Winning Writers has engaged contest judge Annie Mydla to manage critiques of your children's picture books, published or unpublished. Annie has read hundreds of self-published children's books in her work as assistant judge for our North Street Book Prize. She also oversees critiques of books for adults in our Critiques for Books and Manuscripts service. Annie is assisted by Paweł Zagawa and Ewa Stachyra.

Says Annie, "A truly fine children's book successfully brings together an array of visual and textual elements. My experience reading for the North Street Book Prize allows me to appreciate both the broad view and the individual components, critiquing your book for maximal balance and appeal." You can read Annie's insights about what makes a prizewinning book in her guest blog post for the Alliance of Independent Authors.

Please submit a digital copy of your work. You may upload it as two files if your book and cover are separate files. It is acceptable to leave identifying information on your documents. We will keep your submission private, and we will provide your critique for your personal use (i.e. please don't publish our critique without our permission).

You can expect your critique to be 500-1,000 words long. It will include the following sections as relevant:

1. Critique summary
2. Technical execution (layout, spelling and grammar, technical consistency, font, accessibility)
3. Structure and content (character, plot, theme, internal consistency, structure, pacing, intended audience)
4. Use of images (technical quality, themes, style, consistency)
5. Use of language (register, tone, imagery, relation to themes, rhyme and meter, as applicable)
6. Recommendations and conclusion
7. Exercises to unlock creativity

You may also submit up to 3 specific questions to be answered within the critique.

We seek to provide perspectives that will provoke new ideas and directions for future drafts. Please allow 4-6 weeks for your critique to be completed. After delivery, we will welcome one round of follow-up questions from you.

Price: $90. Your satisfaction is guaranteed. If our critique does not deliver value for you, you can request a prompt refund from adam@winningwriters.com.

From a satisfied customer:

"Thank you very much for the critique, I found it quite helpful. I learned a few things, which is always nice - especially about narrative circularity and pacing. The couple of ideas for reworking the dialogue were brilliant. I appreciate your help!" -Terry Ann Marsh

Winning Writers has engaged Cheryl J. Fish, PhD, to critique your poems, stories, essays, and book excerpts of up to 6,000 words. Cheryl is a poet, fiction writer and environmental justice scholar. She has been a Fulbright professor in Finland and visiting professor at Mt. Holyoke College; she has taught at BMCC/City University of New York, and is a docent lecturer in the Department of Cultures at University of Helsinki.

Please submit 1-3 poems up to 250 lines long in total or one work of prose up to 6,000 words long. (If you need a critique of a book-length novel or memoir, we suggest ordering a book and manuscript critique instead.) You are welcome to include up to 3 questions to be addressed within your critique.

It is acceptable to leave identifying information in your document. We will keep your submission private, and we will provide your critique for your personal use (i.e. please don't publish our critique without our permission).

Our goal is not to judge your work or provide an overall assessment. Instead, we offer a supportive critical eye to writers mid-project who want advice on making their next draft better. We'll highlight specific qualities to focus on in revisions, with suggested techniques, methods, or exercises for improving those qualities. We'll also offer comments on individual lines with quick fixes and new options, and questions that will help you view your piece in a new light. Our comments will be straightforward and specific to you. View sample critiques: prose and poetry.

You can expect a thorough and detailed response to your draft that addresses content, structure, pacing, style, diction, development and more according to genre-specific considerations. We will also provide suggestions and recommendations. As needed, we will include links to resources and suggest exercises.

Please allow up to six weeks for us to complete your critique.

Price: $90. Your satisfaction is guaranteed. If our critique does not deliver value for you, you can request a prompt refund from adam@winningwriters.com.

Winning Writers has engaged contest judge and literary scholar Annie Mydla to manage our critique service for your books and manuscripts, published or unpublished, that have up to 200,000 words. Annie has read thousands of self-published books in her work as assistant judge for our North Street Book Prize. She is also a published literary scholar whose works can be found in Avant Literary Journal, Joseph Conrad Today, and most recently in the international journal Świat i Słowo ("World and Word"). Annie is assisted by Paweł Zagawa, Ewa Stachyra, and Cheryl Fish.

You can view a sample critique here, and read insights about what makes a prizewinning book in Annie's guest blog post for the Alliance of Independent Authors.

Our critique service is best for manuscripts that:

• Are written with commercial intent (finding an agent, finding a publisher, maximizing sales in a self- or hybrid-publishing context)
• Feel "stuck" or lack direction
• Are over or under the recommended wordcount for the genre
• Keep getting rejected, but it's not clear what to do about it
• Lack a distinct genre or intended audience
• Might contain dated, cliché, or exploitative content, which the author wants help in identifying and removing

This service is not recommended for manuscripts that:

• Were written primarily to serve the author on a personal basis (i.e., to process emotions and memories, to serve as a family record, or to provide an artistic outlet without commercial intent)
• Already feel finished to the author (the author has no desire to make substantial changes in a future draft)

Please submit a digital copy of your work. You may upload it as two files if your book and cover are separate files. It is acceptable to leave identifying information on your documents. We will keep your submission private, and we will provide your critique for your personal use (i.e. please don't publish our critique without our permission).

You can expect your critique to be 1,500-3,000 words long. It will include the following sections as relevant:

1. Critique summary
2. Structure and content (character, plot, theme, setting, internal consistency, structure, pacing, use of exploitative tropes)
3. Use of language (register, tone, tonal consistency, literary devices, artistic style, imagery, sense of mastery, relation to themes)
4. Technical execution (layout, spelling and grammar, technical consistency, technical quality of any illustrations, font, accessibility)
5. Recommendations and conclusion
6. Exercises to unlock creativity

You may also submit up to 3 specific questions to be answered within the critique.

We seek to provide perspectives that will provoke new ideas and directions for future drafts. Please allow six weeks for your critique to be completed. After delivery, we will welcome one round of follow-up questions from you.

Price: $240. Your satisfaction is guaranteed. If our critique does not deliver value for you, you can request a prompt refund from adam@winningwriters.com

Customers say:

"I can't recommend this service enough. Annie's understanding of literature is truly impressive, and I was amazed at how much time and thoughtfulness she invested in my project. She took the trouble to understand who I am, why I want to write this book, and what kinds of skills and deficits I bring. And then she tailored her feedback and advice accordingly... I feel not only read but seen, not only helped but inspired. I highly recommend 'upgrading' to include a Zoom call with Annie...it meant that the ten-page final critique Annie delivered not only addressed exactly the questions I wanted answered, but also built in very helpful ways on what was already a very substantive conversation." -Sigrid Schmalzer
 

Submit a self-published or hybrid-published book in one of the following categories, up to 200,000 words in length:

• Mainstream/Literary Fiction
• Genre Fiction (e.g. romance, mystery, thriller, young adult, science fiction, fantasy, historical fiction, etc.)
• Creative Nonfiction & Memoir (This category includes books that tell a true story with the kind of narrative arc and literary techniques one would find in a novel or a short story collection. This can include memoirs, personal essay collections, or narrative nonfiction. Biographies and journalistic works might be eligible if they read like a novel and are written for a general audience. Not sure if you're eligible? Please email us.)
• Poetry
• Children's Picture Book
• Middle Grade
• Graphic Novel & Memoir
• Art Book (primarily reproductions of your own art or photography)
• Not currently accepted: books by deceased authors, anthologies with 3+ authors, history, self-help, how-to, business instruction, reference, cookbooks, education, travel guides, political tracts, philosophy, inspirational guides, religious instruction, screenplays, translations of the work of other people, or books for an academic audience. We are open to narratives with political or spiritual themes, but not books whose main goal is to stake out a position and persuade readers to adopt it.

PRIZES

• ONE GRAND PRIZE WINNER WILL RECEIVE $10,000, a marketing analysis and one-hour phone consultation with Carolyn Howard-Johnson, a $500 credit at BookBaby, two blurbs from published authors as part of the Atmosphere Press Blurb Matchmaking program, a public author interview at atmospherepress.com, free lodging at the Atmosphere Press oceanside condo in Playa Flamingo, Costa Rica, free developmental editing, copy editing, and proofreading from Gatekeeper Press, three months of Pro service (a $207 value) and a $250 account credit from Book Award Pro, a book cover consultation from Laura Duffy Design (a $1,100 value, can be assigned to a future book), and 3 free ads in the Winning Writers newsletter (a $525 value)
• THE TOP WINNER IN EACH CATEGORY WILL RECEIVE $1,000, a marketing analysis and one-hour phone consultation with Carolyn Howard-Johnson, a $300 credit at BookBaby, a public author interview at atmospherepress.com, 50% off developmental editing, copy editing, and proofreading from Gatekeeper Press, three months of Pro service from Book Award Pro (a $207 value), design for a custom merchandise item based on the winner's book cover from Laura Duffy Design, and one free ad in the Winning Writers newsletter (a $175 value); the winning children's picture book author will also receive a phone consultation from April Cox at Self-Publishing Made Simple (a $289 value) and access to Authorpreneur Summit sessions (an $89 value)
• ONE HONORABLE MENTION IN EACH CATEGORY WILL RECEIVE $500 and three months of Pro service from Book Award Pro (a $207 value); the honorable mention children's picture book author will also receive a phone consultation from April Cox at Self-Publishing Made Simple (a $289 value) and access to Authorpreneur Summit sessions (an $89 value)
• Finalists will receive a free, full-length private critique from Winning Writers (value: $90-$240)
• We will publish online excerpts from all entries that win a prize, along with critiques from the judges
• Final judge: Jendi Reiter

ENTRY FEE

• $85 per book (a one-time charge; you will not be signed up for any recurring subscriptions; your payment information will not be given to our co-sponsors)

CRITIQUE OPTION

• At checkout, you can request a full private critique of your book at a discounted rate. We will consider your whole book as a package, including visual elements like the layout, formatting, and the cover.

 ALL CONTESTANTS RECEIVE

• All entrants who submit online via Submittable can choose to receive a brief commentary from one of the judges (5-10 sentences) at no charge
• 27 Career-Building Tips for Writers That Actually Work by Carolyn Howard-Johnson (a PDF book created especially for North Street contestants)
• Free guides to successful publishing from BookBaby
• The Famed Atmosphere Press Book Promotional Guide (PDF)
• 20% off editorial services at Gatekeeper Press
• Three months' free subscription to Book Award Pro (Essentials tier, a $57 value), so you can find more great contests for your book
• A free mini-course, "An Introduction to Self-Publishing", at Self-Publishing Made Simple
• A free guide to the book cover design process by professional designer Laura Duffy, with examples of successful book covers (PDF)

Any year of publication is acceptable. Please choose only one category for your book. You may submit a collection of short stories or essays as a single entry. You may submit multiple books (one at a time). For books with more than two authors, please email Winning Writers to determine eligibility. All themes are welcome except works portraying pedophilia, bestiality, necrophilia, and/or snuff as acceptable sexual practices. No restriction on age of author. All countries eligible except Syria, Iran, North Korea, Crimea, Russia, and Belarus (due to US government restrictions).

First time entering? We prepared this brief video to guide you. See also our FAQ and short entry checklist.

The contest accepts self-published and hybrid-published books. A self-published book is one where the decision to publish the book was the author's alone, the transaction involved the author paying any upfront costs for services, and the book is currently available for viewing and/or purchase. This includes books created through e-publishers (e.g. Amazon self-publishing, BookBaby, CreateSpace), book printers, and vanity presses. Books from hybrid publishers like Atmosphere Press and She Writes Press are eligible as long as the author paid half the costs of publication or more.

> PREFER TO ENTER BY MAIL?

If you wish to submit your book and entry fee by postal mail, please do not use this online submission form. Instead, please make your US$85 entry fee payable to Winning Writers and mail with your entry to:

              Winning Writers
              Attn: North Street Book Prize
              351 Pleasant Street Suite B PMB 222
              Northampton, MA 01060-3998
              USA

Include your full name, mailing address, phone number, and email address with your entry. Please also indicate the category for your entry. Only one copy of your book is needed. We accept checks and money orders drawn on US financial institutions and the US Postal Service. US currency is acceptable. You may also send your fee via PayPal to adam@winningwriters.com. Please postmark your entry by July 1.

Please note that feedback will only be provided for entries submitted via Submittable, and not those entries submitted by mail.

If you would like us to return your book at the conclusion of the contest, please request this at the time of your entry and enclose an extra $10 for postage and handling.

Submit poems on any theme, up to 250 lines each. We will award the Tom Howard Prize of $3,500 for a poem in any style or genre, and the Margaret Reid Prize of $3,500 for a poem that rhymes or has a traditional style. Ten Honorable Mentions will receive $500 each (any style). The top 12 entries will be published online. Final judge: Michal 'MJ' Jones. This contest is proudly co-sponsored by Duotrope, which will award two-year gift certificates to the top two winners, a $100 value.

You may submit published or unpublished work. Each submission may contain up to three poems. You may make multiple submissions. Please omit your name from your entries. We prefer 12-point type or larger. Please avoid fancy, hard-to-read fonts. No restriction on age of author. All countries eligible except Syria, Iran, North Korea, Crimea, Russia, and Belarus (due to US government restrictions).

For the purpose of the Margaret Reid Prize, a poem in a traditional style employs regular meter and/or rhyme, or is written in a recognized poetic form. This includes traditional Western forms such as ballads, sonnets, and blank verse, Asian forms such as tanka and haiku, and other traditional forms.

First time entering? We prepared this brief video to guide you. See also our short entry checklist.

Entry fee: $25 for each submission of 1-3 poems.