Do you need expert insight to help your picture book or early reader manuscript reach its full potential?
What should I expect?
In a 30-minute session, our industry expert will work with you to help your manuscript reach its full potential. Feedback may include discussions on voice, plot, characterisation, language, readability and/or writing techniques.
You will receive a brief written summary of the assessor’s key feedback points; however, you will not receive edits on your manuscript submission. This one-on-one meeting is a chance to discuss issues and potential solutions, and to ask questions. Please note, if you have illustrations, they may be brought on the day. The assessment focus is your text, though the assessor can discuss visual elements and integration of illustration and text, time permitting.
All of our assessments are carried out via Zoom or a phone call.
Is my manuscript eligible?
These assessments are for picture books or chapter books for readers up to eight years old (under 20,000 words). If you are writing a manuscript for junior fiction/middle grade readers (approximately ages 8 to 12) or young adults, please see our young adult assessments.
Submission requirements
You will need to provide the following at least 10 days before your assessment:
- Picture book or chapter book text, up to 1000 words*
*Please note that if your manuscript excerpt exceeds the word limit, it will be truncated at 1000 words before being forwarded to the assessor. Please respect the time the assessor is dedicating to reading your work by sticking to the industry standard formatting and word limit. Thank you.
Next date
Saturday 17 April with Leonie Tyle
Booking in
The cost of a 30 minute assessment is $100 for members and $135 for non-members. To book an appointment, please email us info[at]writingnsw[dot]org[dot]au. We will confirm an appointment time with you, and then issue an online invoice. Once your payment is received we will confirm your booking. Contact us if you have any questions.
Submitting your work
Once you have made your appointment, you will need to your submission at least 10 days before your assessment as one document in MS Word format. Your document must be formatted to industry standards, as follows:
- Line spacing: 1.5 or double
- Font: Times New Roman
- Size: 12 pt
- Margins: minimum 3 cm all round (Word default margins are fine)
- Text should be range left (which means the right edge is ‘ragged’), not justified
- Page numbers: consecutive from beginning to end
You can submit your document via our submission form.
Please note, if your materials are not submitted at least 10 days before your assessment, we cannot guarantee your assessor will have time to review them before your appointment.
About the assessor
Leonie Tyle has been associated with children’s books for over 25 years as a librarian, reviewer, speaker, and publisher. For thirteen years she was responsible for UQP’s children’s and young adults list, publishing approximately sixteen books a year, from picture books to young adult fiction and nonfiction. She set up Woolshed Press, an imprint of Random House, in 2008. Leonie has worked with many of Australia’s finest authors and illustrators, including Catherine Bateson, Steven Herrick, James Moloney, Brian Caswell, James Roy, Anthony Eaton, and Bill Condon. She is currently working freelance.
Leonie’s feedback was extremely valuable…She was also very affirming.
– Clare