QUALIFICATIONS:
Marisa Montes is a multi-award-winning author. Her books have won the ALA Pura Belpré gold and silver medals, the Tomás Rivera Award, the Willa Literary Award, as well as many other honors. She has been a member of SCBWI since 1987, and has published over 12 children's books. Formerly an attorney, Marisa worked for ten years as a legal writer and editor at a publisher of law books. As a legal editor, she learned to spot strengths and weakness in organization, grammar, sentence and paragraph structure, and clarity, accuracy, and precision of expression. She has over 25 years of editing and critiquing experience. Her versatility has allowed her to write and edit law books, computer books, and children's books. The genres of her children's books include picture books (rhyming, prose, and folklore), middle grade and young adult mystery, suspense, horror, fantasy, humor, and realistic fiction.
CRITIQUE PROCESS:
All manuscripts must be accompanied by the appropriate fees and a postage-paid return envelope (SASE) to avoid delays.
If your manuscript shows potential as a publishable work, you will receive a written report about its strengths and weaknesses and suggestions for revision. If it appears your work is not publishable in its present form, you will receive a letter to that effect with an explanation. The letter will also offer editorial help as a means to improve your work rather than to sell your manuscript.
Please note:
THERE ARE NO GUARANTEES THAT THE CRITIQUE OFFERED WILL HELP SELL YOUR MANUSCRIPT. It can only help guide you toward a PUBLISHABLE work.
Your reply and edited manuscript will be returned to you within 3 to 4 weeks on picture books and 6 to 8 weeks on longer works.
FORMAT FOR SUBMITTING YOUR MANUSCRIPT:
All manuscripts must be typed in at least 12-point type, double-spaced, with standard margins (at least one-inch all around). Type on one side of the page only, and do not bind the pages in any way. Indicate the number of words to the nearest hundred on the first page of the manuscript.
Do NOT send illustrations or dummy books.
If you're interested in a critique, please click here to obtain listing on my schedule.
FEES:
PICTURE BOOKS &
SHORT FICTION OR POETRY
(up to 10 pages):
$50 per manuscript up to 3 pages or 800 words.
$75 per manuscript up to 5 pages or 1,250 words.
If over 5 pages, add $5 per page for pages 6 through 10.
$100 per stories written in rhyme up to 4 pages or 1,000 words, max.
(A standard page equals 250 words.)
NOVELS &
LONGER FICTION
(up to 300 pages):
• $100 per manuscript, plus:
• $2.50 per page for pages 11 to 200;
• $3.50 per page for pages 201 to 300.
Only completed manuscripts will be accepted for evaluation.
Revisions will be read at a 10% reduced fee.
EDITORIAL DIRECTION,
PUBLISHING CONSULTATION &
TELEPHONE CONSULTATION
From $125 per hour.
Fees valid through 1/01/2011