Written Critique Guidelines

We are offering a number of written critiques at an additional cost of $55/$70 as part of the conference. Click on the SCHEDULE button next to the logo on the main page to see the faculty details.

These critiques are a chance to have one faculty member look at the first 10 pages of your novel ($55) OR one picture book manuscript ($55) OR 5 images ($55) OR one book dummy ($70) and offer written feedback. Your critique will be emailed to you at the end of the weekend; there will be no in-person critiques during the conference. Make sure to read the critique schedule and faculty bios carefully to choose the best person for your work (e.g. if Bob only critiques novels, don't send in your picture book dummy), and add your choice to your registration before checkout. Submissions must be received by April 25th at the latest, no exceptions! Follow the specific instructions below. Be sure to format your work and doublecheck your submission before sending it in.

*You must be a registered participant to receive a critique. No refunds will be given on critiques for any reason. If your submission is not received by the deadline, you forfeit your critique without a refund.

1. Add your critique during registration by going to the top of the main page and clicking the REGISTER FOR EVENT button.
2. Choose one faculty member for your critique – make sure you read their bios to see what genre they are critiquing. You must choose the faculty member when you register.
3. For novels, send a maximum of ten double-spaced pages and a one-page synopsis. For picture books, please send the entire manuscript. Use standard manuscript format; see the link at the bottom of the page if you need a refresher.
4. Email your manuscript as an attachment to [email protected] no later than Saturday, April 25th, and mention in your email which faculty member you signed up for. Be sure to include your first and last name in the file name, saved as FirstNameLastName_ms.docx (e.g., SuzanneSmith_ms.docx to [email protected].).

📝 These critiques will be written only; you will not meet face-to-face with your critiquer. Written feedback will be sent to you after the conference.

1. Add your critique during registration by going to the top of the main page and clicking the REGISTER FOR EVENT button. It will be one of the mandatory choices. You can also choose to opt out.
2. Send up to 5 of your best portfolio pieces or your dummy.
3. Each image should be approximately 500 KB.
4. Dummy NO larger than 3 MB. (*Tip: Prep individual images before assembling as a PDF to keep size below 3 MB. Saving images as JPGs will maintain image quality but use less memory. If your file is still too large, either reduce the physical page size of your images or, if your version of Adobe Acrobat allows, use the File-Reduce File Size option. If you still have problems, contact Robin at [email protected])
5. Please include your first and last name in each file name (e.g. JulieJones_portfolio.jpg or JulieJones_dummy.pdf). 
6. Email as attachments to [email protected] no later than Saturday, April 25th. Please mention the name of your chosen Faculty Member in your email.

📝 These critiques will be written only; you will not meet face-to-face with your critiquer. Written feedback will be sent to you after the conference.