manuscript consultations
Ready for another set of eyes on your fiction or memoir project? I offer manuscript critique services, and would love to help you ready your book or story for the next steps.
What I Do: Take a big-picture look at your book, examining the overall story and the pieces that make up the whole. I assess narrative flow, consistency of style, and believability of characters and situations, while noting how it feels as a reader to move through your book. If I get lost, bored, happy, thrilled, confused at any point, I’ll let you know, good or bad, and make suggestions on how you might shift your manuscript to address issues.
What You’ll Get: Margin comments as well as an editorial letter of at least two pages (one if a short story).
What I Don’t Do: Line-editing or proofreading. I do work with an excellent copyeditor who offers each of these services in partnership with me. Just ask!
Genres: I’m an eager reader in most fiction genres, but as an editor don’t tackle sci-fi or fantasy projects. I know an editor who does – just ask!
How much? I charge $40 an hour, except the first hour, which I offer for $20. An hour offers me a chance to make sure your manuscript and I are a good fit, and lets you see what kind of work I can do in an hour.
Get in touch: susanna.baird@gmail.com, subject line “Manuscript”
Learn more about me here.
Testimonials
Susanna has improved a number of my books through her intelligent reading and her insightful comments and suggestions. She is remarkable.
Jim DeFilippi, The Juice Kittens,
Descape, and The Big Lulu Book
Incisive and insightful, Susanna's editorial advice will make you a better writer, period.
Tammy Inman, Martian Trump,
Twitterati Cryptograms: 350 Snarky Ciphers for Social Media Junkies,
and Wintersweet: Seasonal Desserts to Warm the Home
Much more than a great copy-editor, Susanna Baird is the complete package: a gifted writer and storyteller with outstanding instincts for story. On many occasions when I felt that "something" was not working in my writing, Susanna could pinpoint the passage and suggest the missing ingredient that brought it all into harmony.