Now Offering: Premiere Critiques

 Hello, all!

It's been a while since I've worn my editor's cap, but I've decided, at least for a little while, to offer limited services to any writers who might need them. In short, I'm bringing back my Premiere Critique on a first come, first served basis.

WHAT IS A PREMIERE CRITIQUE?

A Premiere Critique is an editorial letter and a detailed line edit of the first 75 pages of your completed, polished manuscript.  I will complete your critique within 1 week of your having hired me. 

Things to think about:

• If nobody has ever read your work before (as in, ever), then don't hire me.  Find a critique partner.
• If this is your Very First Novel, then I am not the editor for you.  My time--and your money--is better served if you have a novel or two under your belt, and if your current manuscript is clean.  (Clean doesn't mean "perfect": it just means...clean.  Polished and proofread.)
• I will edit most genres, but if you're not sure, please check with me in your introductory email.  I will absolutely not accept erotica or erotic romance, and I also do not accept memoirs.  My strengths are YA and MG, though I've done a sizable number of adult critiques in the past.  My true loves are fantasy and science fiction, but again, I'm open to all the things, other than my exceptions noted above.

The cost:

• A Premiere Critique costs $260.  I will require a $130 dollar down payment, and the remaining $130 will be due after you've received my critique.
• Payments are accepted via Paypal or Venmo. 

If you have questions or would like to go ahead and reserve a spot, please email me at authoressedits@gmail.com. 

A Little Preorder Giveaway!

 

Hello, friends!

STORMRISE will be out in paperback one month from today, and I'm offering a little preorder giveaway to celebrate.

What to do:

1. Preorder STORMRISE from any bookstore before November 2.

2. Email a screen shot or scan of your receipt to me at jillian@jillianboehme.com.

3. IMPORTANT: Please include your mailing address in the body of the email!

4. You will receive a signed bookmark within a few weeks.

That's it! All I ask is a little grace--today is moving day, and it'll admittedly take me a while to get settled in our apartment. I promise I'll make every effort to organize myself as quickly as possible so you won't have to wait too long. :)

Cheers! And as always, thank you. 

Our Winners

 CONGRATULATIONS to the following entries:

#1 THE BENEFICIARY 

#21 DESTROYING ENEMIES WITH LOVE 

#25 THE GOOD FIGHT

THE PRIZE: Ms. Wessbecher would like to see the first 50 pages of your manuscript.

Winners--please email me at facelesswords@gmail.com for specific submission instructions.

To everyone who entered: THANK YOU and WELL DONE! I hope you have found the feedback helpful and the experience positive.

Yay to all!

Secret Agent Unveiled!

Huge thanks to Katherine Wessbecher of Bradford Literary Agency for her excellent secret-agenting!

Katherine's bio:

Katherine Wessbecher joined the Bradford Literary Agency in 2020. Katherine began her publishing career at Penguin, where she edited children’s and YA books at Putnam Books for Young Readers. She then served as the science and technology editor of an academic book review journal before joining the agency world. Katherine holds a B.A. in English from the College of William & Mary and lives with her husband in San Diego.

What Katherine is currently looking for:

Katherine is currently looking for children's, MG, YA, and upmarket adult fiction. She's drawn to grounded stories that transport her somewhere new (the past, an imagined world, or a different perspective on her own). A few things she'd love to see more of in her submissions inbox include stories the history books left out, unexpected narrative techniques (bring on the epistolary novels!), and more bone-dry humor.

Winners forthcoming!

Secret Agent Critique Guidelines

For those of you who are new to the blog (hi!!), you are warmly welcomed to offer your critique on as many of the entries as you would like.

Here's the way it works:

• All readers may leave critique in the comment box of each entry.  
• While the critiquing is going on, our Secret Agent will appear and also leave feedback--for ALL ENTRIES!  This is great not only for the folks who entered, but for everyone who takes the time to read through to see how a literary agent responds to various opening pages.
• Next Monday, I will post the identity of our Secret Agent AND the winning entries

Guidelines for Critique on MSFV:

• Please leave your critique for each entry in the comment box for that entry.
• Please choose a screen name to sign your comments. The screen name DOES NOT have to be your real name; however, it needs to be an identifiable name.  ("Anonymous" is not a name.)
• Critiques should be honest but kind, helpful but sensitive.
• Critiques that attack the writer or are couched in unkind words will be deleted.*
• Cheerleading IS NOT THE SAME as critiquing.  Please don't cheerlead.
• Having said that, it is perfectly acceptable to say positive things about an entry that you feel is strong.  To make these positive comments more helpful, say why it's a strong entry.
• ENTRANTS: As your way of "giving back", please critique a minimum of 5 other entries.

*I can't possibly read every comment.  If you ever see a comment that is truly snarky, please email me.  I count on your help.