2022 PROFESSIONAL CRITIQUES by THE PICTURE BOOK MECHANIC

UPDATED JANUARY 2022

NOTE: Please e-mail ThePictureBookMechanic@Gmail.com with any and all Inquiries. 

Thank You! 

*PROFESSIONAL CRITIQUES* 
available from a traditionally-published, multi-published Picture Book Author and Editor
in both fiction, non-fiction and rhyme. 

Lynne Marie is the author of Hedgehog Goes to Kindergarten - illustrated by Anne Kennedy (Scholastic, 2011), Hedgehog's 100th Day of School – illustrated by Lorna Hussey (Scholastic, January 2017), The Star of the Christmas Play -- illustrated by Lorna Hussey (Beaming Books, 2018), Moldilocks and the 3 Scares -- illustrated by David Rodriguez Lorenzo (Sterling, 2019) and Let’s Eat: Mealtimes Around the World -- illustrated by Parwinder Singh (Beaming Books, 2019), The Three Little Pigs and the Rocket Project (Mac and Cheese Press, 2021), American Pie (Dancing Flamingo Press, 2022) and others, forthcoming.

Lynne Marie is a contributor to Family Fun's Games on the Go (Hyperion, 1998).

She's published magazine articles, stories, poems and crafts with 

Highlights for Children, Highlights High Five, Highlights Hello, 

Baby Bug, Spider Magazine, Family Fun, 

Writer's Digest, Writer's Journal and more. 

She's been professional book reviewer for book review journals 

like Riverbank Review and KLIATT.

Lynne Marie is a member of SCBWI Florida (and has been on SCBWI Florida Boot Camp, Workshop and Critique Faculty).

She's the Spotlight Feature Columnist for Children's Book Insider since 2017,

a 12 x 12 Critique Ninja (2018, 2019, 2020 and part of 2021),

the Owner of RateYourStory.org since late 2020, as well as

a Rate Your Story Judge (2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022.)

and Children's Book Academy Assistant in 2019 and 2020.

She was a Cybils Elementary / Middle Grade Non-Fiction First Round Judge for 2018 and

currently, Picture Book First Round Judge for 2016, 2017, 2019, 2020, and 2021.

Notably, she was a remote intern for a NYC Literary Agency in 2020

and an Editor for a small press in 2021/2022.

An extensive resume can be provided upon request.

When she's not traveling around the world for her job as a Travel Agent with Pixie Vacations, she lives on a lake in South Florida with her family, a Schipperke named Anakin and several resident water birds. You can learn more about her at www.LiterallyLynneMarie.com.

Ask About FREE Critiques and Mentoring as Vacation Package Perks!

REMEMBER, PLEASE E-MAIL ANY QUESTIONS TO:

ThePictureBookMechanic@gmail.com

*.*.*.*.*.*.*

PLEASE READ THIS POST IN ITS ENTIRETY.

Pricing is SUBJECT TO CHANGE, so take advantage by purchasing critique packages, which will price protect you. These can be purchased now and used now OR in the future (see expiration date following).

Any unused Critiques (not Mentoring Packages) purchased in a particular year expire on NOVEMBER 30th of that year (no exceptions) and will not carry into the new year. Please send in critique requests by this date. I apologize for this, but I get slammed with way too many at the end of the year.

Please note: NEW Critique PURCHASE Requests may be sent *ANYTIME* of course, but a quick turnaround is not guaranteed (without pre-approval and rush fees) as far as return dates in December.

TERMS: Payment must be received prior to services rendered, in the form of 

Venmo (@Lynne-Marie-1) 

        www.venmo.com/Lynne-Marie-1

Zelle (LiterallyLynneMarie@gmail.com)

Friends and Family Paypal OR Paypal with Fees 

(ThePictureBookMechanic@Gmail.com) 

paypal.me/LiterallyLynneMarie

Your receipt will come from Little Wolf Literary, LLC.

PLEASE NOTE: If you send the wrong amount by sending Paypal Goods and Services without adding on the Extra Fees, you will need to send a 2nd amount to correct the amount. So please be careful when sending. Either FRIENDS AND FAMILY or PAYPAL FOR GOODS AND SERVICES PLUS FEES (which I believe are around .40 plus 3.0% per transaction). Here is a Paypal Fee Calculator to figure it out:

PayPal Fee Calculator | Salecalc.com

Once you have decided upon your purchase, please pay and then send me an e-mail with the date you made payment, price you paid, the address the payment came from, the method of payment and the components of the package. It is important that you do this. Thank you.

FICTION PICTURE BOOK MANUSCRIPT CRITIQUE
COST: $65.00 per picture book (Full Manuscript up to 750 Words) - See below for *over-the-limit* fees. This includes full line edits plus overall big picture comments. It does not include a query letter, or pitch unless you pay for one as an add-on feature.

NOTE: You can buy more than one of these and get a discount if you PRE-PAY at the time of your first order. For example, $250.00 will get you four (4) Picture Book Critiques on account.

OVER THE LIMIT FEES -- 

See "Word Count." Manuscripts up to 750 Words. Send in an additional payment if your manuscript goes over the limit. There is a $7.50 surcharge for the first block of up to 150 additional words and $10 for the additional blocks. This is because picture books should not come in at 900-1000 words, and if they do, there is usually much more wrong that word count and the critique will take a great deal more of my time.

SPECIAL OFFER: A LOOK AND A BOOK!

ADD $16 to your Critique/Package and get 

LET'S EAT! MEALTIME AROUND THE WORLD 

in Hardcover. Add $9 for Kindle Version. 

ADD $11 to your Critique/Package and get 

MOLDILOCKS AND THE THREE SCARES 

in Hardcover. Add $9 for Kindle Version. 

ADD $11 to your Critique/Package and get 

THE STAR IN THE CHRISTMAS PLAY 

in Hardcover. Add $10 for Kindle Version. 

Add $14 to your Critique/Package and get

THE THREE LITTLE PIGS AND THE ROCKET PROJECT

in Reinforced Softcover. Add $7 for Kindle Version.

Hardcopies mailed direct from Amazon. Please provide Shipping Address. 

PLEASE BE AWARE OF "OVER THE LIMIT" FEES -- Manuscripts up to 700 Words. Send in an additional payment if your manuscript goes over the limit. There is a $7.50 surcharge for the first block of up to 150 additional words and $10 for the additional blocks. This is because picture books should not come in at 900-1000 words, and if they do, there is usually much more wrong that word count and the critique will take a great deal more of my time.

NON-FICTION PICTURE BOOK MANUSCRIPT CRITIQUE

COST: $67.50 per picture book (Full Manuscript up to 700 Words) - See below for *over-the-limit* fees. This does not include pitch unless you pay for one...

NOTE: You can buy more than one of these and get a discount if you PRE-PAY at the time of your first order. For example, $260.00 will get you four (4) Non-Fiction Picture Book Critiques on account.

See "Over the Limit" Fees Above, if any. 

PICTURE BOOK MANUSCRIPT CRITIQUE with 20 MIN PHONE CONSULT

COST: $70.00 per picture book

NOTE: You can purchase four (4) of these and get a discount if you PRE-PAY at the time of your first order. For example, $270.00 will get you four (4) Picture Book Critiques with 20 Min Phone Consultations. Additional time can be added at $7.50/15 Mins or $15/Half Hour.

See "Over the Limit" Fees Above, if any. 

PICTURE BOOK MANUSCRIPT CRITIQUE / 30 MIN. CONSULTATION

COST: $75.00 per picture book

NOTE: You can purchase four (4) of these and get a discount if you PRE-PAY at the time of your first order. For example, $290.00 will get you FOUR (4) Picture Book Critique / Consultations with 30 Min Phone Consultations on account. Additional time can be added. Additional time can be added at $7.50/15 Mins or $15/Half Hour.

See "Over the Limit" Fees Above, if any. 

BIG PICTURE CRITIQUE:

COST: $35.00 per picture book

(NEW OPTION) TWICE AS NICE RHYMED PICTURE BOOK MANUSCRIPT CRITIQUE
COST: $100 per picture book

Your rhyming manuscript will be critiqued by Lynne Marie (PB in rhyme TBA) and Brenda Reeves Sturgis (10 Turkeys in the Road, The Lake Where Loon Lives, etc.) and will be reviewed both line by line with regard to story, line by line with regard to rhyme, and big picture comments. Brenda's book, Still A Family, was recently featured on PBS [https://www.brendareevessturgis.com/]

See "Over the Limit" Fees Above, if any. 

CRITIQUE & FOLLOW-UP PACKAGE & ADD-ON FOLLOW-UP CRITIQUES:
COST: $112.50 for One Critique and One Revision Critique on the same manuscript, when Purchased TOGETHER. Follow-up critique on revisions, if not pre-purchased, will be $60.00, unless quoted otherwise (if there were only a certain # of issues in the first manuscript). Due to the nature of revisions, it often takes just as long to critique revisions when the manuscripts are newer, or have many concerns. Sometimes it takes a few passes to get the manuscript submission ready. 

See "Over the Limit" Fees Above, if any. 

ADD-ON PAGINATION:
COST: $10 for 32 Page MS
COST: $12.50 FOR 40 Page MS

PLEASE NOTE - This is highly recommended for 1st time Critiques as it is an invaluable tool for finding the holes in your manuscripts and checking pacing, flow, viability of spreads and page turns.

ADD-ON RATING:
COST: $5
A 10-1 (10 being needs a lot of work, 1 being ready to send) Rating of your Manuscript with a one-two sentence explanation.

ADD-ON BACK MATTER:
COST: See Over the Limit Fees and add your manuscript word count to your back matter. 

COVER LETTERS: This includes entire Letter (Pitch, Marketing Paragraph and Bio).
COST: $20.00
Cover Letters, as an Add-on, will be $17.00

PITCHES:
COST: $12.00
Pitches will be $10.00 as an Add-On.

PHONE CONSULTATIONS (Manuscript Consultations / Agent Consultations):
COST: $17.50
Stand alone consultation for 1/2 hour.
COST: $35
Stand alone consultation for 1 hour.

$15.00, as an add-on after a critique, we will pull up the manuscript and discuss for 1/2 hour. Special rate $30 for the hour. Regularly $35.

"HONE-YOUR-PITCH" TELEPHONE SESSION:
COST: $10.00
Each "stand-alone" session will be 10 minutes via telephone. As an Add-on, this will be $8.00.

BIO and/or ADD-ON BIO:
I will edit your bio for your query letter for an additional $10.00 charge. As an Add-on, this will be $8.00.

Or get entire cover letter critiqued -- see pricing above. 

EDITOR OR AGENT COMMENT / PRIOR MANUSCRIPT REVIEW:
I am happy to review Editor or Agent Comments for $15.00 per manuscript. 

CRITIQUE OF REVISIONS FOR SUBMISSION TO AN EDITOR/AGENT:
These critiques are billable at $40.00 per hour, with a minimum deposit of $80.00 which includes 2 hours and Editor/Agent Comments review ($10), payable in advance of services rendered.

MENTORING:
Telephone Mentoring runs $30.00 per hour. 

Video Chat Mentoring runs $35.00 per hour.

*NEW OPTION* For only $5 Extra I will record our session and send you the recording!

FOR MENTORING PACKAGES: Time statements will be kept in a google doc and shared with client. For 1 manuscript, there is a deposit of $150.00. For more than one manuscript, there is a deposit required of $275.00. Ask about my Mentoring Packages. 

COMPARISION OF CRITIQUE TO PRIOR CRITIQUE:
If you wish me to critique a manuscript and compare it to a prior critique, this is a $15 Upcharge. 

CUSTOM PACKAGE:
I am happy to make up a custom package to try and accommodate your needs.

Please feel contact me to check in and see if the sale is still valid, and/or for regular rates on pitches, cover letters, picture book manuscripts, chapter books and MORE.

PLEASE NOTE THAT ALL RATES ARE NON-REFUNDABLE. UNUSED FUNDS, IF ANY

MAY BE APPLIED TOWARD ANOTHER PACKAGE IN THE SAME YEAR. 

TURNAROUND TIME:
Please note that while I strive in every way to get your manuscript back as quick as possible, due to popular demand and affordable pricing, I have quite a queue. Please know that I will do my best to get to your manuscript as soon as possible and turnaround time is now estimated at 10 business days.

Should you want or expect a quicker turn around time, please add the following Rush Fees to your order:

RUSH FEE(S): For Guaranteed Turnaround (Picture Books)
If you require a same-day turnaround, there will be a $30 rush surcharge added to your order. If you require a one-day turnaround, there will be a $25 rush surcharge added to your order. For a two-day turnaround, there will be a $20 rush surcharge, and $15 for a three-day guaranteed turnaround.

Of course, these require pre-approval before payment of fees.

PLEASE NOTE: Since I have a full schedule and need to schedule these things into my day, SAME DAY is 24 hours from payment. 1 Day is basically anytime the next day after payment date, 2 Day is anytime in the next two days after payment date and so on. Thanks for your understanding. 

WHAT'S INCLUDED:

For these rates you will receive a multi-level, line-by-line critique which discusses several aspects of writing a story (beginning, inciting event, characterization, motivation, stakes, character flaw, attempts at solving the problem, deep dark moment, renewal, ending and take-away value, IN ADDITION to title, word choice, poetic devices, sentence length, point of view, syntax, etc.). Sometimes, I am able share comp titles. PLEASE note if your manuscript requires a lot of work, we can only focus on first things first. In that case, I recommend repeat critiques to get the manuscript submission ready.

UPDATE: I am pleased to report that a # of my clients were recipients of *Writing with the Stars* Mentorships and *PBParty* Finalists and others have recently signed with Agents and gotten book deals. So proud and happy to be a part of their journey! 

Here is what current clients have said recently:

[Added 8/31/20] "Lynne Marie's detailed critiques helped me take my work to the next level. 

She is a wealth of knowledge and also offered invaluable marketing and industry advice. 

I highly recommend her services!" 

Charlotte Offsay, Author of THE BIG BEACH CLEANUP (Albert Whitman, Spring 2021) and 

HOW TO RETURN YOUR MONSTER (Beaming Books, Fall 2021)

Thank you so much for your generous feedback! You are a genius.

I can’t wait to sit down today to incorporate your revisions. I feel one step closer to getting an agent.

I just need to revise my ms a little more and I’ll be ready to submit. 

I can’t thank you enough for your time and help. It means the world to me. S. 12/2019

12/2019 - "Lynne Marie provided an incredibly thorough critique of my picture book manuscript. I could tell she put a lot of thought into her comments and her revision suggestions were very helpful. I will definitely be using her services again." MA Blair

9/19 “Lynne Marie is a wealth of knowledge when it comes to the world of children’s literature, and she has the experience to back it up. She has the ability to zone in on the potential problems in your manuscript, and helps you find solutions. I resonated with her feedback, and feel it will ultimately help bring my book to the next level. I would highly recommend her consulting and mentoring services. Her critiques are easy to digest, and extremely affordable!”

-Lydia Lukidis, author

*New* I wanted to thank you again for your insightful comments. You really have great suggestions and are able to pinpoint the problems. Thanks so much. KB

*NEW* Thank you so much for these detailed and extremely helpful edits. I can't wait to dive back in and use all of your suggestions. KD

*NEW* Thank you, Lynne! I'm so grateful for your help with several of my stories. I think your two recent critiques in particular helped me catch the interest of agents! B.S. 

*NEW* What amazes me about you is not only that you send the critiques out so quickly (you must have racing stripes on your red pen), but also that the quality of your critiques are so good. Your fee is darn reasonable, too. J.S.

You are efficient! Thank you so much for your very helpful, speedy feedback! That was one of the most thorough critiques I've ever received. 

I want to say thank you for your critique of my story. I’ve had a chance to review it a few times and your notes and suggestions will be extremely helpful for my revision. I obviously have a lot of work still to do on this story, but I want to continue to develop it into, hopefully a polished manuscript for submission. Your thoughtful and detailed critique has set me in the right direction.

You don't know how much joy you brought me when I saw your critique and that is priceless. Thank you for continuing to motivate me as a fellow writer. Alicia Minor.

Thank you so much, Lynne. Your insights on both of these pieces are incredible. You've given me a LOT to think about and I'm excited to tackle the revisions. Very much appreciated!

Many thanks for the detailed critique! I have already incorporated many of your changes and ideas.

Lynne Marie has been a critique partner for years. She has great insight into what makes a picture book work. And this is a bargain price— buy five! Sherry Hyberger Howard

Many thanks, again, for this extremely insightful and helpful critique! I can't wait to work on revisions.

Wow, you are awesome! I absolutely love the way you’ve commented throughout the document and your insights are just what I need.

Thank you so much and when I get back to revising this story, I’ll have all your suggestions to get me through.

I have never learned so much from someone's critiques as I have from yours. You make me see things so much clearer. They have been thoughtful and honest. You have no clue how much you are teaching me. Thank you SO much. I didn’t know what to expect with my first critique, but Lynne Marie made the entire process painless and enjoyable! My manuscript took so many necessary turns and twists that I didn’t even know I needed! Andrea Jaimes

Wow, you are awesome! I absolutely love the way you’ve commented throughout the document and your insights are just what I need.

Oh, my goodness! You are wonderful! You were so thorough and exceeded my expectations. It is quite evident that you spent some time on the critique. I would love for you to critique the revision and will get back to you once I feel it is ready. Thank you so much! C.L.M. 

Thank you so much and when I get back to revising this story, I’ll have all your suggestions to get me through. K. 

 Thank you for your incredibly helpful feedback!  You have given me a lot to think about.

Man I learned so much. Truly grateful for all the insights! PM

Thank you for making a difference in my life and work. Devon Kondaki. 

Feel free to contact me for more testimonials. 

ARE YOU A TRAVELLER *AND* A WRITER? WANT A CRITIQUE X 2 FOR FREE?
For a limited time, if you book a Vacation Package through me as a Travel Agent @PixieVacations.com, I will give you two (2) picture book manuscript critiques of up to 750 words PLUS two (2) 15 minute telephone consultations. Details: Offers available upon final payment and only on packages which are non-refundable or have insurance. Not combinable with other Pixie Perks like Cruise Line Door Decorations, Onboard Credits or Gift Cards.