Manuscript & mentoring services
Do you need to get your manuscript ready for publisher submissions?
And elevate your writing fast?
Stef can provide a detailed assessment of your picture book, junior fiction or middle grade manuscript to help you get published or provide you with mentoring to improve your craft.
Stef Gemmill is an international award-children’s author and technical writer with 20+ years of writing and editing experience. Through her role as the Program Director of the Sketch ‘n’ Scribe Festival, Stef has a deep understanding of the Kid Lit industry and what publishers are seeking right now.
“I signed a picture book contract with dream publisher New Frontier Publishing thanks to Stef’s assessment and editing of my manuscript.”
Ashling Kwok- published children’s author
Manuscript assessments
Before you hit the ‘submit’ button to a publisher, your manuscript needs to be 100% perfect. There are no second chances to resubmit the same manuscript twice. A detailed, written assessment with a follow-up Q&A ZOOM session will provide you with clear direction on how to get your manuscript submission ready.
A manuscript assessment includes';
In-depth reading of your manuscript and feedback on the ‘page turns’ for both pacing and illustrations (for picture books)
A detailed report highlighting the manuscripts strengths and areas for improvement with a focus on the story hook, plot, character arc, character voice, word count and use of language.
A list of publishers that are a good fit for the manuscript
Tracked changes with detailed line edits
A 20-minute ZOOM session to discuss the assessment and answer questions.
Pricing
Cost is based on word length:
Up to 1,000 words $150 (picture book or first chapter)
1,000 – 5,000 $300
5,000 - 10,000 $550
20,000 – 30,000K $700
30,000 – 50,000K $900
All prices are ex. GST
Mentorships
Stef’s one-to-one tailored mentoring focuses on guiding you to improve your craft, deepen thematic elements, and develop your manuscript to a publishable standard while navigating the wider publishing industry. This is a fantastic follow-up to a manuscript assessment to help you continue on your path to publication.
Stef will set you specific goals and tasks to complete to support elevating your writing and overall writing practice. Communication can include emails and ZOOMs over a set period. This back-and-forth communication is particularly valuable if you are in the earlier stages of your manuscript or if you’ve hit a wall and are unsure how to proceed. It’s also an opportunity to workshop your completed manuscript and receive specific advice. The hours will include reading time of your writing.
Each mentorship is tailored according to where you are in your writing career and what you’d like to focus on improving.
Pricing
The hours can be tailored accordingly.
3 hour mentorship - $300
6 hour mentorship - $500
10 hour mentorship - $800
All prices are ex. GST