Manuscript appraisals

Manuscript appraisals offers qualified and constructive feedback about your work from objective established writers and/or editors. Appraisals can consist of a written report or a report plus a face-to-face meeting with the assessor to discuss the work.

The appraisers are members of the Writers Centre who are industry professionals, with a mixture of teaching, editing and publishing experience. While appraisers cannot speak on behalf of a publishing house, they can give you informed considered opinions based on their knowledge of writing and trends in the writing industry.

Appraisals include, when relevant, comments on matters such as style, themes, characterisations, plot, presentation, imagery, rhythm, suggestions for editing and markets.

This service is designed to meet the needs of emerging writers who are working on short stories, memoirs and poetry.  We can also appraise extracts from longer works, but full assessments of longer manuscripts must be arranged independently between the author and the assessor once the initial assessment has taken place. We can also refer you to other assessment services for book-length manuscripts.

The appraisal can cover one of the following:

• Poetry –  a poem or poems not exceeding 5 x A4pages
• Short fiction – a story or stories to 5000 words (longer stories by negotiation)
• Extracts from longer work – chapter(s) up to 4500 words accompanied by a brief synopsis of the rest of the work

To arrange an assessment, forward your manuscript in the accepted industry format (typed, double-spaced, A4 paper printed on one side only, 2cm margins both sides and pages numbered) to director@actwriters.org.au or ACT Writers Centre, Gorman House Arts Centre, Ainslie Avenue, Braddon 2612.

Include a cover letter containing your name, address, phone number, the title of the work/s, your age if you are under 18, cultural background (if relevant), and the audience you had in mind.

You can send in your manuscript at any time throughout the year. However, the manuscript will not be assessed until payment is received, either by cheque, money order, cash or credit card. We also accept EFTPOS.

Appraisals generally take 3-4 weeks from time of payment, in which case we will either mail the manuscript and written assessment back to you or contact you to arrange a face-to-face meeting with your assessor.

Costs

Report only: $60 members/$110 non-members
Report and face-to-face: $90 members, 140 non-members

Further enquiries can be made on phone 6262 9191