Manuscript consultations

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If you have a novel, memoir, short story collection, or other book project you’re working on, consider signing up for one of our manuscript consultations. This service is ideal if you haven’t started writing yet and need help developing your plot, characters, narrative direction, etc., or if you have a polished draft and need help figuring out how to bring your project to the next level. We also review standalone short stories, essays, etc.

The details

For full manuscripts we charge $900 for a developmental edit (no line notes) and $1300 for a developmental edit plus line edits, for up to 80,000 words. (contact us for rates on longer manuscripts). These services include a one-hour call with your editor to go over feedback and brainstorm ideas.

For standalone short stories and essays, we charge on an hourly basis of $85/hour. We can usually review a short story or essay (up to 20 pages) in an hour and give feedback to an author within another hour.

Our turnaround time for full manuscript review is usually three to four weeks, and our turnaround time for standalone short stories or essays is typically two weeks.

MFA APPLication prep

Prepare for your MFA application with help from a seasoned professional. We know how competitive MFA programs can be and we want to help you make your application stand out. We’ll work with you to fine tune your personal statement, provide a critical reading of your manuscript, and answer any questions you have about the process. 

Our MFA consultation package costs $325 and includes*:

  • A thorough critique of work sample (up to 25 pages)

  • A line edit of 1 personal statement (up to 700 words)

  • One meeting to discuss revisions and application process

*Prices may vary if word count is significantly longer. Please contact us for more information. 

want to sign up for manuscript consultation? get in touch!

“I am working on an autobiographical novel that I originally conceived of as a memoir. I was feeling uncertain about some of the story decisions that lay before me, so, I shared a detailed outline of my manuscript with Emily. I found her feedback to be immensely helpful. She offered words of encouragement as well as concrete suggestions for improvement. If you are stuck on an idea and/or you are in need of a push to keep writing, I highly recommend Redbud’s manuscript consultation services.”
— K.U.