Is this a good present?

[buddhasbelly]

Looking for feedback from the creative writers of mumsnet please!

Partner started writing his first book a couple of months ago - I’m really enjoying reading it but I’m a bit rubbish at critical feedback.

I was looking at him a manuscript assessment voucher for his first 10,000 words for Christmas. Have looked at The Literary Consultancy site and Faber Academy.

Would you as a creative writer want this as a present?

We’re trying to cut down on random crap presents so would prefer to get him one bigger present that actually has a use for him and this seemed to fit the bill.

Any thoughts gratefully received!

how much is it?

and have you looked very carefully at the credentials and reviews?

Thanks for answering Between £225 and £280 - the Literacy Consultancy site seems pretty good in terms of reviews and support but this area is completely new to me https://literaryconsultancy.co.uk/editorial-services/manuscript-assessment/

I have no idea how much this type of thing would usually cost so don’t want something “on the cheap” from fiverr but maybe this site is also “on the cheap!”

I was also looking at Cornerstones - I’m struggling to find a company that is actually a good service (thank you re checking reviews etc) and not just taking money.

don’t do it op
will be a waste

Thanks @bitchatty for the honest feedback - I did wonder if they’re a bit of a con.

what the hell else do I buy this man 😭

Does he want his work professionally critiqued? It's a big thing to put your writing out there and if he's not ready it could end up being a colossal waste of money for you. I'd sound him out first to see if it's something he's thought about.

If it is, there are other organisations like Jericho Writers and Curtis Brown Creative that do similar.

That's simply not true. There are lots of now published authors who did Faber and CBC courses and had m/s appraisals when starting out – Jane Harper, Harriet Tyce, Bonnie Gamus are just a few.

Thanks @Bookworm1111 yes he wants it professionally critiqued further down the line and works well towards milestones hence getting him a voucher I thought gave him a target to go for.

He’s been working in the journalism field for 20 odd years; it’s not writing as a new hobby that he’ll lose interest in. We’re just now in a position where he can spend more time on it.

He has one beta reader in the family that will read but the genre isn’t their specialism. To me the benefit of getting a voucher for this is that he would then be matched with someone who specialises in that genre but I might be totally wrong as to how this works as it’s not my bag at all.

a course yes

but this isn’t a course

if he been in journalism for 20 years - i’d share with colleagues for their thoughts tbh

Will it critique style or content? Plot development, characterisation, dialogue, ‘involvement’ could al be usefully critiqued ( even if it is just to say ‘terrific’). Content might be more problematic, as there does seem to be a preferred stance in a lot of fiction atm.

If he’s already a professional writer I say go for it. A good in-depth critique will show him if he’s on the right page, so to speak. As a minimum a decent appraisal should cover structure, POV, characterisation, pace, overall plot and style, so make sure you book one that offers those.

I've paid for feedback from Cornerstones several times, and it's very variable. But I would say it's far too soon for him to be getting feedback from a professional editor. If you want to give something writing-related, how about a notebook with good quality paper? Or a course relating to the genre he's writing in? I rate The Novelry, fwiw.

Thanks everyone really useful feedback.

I ended up speaking to him about it and course option was preferred but agreed no vouchers as he’ll need to speak to the person to see they’re a fit.

going to instead get him a wee voucher for an overnight stay somewhere fairly local so that when he has a couple of days off and wants to spend time focused on writing he can book himself a stay away from everything/one aka me and the dog!

I am a literary consultant and can promise it's not a waste of money. My clients send me unwieldy, unpublishable drafts and we work together on crafting and editing to produce books that secure agents and mainstream deals. (I'm not touting for business - I have plenty.) Not everyone gets a deal of course - I can't guarantee market trends and agents/publishers' taste, nor can I always help a novice reach professional level on their first attempt (though I have on a number of occasions.) But even those who don't end up with an agent or book deal come away with a far clearer idea of how to craft a story and balance the inner and outer lives of their characters.

Imo, some consultancy firms are better than others (I work freelance and am not in any way affiliated to any of the ones I am suggesting). I am not impressed by Cornerstones - I know too many people who received very generic feedback from them. TLC has a good reputation. Jericho Writers seems good and they do a superb self-editing course with a high success track record of clients getting deals. That might be worth looking at, rather than a consultancy on part of a script, but it is around £900!

Ime, the first 30% of any book is the easiest part to write - the set up is clear, the characters still fresh. Scripts are more liable to come unstuck in the middle, so maybe look for a consultant who will work on plot development. He may not need help with the opening scenes as much as guidance on how to expand them and keep the focus on track as the novel lengthens and progresses.

As PP have said, look for a consultant who has a strong track record of success, who is a specialist in the genre he is writing, and possibly an author he admires - though some great consultants are just editors, not writers too.