2023 Conference Critiques

Critiques are a conference-add, available for purchase when you register for the full Saturday conference. Only one critique with acquiring faculty per person. Only one critique with author/illustrators per person. You can have a total of two critiques at check out during registration.

Critiques are an opportunity to get feedback on your work from industry professionals, with a focus on marketability and execution of your craft. Please note that a critique is not a submission. Critiques with "acquiring" faculty members (i.e., editors, agents, art directors) sell out quickly, but all attendees will receive information for faculty members who will accept post-conference submissions. Critiques from authors and illustrators are a fantastic way to hone your craft and learn how to take your work to the next level based on their industry experience. 

The cut-off to buy and submit your work for a critique is August 29, 2023.

Manuscripts 

There are three options for Manuscript Critiques:

Option 1: Written-only ($55) with onsite or offsite faculty

Option 2: One-on-one (15 minutes) in-person at the conference with on-site faculty on Saturday ($80)

Option 3: One-on-one via Zoom with off-site faculty in October ($80)

Portfolios 

There are two options for Portfolio Critiques:

Option 1: One-on-one (15 minutes) Portfolio Critiques are in-person at the conference with on-site faculty on Saturday ($80)

Option 2: One-on-one via Zoom with off-site faculty in October ($80)

Manuscript Submission Process

All manuscripts submitted for critiques will be submitted through a Google form. You will receive the link to the Google form via email with instructions a few days after you register.  

All files submitted through the Google form should be labeled with your the critique faculty's last name, your last name, the title, and saved as a Word.docx file:

FacultyLastName_YourLastName_Title.docx

Example: Kalia_DuBayGillis_BELIEVE.docx

MANUSCRIPT CHECKLIST

• Check your email for the Google form to submit your manuscript for critique. If you don't have the link to the Google form within 48 hours of registering for the conference, please email Britney Rudowsky at ohionorth-ara@scbwi.org. 

• Microsoft Word format with FacultyLastName_YourLastName_Title as the file name

• Double-spaced

• Check your page count (10 pages max)

• One story max (i.e., not 20 tiny picture book manuscripts)

• A query or cover letter is not needed

• One file per critique (However, if you choose to include a dummy with a picture book manuscript, you may also attach a PDF, less than 5MB in size)

Anyone registering after August 29 will not be able to sign up for manuscript critiques.

IMPORTANT CONSIDERATIONS

No cover letter or query letter is needed — please only send the manuscript (or excerpt). It’s tough to manage more than one file per person, and we have a lot of critiques!

If you are sending a section of your manuscript and you feel that synopsis is needed for the reviewer to understand the context, you can include one at the beginning of your manuscript, and it counts toward the page total.

Only send one manuscript, even if it is a picture book that's less than ten pages. A wise past faculty member once said, “each manuscript, regardless of how short, requires the same amount of attention.” Remember that elements of a story to be assessed (e.g., character, plot, sense of place) apply to all genres. Please only include one project in the manuscript document.

Portfolio Process

If you are selecting a critique with an on-site faculty member, bring your portfolio with you to your critique.

If you purchase an on-site in-person critique for Saturday, you will receive your critique timeslot at the registration table. We do our best to schedule your critique to not interfere with your breakout session choices.

If you purchase a written-only critique, you will receive your feedback from the Ohio North Regional Team via email the week of October 2.

If you purchase an off-site critique via Zoom, these will occur in early October, depending on the timeslot for the faculty member you've chosen. You will receive your Zoom link for your off-site critique by Sunday, October 1.