Is it worth paying a literary consultancy to appraise your work?

DannySherbet · Nov 28, 2009

Is it worth paying a literary consultancy to appraise your work?

In the UK there are consultancies, some of which advertise in the Writers' & Artists' Yearbook, that, for a fee, will read and appraise your work. These consultancies offer to provide useful feedback on your work that will, according to the consultancies, make it more appealing to a publisher or an agent. The downside, of course, is the fee: the consultancies, or at least those I have looked at, charge a fee in the region of two hundred pounds to assess the synopsis and the first three chapters.

Are you better off finding a beta? I have sent samples of my work to a couple of betas that I made contact with on this site - and have received useful feedback on both occasions.

Would be interested to hear people's thoughts about paying for advice. Is the advice going to be any better than a good beta?

Maxinquaye · Nov 28, 2009

No. That's my instinct talking.

a) You need to learn this, if you're going to be a writer
b) Your ms will be appraised in the slush pile at agents or publishers
c) A brutal beta reader won't have monetary interests in doing stuff with your book. Interests that may not have anything to do with the quality of your work, but with the bottom line of the appraiser instead.

At least that's my impression, and I'm no expert, so take this for what you will.

Cyia · Nov 28, 2009

Beta.

Unless you're writing in a non-native language and want someone to check your grammar or rhythm, I can't see the advantage of a paid consultant.

DannySherbet · Nov 28, 2009

Maxinquaye said:
No. That's my instinct talking.

a) You need to learn this, if you're going to be a writer
b) Your ms will be appraised in the slush pile at agents or publishers
c) A brutal beta reader won't have monetary interests in doing stuff with your book. Interests that may not have anything to do with the quality of your work, but with the bottom line of the appraiser instead.

At least that's my impression, and I'm no expert, so take this for what you will.

Excellent point. Cynical, but excellent nonetheless.

scarletpeaches · Nov 28, 2009

No, no, a thousand times no.

Kweei · Nov 28, 2009

No, I wouldn't go with this whether they are legit or not.

I think it would be better to find a writer's critique circle or a few beta readers. I always get nervous when I see stuff like this. As someone else mentioned above, if you're paying you might not get as honest an answer on your ms as someone that is doing it for the love.

James D. Macdonald · Nov 28, 2009

Don't pay anyone anything.

aruna · Nov 28, 2009

Yes, if that's what you need.
My first novel had an appraisal I paid for. She made excellent suggestions, and acting on those suggestions I revised the novel and returned it to her for a second view.
She sent it on to a major agent (UK appraisal services often do this -- they are scouts for agencies), who phoned me and asked me to come to London. About two weeks later I had a five-figure contract with a major publisher, and th ebest editor in the world.
Some people may not need this, and for them the answer is no. For some, it may be just the thing they need.
Look at the list of authors the service I used has on their website. Some of these are household names in the UK, bestseller writers, prizewinners. This shows that for some writers, it has been a fast-track into the buisness.
Sure, they may have arrive there anyway. But how long would it have taken?

If you want a profession eye on your ms, and can afford it, then why not? If you're fine with the adivce given by betas, then don't. It's as simple as that! A categorical yes or no does not make sense, when for so many writers this HAS been the direct route into publishing. The main thing is to choose a reputable service.

That said, your ms has to be already at a very high standard.
For my first novel, it was the right thing to do. I never did it again.

aruna · Nov 28, 2009

K.L. Townsend said:
As someone else mentioned above, if you're paying you might not get as honest an answer on your ms as someone that is doing it for the love.

It depends entirely on the service, and how good your ms is. Hilary gave me a very honest critique, showed me its weak points, and then left me to do the work. As a beginning writer I don't know where else I would have found such help.
I don't see how it is any different from attending a class in creative writing with one-to-one advice; you pay for those too! Reputation in the key word.
BTW there are many discussions on this on AW. Usually, everybody says no, and then I pop in and say yes, if that's what you need!

Kweei · Nov 28, 2009

aruna said:
It depends entirely on the service, and how good your ms is. Hilary gave me a very honest critique, showed me its weak points, and then left me to do the work. As a beginning writer I don't know where else I would have found such help.
I don't see how it is any different from attending a class in creative writing with one-to-one advice; you pay for those too! Reputation in the key word.
BTW there are many discussions on this on AW. Usually, everybody says no, and then I pop in and say yes, if that's what you need!

It's just one of those things that pings at my Spidey sense. Maybe because I know a lot of people that have been victims of services that were less than stellar. I'm glad that you had a good experience though. That is always awesome

aruna · Nov 28, 2009

We need to be always cautious in this business. Keep you Spidey sense intact!

Libbie · Nov 28, 2009

Maxinquaye said:
No. That's my instinct talking.

a) You need to learn this, if you're going to be a writer
b) Your ms will be appraised in the slush pile at agents or publishers
c) A brutal beta reader won't have monetary interests in doing stuff with your book. Interests that may not have anything to do with the quality of your work, but with the bottom line of the appraiser instead.

At least that's my impression, and I'm no expert, so take this for what you will.

I totally agree. You can find several really good literary appraisers right here for free. And you DO need to learn how to critique your own work. Talking to a beta reader (or three) about their impressions of your book is the best way to start learning that.

jennontheisland · Nov 28, 2009

Wayne K · Nov 28, 2009

Maxinquaye said:
No.

scarletpeaches said:
No, no, a thousand times no.

K.L. Townsend said:
No,

James D. Macdonald said:
Don't pay anyone anything.

jennontheisland said:
NO.

These.

LuckyH · Nov 28, 2009

Although I agree with all the Nos, there are things that we pay for anyway, I was going to mention Microsoft Word until I remembered . . .

Then I was going to mention the 15% our agent is going to steal from us, but even in these troubled times it’s still possible to approach a publisher directly.

But, it has to be No, we should be paid for our writing, not the other way round.

You can get free appraisal on sites like this and that’s how it should be.

ORION · Nov 28, 2009

Aruna has a good point. I know several authors who continue to use editors (former publishing professionals) while they revise. The thing is there is no replacement for learning to revise yourself and learning the process through beta's.
I will say that while my betas have been useful I find just the opposite - they are less honest than paid professionals. HOWEVER. There are enormous numbers of scams out there. Your money and time may be better spent on trying to go to a retreat or conference such as Squaw valley -- Dunno --
But like everything else in writing there are no rules- if you have the money and it feels legit and you think you need it as your betas aren't helping you....then maybe yes...

xcomplex · Nov 28, 2009

I do agree with the No but sometimes a beginning author just needs help.. Like I sent my work for a sample edit and the editor told me "Oh my, you are amazing, I love your work" he barely found any mistakes and I was like "wow". That wasn't the end though, I was about to get him to look through my work when another editor which used to work at a publishing house edited my ms and found tons of suggestions. So clearly I went with the second because he thinks that my book is very publishable, it's just that I need some help. They also gave me contacts to well known agents

now I know you guys are all very experienced writers so you may not need that but I am still in high school, and I think the first novel is.. hmm what can I say the first.

waylander · Nov 28, 2009

How many times are we going to have this discussion? Can we get one thread made a sticky?

I'm with Aruna. It depends
It depends on where you are in your writing, whether you have exhausted all the free options such as crit groups and beta readers. If you have then it is worth considering.
As I have said elsewhere on AW (several times, for example here http://absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?p=4285930#post4285930 and here http://absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?p=4251296#post4251296) I paid for a top-class former editorial director in my genre to edit my novel. It was worth it.
Until you've had this done you cannot appreciate the difference between well-intentioned, but unpublished, beta readers and someone who has years of experience of editing at the highest level.

aruna · Nov 28, 2009

Under the right circumstances: YES

The OP is form England. Remember, folks, that in the UK there are several very reputable ms critique servcies and there is no stigma attached to using them; many well known authors (Katie Fforde, Christina Jones for example) have used them and they are both huge over here. Remember too that what is useful for one person may not be useful for another. It really depends onwhat is good for you.

As a beginning writer, I would always prefer to pay for a good, experienced editor for a one-on-one critique of my ms than beta readers. First of all, how good are those beta readers? You can't choose the best, as you can with a paid editor; since they critique you for free you just have to take what you get; and who knows how good that person is? Then again, how long will they take? Since they are working for free you cannot ask them to hurry up.

Most of all, for me, however, is the fact that someone betas for me I would feel obliged to beta for them which is something I really, really don't want to do and don't have the time for.

So yes; as a starting-out writer needing feedback I would prefer to pay cash, if I had it; choose someone with a stellar reputation who comes highly recommended, preferably from the UK; and know that in 2 or 3 weeks I will have my critique and can run with it.

Anyways: here is a post by AW's own Jane Smith (Old Hack) from How Publishing Really Works.
And, haha! she mentions me! She gives good advice on how to go about it, if that is the route you choose to go, and the OP might want to take a look.

aruna · Nov 28, 2009

I keep hearing the mantra: one needs to learn to do it oneself.
Of course! Please understand: this editor does not do the work for you. He or she merely points out the weaknesses, the plot holes, the areas that need strengthening, and then YOU DO IT YOURSELF.

PeterL · Nov 28, 2009

If you are willing to hire me as the consultant, then you should, otherwise avoid such consultants.

I never dreamed that there were people who made money as literary consultants. If I had known, then I would have become one.

timewaster · Nov 28, 2009

DannySherbet said:
Is it worth paying a literary consultancy to appraise your work?

In the UK there are consultancies, some of which advertise in the Writers' & Artists' Yearbook, that, for a fee, will read and appraise your work. These consultancies offer to provide useful feedback on your work that will, according to the consultancies, make it more appealing to a publisher or an agent. The downside, of course, is the fee: the consultancies, or at least those I have looked at, charge a fee in the region of two hundred pounds to assess the synopsis and the first three chapters.

Looking at it from the other angle I have done some of this for' Cornerstones' a UK firm. I was very impressed by the example I was given as a model and when I appraised a mss myself decided it was not worth my while. It took a lot of time, I gave it a lot of thought and I decided there were easier ways of making money. It is certainly cheaper than doing a creative writing MA and if you get a good firm you will get high quality feedback from professionals of the kind it is hard to get if you are unpublished. Betas may have plenty to say but they may not know what they are talking about - it is kind of the luck of the draw.
I wouldn't rule it out but I would be very careful about the company I picked. You can learn a lot from a good one.

MicheleLee · Nov 28, 2009

It really really depends.

I have known people who used editors and having read their raw and finished work I can clearly see they are better for it.

But I also know many, many people who offer editing services who I would not trust at all. Some I just wouldn't pay for when I could do it myself and there are a few who I know have been known to edit out things they don't approve of (like sex and profanity).

The good thing about being poor is that you don't fall for this kind of thing because you can't afford to

If I ever paid someone to edit or read my manuscript it would be someone whose work I read, loved and admired.

There are a lot of people out there, especially in the lower levels who try to comp for a lack of sales with editing money. Some really are good at it. Some really aren't. Mostly they just charge for something you could easily do yourself, so why pay?

Jess Haines · Nov 28, 2009

I used a paid critique service. I don't think I would've gotten my book deal without it.

That said, it's not for everyone. It really depends on what you think you need. Try working with betas first -- if it still doesn't quite seem to come out right, then consider it as an option. Or start a new ms.

LuckyH · Nov 28, 2009

Having agreed with the Nos, I have a guilty secret.

Just after the start of my writing career, I paid for a professional editor to edit a manuscript. I remember agreeing with the edit in total, at least superficially, and managed to sell the edited manuscript to a mainstream publisher.

The editor assigned to me more or less re-edited the whole thing back to my original MS and I had paid something like £200 for nothing.

About the price of Microsoft Office, which I got for free, so there were no losers, apart from Bill Gates, and I’m sure he wasn’t worried.

Is it worth paying a literary consultancy to appraise your work?

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