[Verla Kay Posts: 5,907 Status: Offline Invite Verla Kay to speak in your area WWW]

 Verla Kay's Critique Service is temporarily closed. (She is moving several states away.) It will reopen by January, 2016.

It's up and running for real! 

Here's the way it works. If you write picture books and would like to have one of your books personally critiqued by Verla Kay, send an email to:

verlakay2 (at) aol.com

Be sure to take the spaces out of the email addy and replace the @ symbol for the word (at) before using it!

Put CRITIQUE SERVICE in the subject line of your email. Payment will be via PayPal to this same email addy.

You will email your manuscript to Verla as soon as a confirmation email that your payment has been received has been sent to you by Verla. Within four weeks you will receive by return email a full critique of your manuscript. Your personal, thorough critique will include some or all of the following:

"Overview" comments about your story concerning its appropriateness for today's market and the age of children for which you are writing
Assistance and or comments about the pacing and image possibilities of your story
Line by line editing of the story itself
Assistance with rhyming and rhythm when appropriate

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Prices for personal picture book critiques are:

300 words or less = $75

301 to 500 words = $100

501 to 750 words = $150

751 to 1000 words = $175

1000 to 2000 words = $225


Word count is for the story and supplemental material only. It does not include your name and/or byline or the title of the story.

[lousears]

Verla Kay,
Thank you so much for your new critique service!  Your review of my PB manuscript was very thorough and extremely helpful!  You were not only complimentary, but you also didn't hold back when you found areas where revisions were needed.  I needed to hear what you had to say.  I'm sure with your help, I will reach my goal of becoming a published author.
  
Sincerely,
Lou Sears

[Penny Klostermann Posts: 2 Status: Offline WWW]

Thank you! I am so glad that I decided to use your service. It was worth every cent. I would use you again in a heartbeat.
You gave me lots of information to process & apply as I move forward with these & future manuscripts.
I think you did a great job...very helpful.
On a 5 Star Scale...I give you 6!
 

[ecm Posts: 569 Status: Offline Writers live twice. ~Natalie Goldberg WWW]

How cool, Verla! Do you have a dedicated webpage on your critique service? I'd be happy to share it on FB and elsewhere. Happy New Year... and happy critiquing!  :

[Verla Kay Posts: 5,907 Status: Offline Invite Verla Kay to speak in your area WWW]

No, but that's a very good idea. <duh> Why didn't I think of that?  

   I'll let you know as soon as a page is up regarding it.

[Liz Posts: 1,196 Status: Offline]

 

Go Verla!

[Petoskey Posts: 165 Status: Offline]

 Verla, your critique of my PB was so thorough and so helpful. Not only did you spot a weakness there, you pinpointed my writing weakness in general. Your hints for strengthening this story are intriguing. My brain is storming. I'm hard at work on the "what if" game and am planning to use it on other stories. Thank you so much for offering this service. You've given me a huge boost. Carol

[writerdebm]

Wow! Yes on this service, Verla!! :

[KGray Posts: 126 Status: Offline WWW]

YAY!!!

[Bonnie Crow]

Verla Kay's Critique Service

Thank you so much for your speedy and reasonably priced critique. I like the two main goals you use when you critique a manuscript: first, to give suggestions and ideas on how you might make the story stronger and better [which you did], and second, to point out the major things that I think you are doing right, so you can continue to build on your strengths and improve your writing [which you did]. I heard Cynthia Leitch Smith speak and she said that is what helped her the most when she started writing: an editor circled a scene and said, "Write more like this" and she did. The rest is history [cliche alert].

Your comments and suggestions were detailed and informative. Thank you again for a wonderful critique.

To all the wonderful writers out there: USE VERLA KAY!

Bonnie Crow
check my blog at:  Bonniecherylcrow.com

[flurries Posts: 3 Status: Offline]

 I used Verla's critique service for my rhyming picture book story. I appreciate every single comment from Verla.
Her feedback was helpful and detailed, encouraging me to challenge myself. And that's a good recipe for perfecting my craft. Thanks, Verla!

[Linda C Posts: 11 Status: Offline WWW]

  Verla what great ideas for my critique. Really got the thought process going. I can't wait to dive in and 'revise'.  Big thanks 

Linda C.

[IndyAngie]

I was so pleased with Verla's critique of my pb that I sent her another one the very next week.  As a result, I have two polished manuscripts that I sent off to an agent this morning.  Verla's comments were invaluable, allowing me to clean up what needed cleaning but also offering a lot of encouragement.

Thanks, Verla.  You rock!     

[ghost]

Verla,

Have you given any thought to offering your critique services for MG nonfiction wiith the possibility of higher word counts(maybe up to around 30,000 words).

[Verla Kay Posts: 5,907 Status: Offline Invite Verla Kay to speak in your area WWW]

Yes, I have, ghost... but I'm not quite ready for that yet. :-) We're in the middle of "life mayhem" at the moment, and I need to know I can have a lot of time to do longer critiques before I offer that service.

[Pinkpolished]

Verla's critique service was invaluable! It was my first time using a critique service. She was so encouraging and had the most helpful suggestions. I am so thrilled that I invested in this service! Thanks again Verla!!

[Verla Kay Posts: 5,907 Status: Offline Invite Verla Kay to speak in your area WWW]

I'm so glad I could help you, Pinkpolished. It makes me feel wonderful when I can help other writers on their journey to success.

[dewpoem]

Verla,

Thank you for your VERY helpful critique.  You have given me a lot to think about and to work with.  I would recommend your service to anyone needing help with their manuscript.

 

[Verla Kay Posts: 5,907 Status: Offline Invite Verla Kay to speak in your area WWW]

Yay, dewpoem. I'm so pleased I was able to help you with your manuscript. This really "made my day!"

[Verla Kay Posts: 5,907 Status: Offline Invite Verla Kay to speak in your area WWW]

Bumping this up to announce the reopening of the "real" critique service. The trial run and test critiques were wonderfully received and I feel confident now that I can do justice to people who are ready to have me work with them on their manuscripts.

Thanks to everyone who participated and put up with me during my trial run of this service. Now I know how long it "might" take me to do critiques when life gets in the way, and my service now reflects that longer time period. It's very possible yours will get done sooner, but I should have no problem meeting the four week deadline that is now listed for this service.

[DonnaE Posts: 197 Status: Offline life is too short to wear pantyhose. WWW]

SOunds like a great deal to me! 

[Verla Kay Posts: 5,907 Status: Offline Invite Verla Kay to speak in your area WWW]

Just a quick note to mention my critique service has reopened and for a limited time (until March 31, 2014) it has discounted prices.

[DonnaE Posts: 197 Status: Offline life is too short to wear pantyhose. WWW]

Anyone who has NOT used her service needs to give it a shot! I was so impressed with the attention to detail and care she took making sure I got my money's worth! Verla is fantastic!

[carol-federoff Posts: 20 Status: Offline Writing makes me COME ALIVE! WWW]

Oh this looks so tempting!  But It makes me try to figure out which to send as I can barely afford one, let alone the several that I have...

[LadySlipper Posts: 197 Status: Offline]

Can you recommend critique services for YA or MG manuscripts?  Thanks!

[Petoskey Posts: 165 Status: Offline]

I agree with DonnaE. Verla's critique was thoughtful, thought-provoking and so thorough. I value it highly. It was worth way more than the cost.

[Mercedes Ortiz Posts: 175 Status: Offline Abracadabra! WWW]

I'd like to know what are your current prices, Verla? Thanks!

[Verla Kay Posts: 5,907 Status: Offline Invite Verla Kay to speak in your area WWW]

The first message in this thread now has the correct prices listed, Mercedes. Thanks for asking.

[Mercedes Ortiz Posts: 175 Status: Offline Abracadabra! WWW]

Thank you, Verla!