have to edit, and it's a
new book! It's so much
better, all thanks to you!
~Stephanie
You are one heck of a
motivator! I know that I
can count on your
honesty and forthright
advice. Thank you!
~ Mark
motivator! I know that I
can count on your
honesty and forthright
advice. Thank you!
~ Mark