Win a full manuscript critique (up to 85,000 words) from Maria Vicente, Senior Literary Agent at P.S. Literary Agency.

Middle Grade, YA, or Adult only, please.

Maria Vicente is a Senior Literary Agent and Advisor at P.S. Literary representing bold and innovative books for kids, teens, and adults. She lives in New Brunswick, Canada, reading and selling books from the Atlantic Ocean shore.

Image: Headshot of Maria Vicente

Win a full manuscript read with reactions, comments and suggestions on margin from award-winning author Francisco X. Stork! Let an award-winning author provide insight into your work!

Middle Grade or YA only, please.

Francisco X. Stork is the award winning author of ten YA novels, including Marcelo in the Real World and I Am Not Alone (July 2023).

Image: Headshot of Francisco X. Stork

Win a 50-page written critique from award-winning author Ellen Oh!

Middle Grade or Young Adult genre only.

Ellen Oh is a writer of children's books. Some of her books have won awards from organizations and people who are not related to her. She used to be a lawyer and an adjunct college instructor before realizing that it was all very boring and she enjoyed writing books much more. She is the author of the middle grade novels Finding Junie Kim, The Dragon Egg Princess, and The Spirit Hunters trilogy (Spirit Hunters, Island of Monsters, and Something Wicked), and the YA fantasy trilogy The Prophecy Series (Prophecy, Warrior, and King). She is the editor of the middle grade anthology Flying Lessons and Other Stories, and the YA anthology A Thousand Beginnings and Endings. Ellen is also a founding member of We Need Diverse Books (WNDB), a non-profit organization dedicated to increasing diversity in children's literature.

Photo Description: Headshot of Ellen Oh

Copyright Susie James Photography

Win a written picture book critique from #1 New York Times Bestselling Author and Caldecott Award winning-author Carole Lindstrom.

Carole Lindstrom is a #1 New York Times Bestselling Author and Caldecott Award winning author of literature for young people. Her picture books include, WE ARE WATER PROTECTORS (Roaring Brook) and the forthcoming MY POWERFUL HAIR (Abrams BYR). She is Anishinaabe/Métis and an enrolled citizen of the Turtle Mountain Band of Ojibwe. She is honored to write books that allow her to shine a light on her beautiful people and their strength and resilience. Her tribal homelands are in Belcourt, North Dakota, but she was born and raised in Nebraska and currently makes her home in Maryland.

Image description: headshot of Carole Lindstrom

Win a written critique from Janine Le, founder and agent at Janine Le Literary Agency. Janine will review a picture book manuscript or dummy, graphic novel proposal, or the first three chapters and synopsis of a middle grade or young adult novel and provide written feedback.

Picture Book, Early Reader, Middle Grade, or YA only, please.

Janine Le launched Janine Le Literary Agency in 2022, where she represents authors and illustrators of books for children and young adults. She previously worked at Sheldon Fogelman Agency, interned at Sterling Lord Literistic, and completed NYU's Summer Publishing Institute.

Image: Headshot of Janine Le

Win a picture book manuscript critique from Katie Heit, senior editor at Scholastic. Katie will provide a written critique as well as an annotated manuscript.

Picture Book only, please. Critique will take place in late January or February.

Katie Heit is a senior editor Scholastic working on picture books and chapter books. She primarily edits nonfiction, with select fiction titles. She works with many nonfiction authors, including Charles R. Smith Jr., Dean Robbins, Denise Lewis Patrick, Sandra Markle, and Rekha S. Rajan. She is drawn to books that approach nonfiction in a kid-friendly way and is especially on the lookout for nature and STEAM topics.

Image: Headshot of Katie Heit

Win a picture book manuscript critique from Jocelyn Rish, author of Battle of the Butts and Battle of the Brains. Jocelyn will critique a fiction or nonfiction picture book manuscript with line edits and an overall edit letter. And since butts are her business, expect some silly humor in her comments.

Picture Book only, please.

Jocelyn Rish is a writer and filmmaker who loves researching weird and wonderful animals and sharing what she learns. Her books are Battle of the Butts, about ten animals that do weird things with their butts, and Battle of the Brains, about ten animals with mind-blowing brain abilities. When she's not writing, she tutors kids to help them discover the magic of reading.

Image: Headshot of Jocelyn Rish

Win a written manuscript critique with Anna Sargeant, Sourcebooks eXplore Editor, for board book, picture book, or early reader nonfiction.

Picture Book, Early Reader, or Board Book only, please.

Anna Sargeant grew up in Southern California, raised on sunshine, sandy beaches, and traffic jams. Anna has a degree in education with a concentration in math and have spent my career working with children as a teacher, tutor, minister, curriculum developer, freelance writer, and book editor. Anna is married and live in Austin, where she enjoys being outdoors, watching movies, eating Tex Mex, and hanging out with friends and family.

Image: Headshot of Anna Sargeant

Win a written critique of your query for a picture book or middle grade (fiction or nonfiction) from Teresa Robeson, author of the APALA Picture Book Award winner Queen of Physics.

Picture Book or Middle Grade only, please.

Teresa Robeson (teresarobeson.com) is the author of fiction and nonfiction picture books and middle grade. Her debut Queen of Physics won an ALA Youth Media Award among other honors. She has two picture books and two biographical graphic novels coming out in the next couple of years.

Image: Headshot of Teresa Robeson

Win a written query critique from Amitha Jagannath Knight, author of Usha and the Big Digger. Dr. Knight has been lucky to have had three agents so far in her career, all of whom she successfully contacted through query letters.

Picture Book, Early Reader, Middle Grade, or YA only, please.

Dr. Amitha Jagannath Knight writes books for all ages. Her debut picture book is Usha and the Big Digger, published by Charlesbridge. She is a graduate of MIT and Tufts University School of Medicine and a former social media manager for We Need Diverse Books.

Image: Headshot of Dr. Amitha Jagannath Knight

Win a written query critique from Cortney Radocaj, Literary Agent at the Belcastro Agency!

YA, Adult, Fantasy, sci-fi, horror, contemporary genres only, please. No non-fiction or literary fiction.

Cortney Radocaj is a literary agent at the Belcastro Agency, focusing on adult and YA fantasy, science fiction, horror, and contemporary. Her upcoming sales include Claire Winn's City of Vicious Night (Flux, May 2023) and Jessica Kara's Don't Ask If I'm Okay (Page Street, May 2023). She currently resides in the Pacific Northwest.

Image: Headshot of Cortney Radocaj

Win a written query critique from middle grade author Reina Luz Alegre. Reina will offer a line edit of your query, delivered via email.

Middle Grade only, please.

Reina Luz Alegre is the middle grade author of THE DREAM WEAVER, a Junior Library Guild Selection and a 2020 Parents' Latina Magazine Best Latino Children's Book. THE DREAM WEAVER is out now from Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers!

Image: Headshot of Reina Luz Alegre

Win a line edit query critique from Ali Lake, literary agent at Janklow & Nesbit Associates.

Young Adult or Adult only, please.

Ali Lake is an agent at Janklow & Nesbit open to submissions of nonfiction, fiction, and YA. She previously worked at ICM Partners. She has BA in English and French Literature from Columbia University.

Image: Headshot of Ali Lake

Win a written manuscript critique of your picture book or the first 25 pages of your middle grade or Young Adult novel from Alex Borbolla, senior editor at Bloomsbury. You will receive valuable written feedback to guide your revision and the opportunity to ask follow-up questions via email.

Picture Book, Middle Grade, or Young Adult only, please.

Alex Borbolla joined Bloomsbury Children's Publishing as Senior Editor in April 2022 after spending the first seven years of her career at Atheneum Books for Young Readers/S&S. She edits picture books, middle grade, and YA novels and graphic novels. Find her on Twitter @Alex_Borbolla.

Image: Headshot of Alex Borbolla

Win a written query critique from Laurel Symonds, literary agent at The Bent Agency.

Picture Book, Early Reader, Middle Grade, or Young Adult only, please.

Laurel Symonds joined The Bent Agency in Fall 2018 after nearly a decade of experience in the publishing industry. She began her career in the editorial department of HarperCollins Children's Books/Katherine Tegen Books and has also held positions in the marketing department at a small publishing house, in a library, and as a bookseller at one of the nation's best independent bookstores. As a literary agent, she represents children's fiction and nonfiction.

Image: Headshot of Laurel Symonds

Win a written critique of your query and first 5 pages of your manuscript by Maya Prasad, author of Drizzle, Dreams, and Lovestruck Things (Disney).

Genres include Early Reader, Middle Grade, and YA.

Maya Prasad is a South Asian American author, a Caltech graduate, and a former software engineer. She currently resides in the Pacific Northwest, where she enjoys hiking, kayaking, and raising her budding bookworm kiddo. Drizzle, Dreams, and Lovestruck Things is her debut YA novel.

Image: Headshot of Maya Prasad

Win a written query critique from speculative fiction author Phoebe (P. H.) Low!

Young Adult or Adult only, please.

P. H. Low is a Rhysling- and Locus-nominated writer and poet with work published in Strange Horizons, Tor.com, and Fantasy Magazine, among others. P. H. is an alum of Viable Paradise and Pitch Wars, and is represented by Sara Megibow and Savannah Brooks at KT Literary.

Image: Headshot of P. H. Low

Win a written picture book manuscript critique with agent Amy Thrall Flynn. Amy will review your manuscript and offer feedback via email.

Amy Thrall Flynn joined Rubin Pfeffer Content in 2019. A former Editor with Houghton Mifflin Books for Children, she believes in the power of books to connect, inspire, and affirm the lives of young people. In addition to her experience acquiring and shepherding dozens of books to publication while an editor, Amy holds a BA in American Literature from Middlebury College in Vermont, an MA in English (Simmons), and an MA in Children's Literature from Simmons University, Boston. Amy has two grown children, and lives with her husband and a pair of lovable scruffy dogs on a farm in Connecticut.

Amy is looking for unforgettable voices and fresh perspectives in all genres, with a focus on picture books, innovative nonfiction for ages 2 - 12, and character-driven middle grade novels. She especially loves writing that captures the imagination with humor, flashes of insight, and an authentic emotional core. When reviewing submissions, she wonders, "How does this piece connect with the lives of children?" Will it spark their curiosity, sustain their interest, and explore their experiences and concerns? Does it provide a mirror or open a window to new perspectives? Does this writer have something to say? Most importantly, Amy hopes to see the writer's passion and commitment to craft.

When a client signs with me, they can expect respect, care, diligence, and integrity. I work with a small list of creators and offer a high level of support and communication.