Winning Writers has engaged contest judge and literary scholar Annie Mydla to provide expert private critiques of your books and manuscripts, published or unpublished. Annie has read thousands of self-published books in her work as assistant judge for our North Street Book Prize. She is also a published literary scholar whose works can be found in Avant Literary Journal, Joseph Conrad Today, and most recently in the international journal Świat i Słowo ("World and Word").

"Reading for the North Street Book Prize has taught me how to view books from a bird's-eye perspective, and to help authors do the same. In my critique, I'll examine how the specific details of your work interact with the wider picture, and respectfully suggest concrete paths for reworking and new development."

You can view a sample critique by Annie here. You can also read Annie's insights about what makes a prizewinning book in her guest blog post for the Alliance of Independent Authors.

After you send us a digital copy of your work via Submittable, we'll provide your critique within 4-6 weeks. It will be 1,500-3,000 words long and include the following sections as relevant:

• Critique summary
• Technical execution (layout, spelling and grammar, technical consistency, technical quality of any illustrations, font, accessibility)
• Structure and content (character, plot, theme, setting, internal consistency, structure, pacing)
• Use of language (register, tone, tonal consistency, literary devices, artistic style, imagery, sense of mastery, relation to themes)
• Recommendations and conclusion

You may also submit up to 3 specific questions to be answered by Annie within her critique.

Your satisfaction is guaranteed. If our critique does not deliver value for you, you can request a prompt refund from adam@winningwriters.com.