Win a written manuscript critique from Karen Chaplin, Executive Editor at Quill Tree Books! Karen will offer a written critique of the first 25 pages of your middle grade or young adult manuscript.

YA/MG manuscripts preferred.

Karen Chaplin is an Executive Editor at Quill Tree Books/HarperCollins. She edits books of all genres and for all age ranges, from picture books through YA.

Image: A graphic with a headshot of Karen Chaplin.

United States only.

Win a written manuscript critique from Andrea Wang, Newbery Honor-winning author of Watercress. Andrea will offer line edits and feedback on up to 10 pages of your picture book or middle grade manuscript, fiction or nonfiction!

Andrea Wang is an acclaimed author of children's books, including Watercress, which received the Caldecott Medal, a Newbery Honor, the Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature, and a Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor, among other accolades. Her other books, Summer at Squee, The Many Meanings of Meilan, Luli and the Language of Tea, Magic Ramen, and The Nian Monster, have also received awards and/or starred reviews. Andrea's work explores culture, creative thinking, and identity.

Open internationally.

Image: A graphic with a headshot of Andrea Wang.

Win a written critique of your YA or adult fiction query and the first three chapters of your manuscript from Lauren Thoman, author of Mindy's Book Studio pick I'll Stop the World and the upcoming speculative mystery You Shouldn't Be Here. Lauren will offer detailed feedback on your query and the first three chapters of your manuscript (up to 30 pages)!

Lauren Thoman writes speculative fiction for teens and adults. Her debut novel, I'll Stop the World, was selected for publication in 2023 by six-time Emmy nominee Mindy Kaling through her eponymous imprint, Mindy's Book Studio. Lauren lives outside of Nashville, Tennessee, with her husband and two children in a house full of dogs and fish.

Open internationally.

Image: A graphic with a headshot of Lauren Thoman.

Win a written query critique and feedback from author and IPEd-accredited editor Shannon Jade! Shannon will perform a detailed line and copy edit of your query letter and provide helpful feedback to help you refine your query package.

Shannon Jade holds a BA in creative writing and publishing and is currently pursuing a master's in environmental science. As an author, she has written several not-for-profit and work-for-hire projects in addition to anthology short stories, and in 2022, she was a contributing author to Goodnight Stories For Rebel Girls: 100 Inspiring Young Changemakers. Shannon is also an IPEd-accredited editor with extensive freelance editing and proofreading experience for both self-publishing authors and traditional publishing houses.

Open internationally.

Image: A graphic with a headshot of Shannon Jade.

Win a written query critique from Elle Tesch, author of the YA fantasy What Wakes the Bells (March 2025, Feiwel & Friends)! Elle will offer feedback on your query and answer any of your questions about the querying process.

Elle Tesch is the author of the YA fantasy novel What Wakes the Bells, forthcoming in March 2025 from Feiwel & Friends. Elle twists places she loves and writes what she knows best: hungry monsters, casually cruel villains, and ace-spec girls in the stories they deserve.

Open internationally

Image: A graphic with a headshot of Elle Tesch.

Win a written query critique from Amitha Jagannath Knight, author of the picture book Usha and the Big Digger.

Dr. Amitha Jagannath Knight is a writer and poet for all ages and a graduate of MIT and Tufts University School of Medicine. She is also a former social media manager for We Need Diverse Books. Her debut picture book, Usha and the Big Digger, won a 2023 Mathical Book Prize Honor Award.

Open internationally.

Image: A graphic with a headshot of Amitha Jagannath Knight.

Win a written picture book manuscript critique with Caroline Kusin Pritchard, author of Gitty and Kvetch, Where Is Poppy?, and more. Caroline will offer line edits as well as overarching feedback to support your picture book journey!

Caroline Kusin Pritchard's debut picture book, Gitty and Kvetch, was a Tablet Magazine Best Jewish Picture Book of 2021. Her next picture book, Where is Poppy?, was released this spring, and her co-written biography book What Jewish Looks Like will come out in the fall, with more on the way! She holds her MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts.

Open internationally.

Image: A graphic with a headshot of Caroline Kusin Pritchard.

Win a written critique of your picture book manuscript, including bilingual English/Spanish books, from author Silvia Lopez!

Silvia Lopez's books have received two Florida Book Awards, among others. Her latest work, Uno Más, One More: a Latino Retelling of an Old Scottish Ballad, (Little Brown) is due for release in May 2024.

US only.

Image: A graphic with a headshot of Silvia Lopez.

Win a written critique of your non-rhyming fiction picture book from Madhu Messenger, author of The Wedding Shoe Snatch, upcoming in October 2024!

Madhu Messenger received a 12 x 12 scholarship (2023), a We Need Diverse Books Middle Grade Mentorship (2022), the Yuyi Morales Merit Scholarship from Children's Book Academy (2021), honorable mention in the Oregon Writers Colony Writing Contest (2018), and was a PBParty Finalist (2022). Her debut picture book, The Wedding Shoe Snatch, comes out in October 2024. Madhu is an active member of Inked Voices and Yale Women Writers Group.

Open internationally.

Image: A graphic with a headshot of Madhu Messenger.

Win a written critique of a lyrical picture book manuscript from Costantia Manoli, award-winning author of Tomatoes in My Lunchbox and The Fig Tree. Costantia will offer feedback on your manuscript, focusing particularly on language, form, and structure to create effect and meaning!

Costantia Manoli is the award-winning author of Tomatoes in My Lunchbox (2022) and The Fig Tree (2025). Born in the United Kingdom to Cypriot parents, she spent the picture book period of her life in London contending with a name that even she has difficulty pronouncing in English! Costantia is a Fulbright Scholar twice over, an SCBWI Stephen Fraser Encouragement Award winner and in 2023 was nominated for the Ezra Jack Keats Writer Award.

Open internationally.

Image: A graphic with a headshot of Costantia Manoli.

Win a critique of your YA query from Anita Jari Kharbanda, author of Lioness of Punjab. Anita will offer written feedback on your query to help strengthen your position with literary agents!

Anita Kharbanda is an Indian-American engineer by trade, and a storyteller by heart. She is represented by Jennifer Lyons of Jennifer Lyons literary agency, and Yali Books published her debut YA novel, Lioness of Punjab. The story is told from the perspective of Mai Bhago, the first female Sikh warrior.

US only.

Image: A graphic with a headshot of Anita Jari Kharbanda.