Working With Louise

If you are writing a novel in any of the fiction genres, there are several ways I can help you along the path to achieving your dream of publication:

1.    Manuscript Development (currently taking submissions)

2.    Mentoring (I still have room for a few new clients)

3.    Workshops

4.    Retreats

Details of these services are listed below, and please note that all quoted prices include GST.

1. MANUSCRIPT DEVELOPMENT (Assessment):

WHO SHOULD?:  If you have completed a full-length novel or a partial manuscript (synopsis of the story + first fifty pages) and need professional feedback - either a one-off assessment or through several edits, my manuscript development service could be of great value to you.   In my five years of assessing manuscripts for EnVision (fantasy, young adult, sci-fi & horror workshops), through critiquing romance and erotica for twelve years in Romance Writers of Australia and now through my 2 years of manuscript development business, I've honed editorial skills that have contributed to 2 authors being accepted for publication in novel form by major Australian publishing houses, and several others with short stories in the fantasy, horror and romance genres.  For more information on this, please feel free to read my separate webpage of testimonials.

WHY SHOULD YOU?:  Manuscript assessment from a skilled and reliable source  is a secure investment in your writing career.  I have three fantasy novels published with Simon & Schuster Australia, and a novella with Harper Collins which won the International PRISM award for fantasy/romance, so I'm well versed in what is required by publishers.  Further, I undertake to be honest and frank in my assessment of your work, but to also provide encouragement and support by affirming the things you are already doing well!  All problems pointed out in your assessment will have clear direction on how to rectify them.

HOW DO YOU?:   Email me in the first instance so we can work out the details, then post your manuscript to me in the correct manuscript presentation format (see below).  At that stage I will invoice you, and when I receive payment for the assessment, I will begin working on your novel.  When the assessment is complete I will return your manuscript (normally within 60 days unless negotiated otherwise) written over in red pen and with a detailed 3-4 page report giving feedback on: structure, tone, viewpoint, internalisation, characterisation, dialogue and setting/visuals, as well as general comments.  If you like, you can also organise either a face-to-face or telephone meeting to discuss your assessment and future courses of action (see Talking To Louise below).  Note: If I see line editing problems (grammar or punctuation problems that occur consistently) I will point out a couple so you can see what to correct, but I don’t Line Edit the manuscript for you.  Professional editing (as opposed to assessment) is a whole other service, and one which isn’t appropriate until the structure, characterisation, viewpoint etc are polished.  For help with grammar see "Elements of Style" by Strunk and White, now available free online here.

THE COSTS: Fees for manuscript assessment are $1.10c per page + a $33 administration fee. 

The minimum charge for manuscript assessment, regardless of pages sent, is $88.

TALKING TO LOUISE - (a valuable add-on to assessment) If you would like to book a one or two hour session - either face-to-face or over the telephone - to discuss the direction of your edits following on from your manuscript assessment, and/or bounce around ideas on how to strengthen the story, the cost is $88 per hour.  For Testimonials from Mentoring clients, click here.

CORRECT MANUSCRIPT PRESENTATION:

• Double-spaced and printed in a 12 point font (Courier, Courier New, or any other non-proportional font)

• Printed on one side only of white A4 paper

• Put your name + the manuscript title + the page number in the header

• The body of text should be left aligned only (straight on the left hand side of the page, ragged on the right)

• Set 3cm margins all around (this equates to 23 or 24 lines of story per page). 

If you would like to see a sample of this presentation, click here (patience required, it takes a while to download).  Please do not bind the manuscript in any way, but simply put a rubber band or ribbon around the loose pages, and also make sure the printing is dark (ie no faint end-of-the-toner/inkjet cartridge jobs).  I don't want to disappoint you, but if can't read it I'll have to send it back - just as an editor would.

Very Important - remember to keep a copy of your manuscript, and enclose a SSAE (stamped self-addressed envelope) for the return of your assessed manuscript.

2. MENTORING

Finished your novel and not sure how to edit it?  Ready to write a novel but don't want to waste a lot of time working out the best way to plan and draft out a manuscript? 

These are just some of the reasons writers come to me for help with honing their skills and using their time productively.

If you are planning, writing or editing a novel, and want continuing professional support and discussion on plot, characterisation, world-building etc you may benefit from a series of consultations.  Likewise, if you are close to publication and require ongoing support and career direction on networking, approaching agents/publishers, submitting a manuscript to a publisher / agent, or preparation to launch a first novel, a series of mentoring consultations may suit you.  You can purchase my time in 5 or 10 hour blocks to be used up within 12 months in either telephone or face-to-face consultations (conducted either at beautiful Maleny where I now live, or at the Capalaba Library on the Southside of Brisbane).  You can book this service by emailing me.  My fees for mentoring are:

5 Hours = $440 ($88 an hour), 10 Hours = $770 ($77 an hr)  Note: Telephone charges are borne by the client.

For Testimonials from Mentoring clients, click here and to read an article by one of my clients on her mentoring experience (published in Writing Queensland) click here.

3. WORKSHOPS:

I am available to conduct writing workshops or inspirational/author talks for writing groups, reading groups, libraries and schools, and am a regular visitor to regional Queensland and most Australian capital cities.  Some of my workshop are listed below, or you can negotiate specific topics to suit your needs.

The workshops come in 1, 2 or 3 hour formats and are priced at: 

1 hr = $330,  2hr = $440,  3hr = $528

• "Fantasy Workshop - building fictional worlds" (highly popular with  primary & high school students, as well as adult fantasy writers)

• “Getting Published – tips from a professional writer.”

• "Suspense - creating a page turning novel in any genre."

• "Self Editing - tips from a professional manuscript assessor."

• “Erotica and Love Scenes  – the ballet of the bedroom, making it work.” (adult writers only!)

• “Romance Writing – from sizzling start to an inspired The End.”

• “Following your Dream – discovering your inspired life’s purpose and pursuing it!”

• “Creative Writing – liberating your inner writer.”

 Full day workshops (6hr = $968. Price includes GST):

• “Writing that Book – planning, writing, editing and selling your novel.”
• "Fantasy Workshop - building fictional worlds"
• "The Craft of Writing - show don't tell, viewpoint and self-editing"

Workshops held outside the Brisbane Metropolitan area will incur travel (and if overnight: accommodation/meal) expenses.  If you are a Qld writing group you can apply to Arts Qld or the RADF (Regional Arts Development Fund) for funding to have an author come and teach your group.  For other states please inquire with your state Writers Centre re funding.

For workshop bookings please e-mail me at: mail@louisecusack.com

To see feedback from some of my participants please read my separate webpage testimonials.

4. RETREATS

If your writing group would like to hire me as the tutor of a retreat you're organising, please contact me for my rates.  My usual format for weekend retreats is to give a two hour workshop on the Saturday morning and another on the Sunday mornings covering the elements of writing that you nominate, then I spend two hours each afternoon doing one-on-one sessions with the participants so they can discuss individual issues.  So for example, if there were four participants at the retreat, two would get an hour each on Saturday and two would get an hour each on Sunday.  The evenings are spend discussing general writing topics and solving the literary problems of the world!

For information on how the participants found their experience at a recent Romance Writing Retreat, you can read Andrea's Retreat Diary or see comments on the Workshops Retreats Testimonials page.

If you're interested, email me now on mail@louisecusack.com as I book quickly!