In the very difficult and tight world of publishing in Australia today, especially perhaps publishing for children, the role of the manuscript assessor tends to be undervalued.

So you have your manuscript in hand, polished to the highest degree possible. (And I’m not talking to those of you who, with a free Saturday afternoon, decide to write a kids’ book because “they don’t have very many words”). You start researching publishers in the Australian Writers’ Marketplace (AWM), and on the web. Time after time you see the daunting words “no unsolicited manuscripts accepted”. How, you wonder, will they ever find new people if they won’t look at anyone they haven’t asked for? And how will I ever get them to look at my story?

The term ‘unsolicited manuscript’ is a mysterious one anyway. Do publishers ‘solicit’ only what they know the market needs? And how do they choose who will write it, you wonder.

"The term ‘Solicited’ material is basically manuscripts by previously published authors, and ones which come via a literary agent."

Well, this mystery is easily solved. ‘Solicited’ material is basically manuscripts by previously published authors, and ones which come via a literary agent. “Fine,” you think, “I’ll just get an agent”. But unfortunately agents are almost as difficult to interest in a new children’s book as publishers are. Why? Because they only make money on works that sell – they take a percentage – and they know how difficult it is to get a new children’s book picked up, even with an agent’s support. So, some steer clear. (It’s a different matter with a published author.)

So where do you turn? The lucky few manage to find a mentor, through the various mentoring systems around. But, basically, you’re on your own. This is where the manuscript assessor comes in. They will assess your manuscript, looking to improve it (Characterisation? Does the plot fall down half way through? Is your fantasy world inconsistent and full of holes?) Maybe you don’t know the difference between its and it’s – and maybe you think it doesn’t matter because you are sure your masterpiece will be irresistible despite the grammar.

After numerous rejection letters, you may start to rethink. A manuscript assessor has an eye as to how likely your story is to be accepted by publishers, and how you should format it for submission.

Or, you read it as “They set off into the forest through the looming trees” because you know that’s what it says, so your eye just doesn’t see the word frost instead of forest. All your nearest and dearest friends tell you how wonderful your story is and that it must be published immediately.

As a writer, you can have great difficulty noticing – and even miss – the flaws in your own work, however hard you may try to spot them. 

Looking your story over, you know that the dwarf went on the journey with the other characters, but you miss that he hasn’t been mentioned since p.43.

To the reader it looks as though the dwarf was left behind at the palace.
Plus, the kids next door loved it as, did your own grade two children, when you read it to them. How can it fail? Of course it’s the job of your loved ones to admire your work inordinately. But, to be fair, how much do they know about children’s books? Probably very little.

So take it to an assessor before you send it off into the harsh cold world of the publishers’ slush piles.

How do you find an assessor? Again they are listed in the AWM. Look for a reputable one – one who has been in business for some years, or who has an institution like a Writers’ Centre behind them. Some published authors do assessments as a sideline – they will tell you on their web pages; some publishers have the same facility.

I have read an ‘assessment’ that said, of a very average picture-book text, “This is the best picture book I have ever read. It is sweet and whimsical, as suits the genre” – and that’s all. The poor author, however, had been sending it off to publishers along with their manuscript and was puzzled why it was always rejected. The author had paid for it, but although flattering, it was of no use at all. The story in fact had the germ of a good idea, and a bit of work would have brought it to submittable standard, but the assessor gave no suggestions.

Create a Kids’ Book has been assessing manuscripts for ten years. We will assess draft after draft of your picture book, chapter book or novel, and when it is as polished as it can be, we then write a recommendatory letter to accompany it to the publishers. Consult the website for prices. There is also a ‘Successes’ page which features the covers of the books which have been published after our assessment.

"A manuscript assessor has an eye as to how likely your story is to be accepted by publishers, and how you should format it for submission."

Dr Virginia Lowe has been a Judge for the CBC Book of the Year Awards, and has lectured on children’s literature at university. She has a book coming out in November, Stories, Pictures and Reality: Two Children Tell (RoutledgeFalmer) in which she records her own children’s responses to books from birth to eight, and their gradual understanding of the reality status of books (i.e. when they say “but animals don’t talk” or “is this a real story?” or “It was a Beatrix Potter!”) The website is http://createakidsbook.alphalink.com.au, and you can contact Virginia This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it