Win a written critique of your full YA or MG manuscript, including a one-page critique and margin comments, from author Francisco X. Stork!

Francisco X. Stork emigrated from Mexico at the age of nine with his mother and his adoptive father. He is the author of eleven novels including Marcelo in the Real World, recipient of the Schneider Family Book Award, and Disappeared, a Walter Dean Myers Award Honor Book. His latest novel, One Last Chance to Live, was published in September 2024.

Win a critique of your manuscript and a 30-minute Zoom or phone call to discuss feedback and get your writing and publishing questions answered by author Crystal Smith Paul!

** Full Manuscript Critique will be completed by February 28, 2025 **

Crystal Smith Paul attended Spelman College and UCLA's School of Theater, Film and Television and received her master's in journalism from NYU. Her nonfiction writing has appeared in Salon, Jezebel, and HuffPost. Did You Hear About Kitty Karr? is her first novel.

Win a tag-team consultation with debut author Laura Leffler and her agent CeCe Lyra! Laura will review up to 50 pages of your adult fiction manuscript, and CeCe will provide the same insightful feedback for your query as she does for those on The Shit No One Tells You About Writing podcast. Winner will also receive a signed ARC of Laura's forthcoming book, Tell Them You Lied.

Laura Leffler is a debut thriller writer. CeCe Lyra is an agent at P.S. Literary Agency and co-host of The Shit No One Tells You About Writing podcast.

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Win a written critique and chat with newly published children's book author and BIPOC editor, Stephanie C. Watterson! Stephanie will critique up to 2,500 words of your YA manuscript and discuss her suggestions with you in a video/phone call. Winner will also receive a complimentary copy of Stephanie's children's book, Septopus.

Stephanie C. Watterson is a newly published children's book author and edits BIPOC stories at home on Vancouver Island. She has always had a love for literature, words and puns. She knows words matter, but how we use them matters more. When Stephanie's not reading, writing or editing, you'll find her smashing stereotypes or eating typos (read: vegetarian food) for breakfast.

[Image description: A graphic labeled "Manuscript Critique", followed by a headshot for author/editor Stephanie C. Watterson and a thumbnail image for Stephanie's book, Septopus.]

Win a critique of 25 pages of your adult fiction manuscript OR a query critique/revision from Ann (A.H.) Kim, author of A Good Family (2020) and Relative Strangers (2024)! Either option includes a 30-minute video-chat.

A.H. Kim is the author of A Good Family (2020), which The Washington Post described as a "lively suspense diversion," as well as Relative Strangers (2024), a modern retelling of Jane Austen's Sense & Sensibility.

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Win an edit letter of the first 25 pages of your adult fiction manuscript and a 30-minute Zoom follow-up call with USA Today bestselling author Karen Odden!

USA Today bestselling author Karen Odden received her Ph.D. in English from New York University, taught at UW-Milwaukee, and edited and wrote for academic journals before turning to fiction. Her most recent novel was nominated for the Agatha, Lefty, and Anthony awards for Best Historical Mystery (2023). Karen serves on the national board of Sisters in Crime and lives in Arizona with her family.

Win a 30-page manuscript critique from bestselling author Lara Prescott! Lara will read up to thirty pages of your adult fiction manuscript and provide her feedback over a 30-minute Zoom call.

Lara Prescott is the New York Times and international bestselling author of The Secrets We Kept. Translated into thirty languages, The Secrets We Kept was a Hello Sunshine x Reese's Book Club pick, an Edgar Award nominee for Best First Fiction, and a Barnes & Noble Discover Pick, among other honors.

Win a critique of your picture book manuscript and a 30-minute phone call with Emily Sun Li, Simmons children's literature MFA graduate and author of the picture book Mr. Chow's Night Market (forthcoming Spring 2026 with Penguin Workshop/Penguin Random House)!

Emily will offer feedback on your (ideally non-rhyming) picture book manuscript and answer any questions about the publishing industry and/or MFA programs in children's literature.

Emily Sun Li is a Chinese American writer with an MA in Children's Literature and MFA in Writing for Children at Simmons University. Previously, she spent two years teaching English and studying Mandarin Chinese in Kaohsiung, Taiwan as a Fulbright scholar. Her debut picturebook, Mr. Chow's Night Market, releases in Spring 2026 in a two-book deal with Penguin Workshop/Penguin Random House.

Win a written critique of the first 25 pages of your YA or MG manuscript from author Betty G. Yee! Winner will receive line comments as well as a one page edit letter.

Betty G. Yee is the daughter of Chinese immigrants. Born and raised in Massachusetts, she spends her time teaching, reading, writing, and caring for her cats, Zara and Piper. Her debut YA historical novel, Gold Mountain (CaroRhoda/Lerner) was a 2023 Mass Center for the Book honoree.

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Win your choice of:

• a written critique of your adult fiction query and email response to your questions on your writing or publishing process OR
• a 5,000-word manuscript critique

all from author Lauren Ling Brown!

Lauren Ling Brown is the author of Society of Lies, a Reese's Book Club pick and USA Today bestseller. She currently resides in Los Angeles, CA where she works as a film editor.

Win a written critique of your YA query and the first 10 pages of your manuscript with YA debut author and ghostwriter Veronica Bane!

Veronica Bane is a young adult author and experienced ghostwriter living and working in Los Angeles. Her debut YA thriller Difficult Girls will be published from Penguin Random House/Delacorte Press in summer 2025. When she isn't writing, Veronica is teaching English and Creative Writing to high school students.

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Win a critique of the first 50 pages of your adult fiction manuscript from Kathleen Barber, certified book coach and author! Winner will also receive signed copies of Kathleen's books, Truth Be Told and Follow Me.

Kathleen Barber is the author of Truth Be Told (originally published as Are You Sleeping and adapted into a series on AppleTV+) and Follow Me, as well as the forthcoming Both Things Are True (summer 2025) and Sisterhood Above All (spring 2026), and a certified book coach. A graduate of the University of Illinois and Northwestern University School of Law, Kathleen now lives in Washington, DC, with her husband and children.

[Image description: Graphic labeled "Manuscript Critique & Signed Books", followed by a headshot of author Kathleen Barber and a thumbnail image of Kathleen's book, Truth Be Told.]

Win a written critique of the first chapter of your middle grade or young adult manuscript from award-winning author Michael Leali!

Michael Leali (he/him) is an author and educator born and raised in the Chicago suburbs and currently living in the San Francisco Bay Area. He holds an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts. He is the author of The Civil War of Amos Abernathy, Matteo, and The Truth About Triangles.

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Win a written critique of 50 pages of your mystery or thriller manuscript from Tessa Wegert, writing instructor and author of the acclaimed Shana Merchant series!

Tessa Wegert is the author of the acclaimed Shana Merchant mysteries. Her books have received starred reviews from Publishers Weekly and Shelf Awareness and have been featured on PBS and NPR Radio. A former journalist and copywriter, Tessa grew up in Quebec and now lives in Connecticut, where she co-founded Sisters in Crime CT and serves on the board of International Thriller Writers (ITW).

[Image Description: A graphic labeled "Manuscript Critique", followed by a headshot for author Tessa Wegert.]