After the Critique

You’ll receive your critique in late November/early December via email from the Critique Carousel. Some agents/editors will return critiques early, and in turn, I’ll return those critiques to participants early. Please don’t contact the Critique Carousel about when your critique will be returned until mid-December. Also, first check your spam folder!

Your critique will be on the SCBWI Gold Form or written as an editorial letter. Sometimes there will be comments directly on the manuscript/portfolio. Take your time going over these–there is no rush. In fact, taking your time in the literary industry is a way of showing that you’ve given thoughtful consideration to the agent/editor’s comments, and have allowed yourself the space to make the best possible creative work.

Save the critique and the letter I send along with it! I try to archive these, but last year I spent several volunteer hours finding critiques and submission information I had already sent out. Be professional. Save this information to a file for easy access when you need the information.

On the other hand, don’t be afraid to ask questions! I love to help, especially when the answers aren’t easily at hand. Sometimes your questions enable us to change the process or the event for the better. Thank you!

Some helpful posts on receiving critiques are here, here, and here. KidLit 411 has a whole page on critiques and critiquing.

Once you’ve taken time to revise and reconsider, then go ahead and take advantage of the submission opportunity with the agent/editor who did your critique. Follow the guidelines in the letter you received along with your critique. You may decide to submit the revised work or a different work.

If you have questions, contact Wendy at [email protected].