Cameos and Critiques

Brett has been one of Pat’s go-to beta readers since the beginning, and was even called in as an alpha reader for Wise Man’s Fear (the book really didn’t make sense at that stage). He’s currently the voice behind a lot of the Worldbuilders website content and auction descriptions, and has done webcomic work, amusing movie reviews and plenty of longer-form horror fiction. Pat keeps pestering him to publish a book or two, but apparently he’s afraid of success.

His preferred genre is horror, but he’ll tackle fantasy and science fiction, or anything that sounds interesting. He also enjoys young adult fiction for its brevity and creativity.

Brett can help you with character voice and dialogue, concise writing, and the nuts and bolts of grammar and punctuation.  He’ll also analyze pacing and the consistency of world building, and he’ll do his best to poke holes in the book’s internal logic.

The critique will include reading up to 150,000 words, marking up the margins with suggestions, corrections, and random comments.  He will also type up a detailed explanation of the manuscript’s strong points and possible weaknesses, as well as clarifications and expansions of his marginal notes.

Pat Says: Brett is one of my oldest and dearest beta readers. I can vouch for his usefulness personally, and highly recommend his services. If you want this critique, you can bid right here.

Jennifer Azantian is offering a detailed critique and commentary of your submission packet (query, synopsis, and first three chapters up to 15,000 words). She’ll include her thoughts on pacing, impact, characterization, world-building, and more within three months of receiving your submission. Though she makes no promises, she would be a fool not to consider representing a project if it truly blows her away.

Jennifer Azantian is an agent who founded Azantian Literary in 2014 where she specializes in science fiction, fantasy, and smart psychological horror novels for middle grade, YA, and adult readers. Of particular interest are stories that explore meaningful human interactions against fantastic backdrops, underrepresented voices, obscure retold fairy tales, modernized mythologies, literary science fiction, historical fantasy, magical realism, space operas, hopeful futures, internally consistent epic fantasy, and spooky or quirky middle-grade. With that said, she loves and will read pretty much anything that’s even a little bit “weird”. You can learn more about her on the agency website: www.azantianlitagency.com and probably far too much on Twitter: @jenazantian.

A full submission packet critique is amazing. If that interests you, bid right here.

Michael J. Martinez is the author of MJ-12: Inception, first in the MAJESTIC-12 series of paranormal Cold War spy thrillers from Night Shade Books, as well as the Daedalustrilogy of Napoleonic Era space opera novels. His short fiction has appeared in the anthologies Cthulhu Fhtagn!, Unidentified Funny Objects 4, Geeky Giving and Vampire The Masquerade: Endless Lights.

Michael will critique up to 25,000 words of your SF/F novel (or a shorter work), including both an overall opinion on the strength of the work, thoughts on individual sections, and ideas on direction and ways to improve. This doesn’t include line edits, but he’s willing to answer questions and engage in a dialogue to help make your work better!

To bid on this awesome opportunity, go here.

Award-winning Pacific Northwest writer Brenda Cooper will read and critique a science fiction or fantasy short story up to 12,000 words. Her novel-length work is primarily science fiction written for nine to ninety year old readers, and her short stories range across genres and age-groups.

In addition to the critique, Brenda will provide a copy of her latest collection, Cracking the Sky.

Brenda Cooper writes science fiction and fantasy novels and short stories. Her most recent novel is EDGE OF DARK, which came out in March of 2015. Brenda is also a technology professional and a futurist.

Get your own critique of a short story by bidding right here.

Rob loves all kinds of storytelling, but has a soft spot for the literary end of the SF/fantasy spectrum. He is offering a critique of the beginning of your novel (up to 20,000 words). He concentrates on providing no-nonsense, no-attitude feedback concerning structure, clarity, consistency, pacing and other fundamentals, along with comments on the work’s overall effectiveness. Most importantly, Rob is always careful to search for your intentions rather than imposing his own.

Rob is the author of The Fire Sacraments, a new epic fantasy trilogy forthcoming from Talos Books; and The Chathrand Voyage Quartet, described by Locus as “one of the most distinctive and appealing epic fantasies of the decade.” The Chathrand Voyage began with The Red Wolf Conspiracy (finalist for the Locus Award and SFX Novel Award) and concluded in February 2013 with The Night of the Swarm. He is also a seasoned writing teacher, with an MFA from the Warren Wilson Program for Writers in Asheville, NC. Rob’s other passion is international conservation & justice issues. He has lived and worked all over the world, most recently Indonesia (2013-2015).

Have a rough beginning you want smoothed out? Bid here to get Robert’s help.

Cassie Alexander is offering a read and critique of the first 10,000 words of someone’s novel. You’re welcome to include your query letter and synopsis on top of that word count.

She’ll be critiquing for plot, pacing, readability, character arcs, voice, how well the opening works, and give overall, general impressions of the story.  All critiques will be done in MSWord via track changes, and will be done within 60 days.   

Cassie Alexander is the author of the five book Edie Spence urban fantasy series, comprised of Nightshifted, Moonshifted, Shapeshifted, Deadshifted, and Bloodshifted, and has been published in Germany, France, and the Republic of Czech. She’s an experienced workshopper, having attended Viable Paradise and Clarion West, and frequently is a writing workshop professional at conventions she attends.

Your submission packet could rock if you bid on this auction right here.

Joe Ducie will critique up to 100,000 words of any manuscript, with an eye toward YA, Urban Fantasy, or Spy/Thriller. If you’ve read his The Rig or Reminiscent Exile series, you know what you’re getting into. He’s got a knack for writing books that read like an action scene. If you’re writing a thriller or other lean, fast-paced fantasy, Joe’s opinion will help quite a bit!

Joe is a writer from Perth, Western Australia. By day, he charges a toll to cross a bridge he doesn’t own. Yet by night, in a haze of scotch-fuelled insanity, he works tirelessly on an array of stories both short and long. Joe possesses a fierce love of a smooth finish. Under no circumstances should you ask him just what that means.

Joe was born in Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria in November 1987, and currently resides in Perth, Western Australia. He is primarily an author of urban fantasy and science fiction aimed at young adults. His current stories include Distant Star, Upon Crystal Shores, Red vs. Blue, and The Forgetful Library.

Joe attended Edith Cowan University and graduated in 2010 with a Degree of Counterterrorism, Security and Intelligence. He went back, the idiot, and completed post-graduate studies in Security Science in 2011. Joe has also studied Creative and Professional Writing at Curtin University.

When not talking about himself in the third person, Joe enjoys devouring books at an absurdly disgusting rate and sampling fine scotch.

Joe is a really cool guy, so if you want him to read your stuff, bid on the auction here.

Mike Braff is an editor at Del Rey Books and has been part of the editorial team there for the past eight years. He is in charge of the merciless slaying of enemies by battleaxe, the boarding and capturing of space craft in zero-g, and the management of a sect of magic users that secretly runs the paranormal underground in New York City. Not true, sadly, but he does love to read and acquire books about these things and other related sci-fi, fantasy, and urban fantasy topics.

Though he’s from New York originally, Mike once went to Canada for a few years to study Comparative Religion and World History at McGill University (BA ’07). Much to everyone’s surprise (including his own) the course of study proved useful when acquiring and editing fantastic stories for Del Rey, where Mike has been lucky enough to work with the likes of Pierce Brown, Kevin Hearne, Jason M. Hough, Matthew Stover, Ted Kosmatka, Alan Smale, Sylvain Neuvel and Indra Das, among many other talented authors. He lives in Brooklyn with a rescued pit bull named Ruby, adorable pictures of whom will be provided in abundance upon request.

He’s offering a detailed critique and commentary for the first 50 pages or so of your manuscript (rounded up to the end of the last chapter). This is not a line edit, but Mike will get back to you within 90 days of receiving your manuscript with an editorial letter detailing his thoughts and suggestions.

Want a real life editor to read your manuscript? Bid for the chance here.

Joshua Palmatier (co­editor of the DAW Books anthologies AFTER HOURS: TALES FROM THE UR­BAR and THE MODERN FAE’S GUIDE TO SURVIVING HUMANITY and the Zombies Need Brains anthologies CLOCKWORK UNIVERSE: STEAMPUNK vs ALIENS, TEMPORALLY OUT OF ORDER, ALIEN ARTIFACTS, and WERE) will read and evaluate your short story (up to 7500 words in standard manuscript format) within six weeks of submission. He will write a general evaluation of the story and mark up the manuscript using comments and track changes in the document itself, although this will NOT be a formal line or copy edit, simply commentary at specific points in the short story.

Joshua Palmatier (www.joshuapalmatier.com) has had eight dark, epic fantasy novels published, the most recent by called THREADING THE NEEDLE from DAW, five short stories in various anthologies, and has co-edited six anthologies with Patricia Bray.. He is also founder of the small press Zombies Need Brains (www.zombiesneedbrains.com), which focuses on producing quality SF&F­themed anthologies.  His experience is mostly with all forms of fantasy, science fiction, and horror. His intent will be to offer editorial advice on how to improve your novel and to use his experience as both author and editor to make it the best it can be.

Joshua has requested that you send him your manuscript no later than July 1, 2017.

Have a short story that you want feedback on? You can bid right here.

Joshua Palmatier (DAW Books author of the “Throne of Amenkor” trilogy, SHATTERING THE LEY, and THREADING THE NEEDLE) will read and evaluate the first 100 pages of your novel within 3 months of submission. The manuscript must be in standard manuscript format (typed, double-spaced, 12 pt font, etc). He will write a general evaluation of the novel’s opening and mark up the manuscript using comments and track changes in the document itself, although this will NOT be a formal line or copy edit, simply commentary at specific points of the manuscript.

Joshua Palmatier (www.joshuapalmatier.com) has had eight dark, epic fantasy novels published, the most recent by called THREADING THE NEEDLE from DAW, five short stories in various anthologies, and has co-edited six anthologies with Patricia Bray. He is also founder of the small press Zombies Need Brains (www.zombiesneedbrains.com), which focuses on producing quality SF&F­themed anthologies.  His experience is mostly with all forms of fantasy, science fiction, and horror. His intent will be to offer editorial advice on how to improve your novel and to use his experience as both author and editor to make it the best it can be.

Get your novel critiqued by Joshua by bidding right here.

Jaime Lee Moyer is a speculative fiction writer, poet and editor. Jaime is the author of Delia’s Shadow (Tor, September 2013),  A Barricade In Hell (Tor, June 2014) and Against A Brightening Sky (October 2015). Delia’s Shadow won the 2009 Columbus Literary Award for Fiction, administered by Thurber House and funded by the Columbus Art Council, and is nominated for the Salt Lake County Libraries Reader’s Choice Award. She doesn’t take herself nearly as seriously as those credits imply. Jaime’s short fiction has appeared in Daily Science Fiction, Lone Star Stories, and two of the well-respected Triangulations anthologies. She was the editor of the 2010 Rhysling Anthology for the Science Fiction Poetry Association, and a poetry and short fiction editor for a semi-pro zine for five years. Jaime is the current editor for the Online Writing Workshop For Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror monthly newsletter. For a short period of time she read slush for a literary agent, and has critiqued more novels and short stories than she wants to count.

Jaime Lee Moyer is offering a read and critique of the first 75 pages of your finished novel. While she won’t line edit for grammar, she will comment on plot, pacing, character arc, voice, how well the “hook” or opening works, how well the story sustains her interest, and give overall, general impressions of the story. Critique will be done in MSWord via track changes, but please use a readable font and double-space your work. The critique will be returned to you within three months, edit letters and deadlines allowing.

If you’ve got a finished novel, get it critiqued by Jaime by bidding here.

Django Wexler is the author of The Shadow Campaigns series and The Forbidden Library, so he knows just a little about what makes a story compelling. He’s donated his time to read and critique up to 10,000 words of your novel or short story to let you know his opinions on style and pacing, characterization, what works, and what might need tweaking. This is a great chance to get some advice from one of the pros!

Django graduated from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh with degrees in creative writing and computer science, and worked for the university in artificial intelligence research. Eventually he migrated to Microsoft in Seattle, where he now lives with two cats and a teetering mountain of books. When not planning Shadow Campaigns, he wrangles computers, paints tiny soldiers, and plays games of all sorts.

Want your novel critiqued by Django? Click here to bid.

Kevin Hearne is delighted to offer a critique of up to 15,000 words. His review will focus on issues of plot and character, and provide observations regarding dialogue, pacing, and much more. You’ll hear what works and what needs work.

Kevin is the author of the NYT-bestselling Iron Druid Chronicles and has an epic fantasy coming out in 2017 from Del Rey called A PLAGUE OF GIANTS.

If you want Kevin to read your manuscript, you can bid for the chance right here.

Patrick Rothfuss (international bestselling author, lover of women, and hirsute iconoclast) will read your manuscript and give you critical feedback. (Up to, say, 150,000 words.) We’ll schedule this based on when your manuscript will be ready and the endless madness of my own schedular constraints.

I’ll read through your manuscript, scrawling notes and dirty words in the margins, then I’ll call you on the phone and we can discuss it. Or we could do a Google+ hangout. Or, if you live close, we can get together and chat over coffee.

I won’t write you up a detailed critique because that’s not how I roll. But we’ll chat for a couple of hours discussing the various strengths and weaknesses of the book, your writing craft, and I’ll offer any suggestions I might have. Then I’ll mail you back the manuscript with my notes on it.

If you wanna bid on this, you can do it right here.

Richard Shealy will provide the service of copy-editing your novel-length manuscript OR short story + pitch. He only does Fantasy and Science Fiction, so please make sure that’s what you write! This copy edit includes typo correction, continuity observation, voice/character consistency, context-appropriate grammar adjustment, and fact-checking where needed. Upon the auciton completion, we’ll get the winner in touch with Richard to establish what sort of manuscript he’ll be working on and to get the ball rolling.

Please note: Richard is booked solid for the rest of the year, so the copyedit will happen in mid-to-late 2017.

Richard Shealy has been a reader of SF/F as long as he can remember, and he finally figured out he might make a living from that by combining it with his horrifyingly enormous word-nerdery. In his still relatively new career (he started in this racket less than four years ago), he already has had the enormous pleasure and honor to work with a number of authors and editors from across multiple spectra, not to mention becoming completely certain that he has found his dream job (seriously, people pay you to nitpick their babies?). He tweets occasionally from his own Twitter account, but far more prolifically in the guise of his alter ego. Caveat: Taking anything seriously from the alter ego is a massive waste of time.

If a copy edit is the thing you’re searching for, search no further and bid here.

You are bidding on a tuckerization in the final installment of the NYT Bestselling science fiction trilogy, THE ILLUMINAE FILES. The name that will be featured in the book must be your own legal birthname, not your WoW character’s name or something silly like “Seymour Butts”. The authors reserve the right to reject your birthname for inclusion in their novel, should it be something as mind-bendingly unfortunate as “Seymour Butts”. Sorry, Seymour.

You will be expected to sign a legal disclaimer giving us permission to use your name.

There is an excellent chance your namesake will die in this book. Horribly. Probably in the cold belly of space. While screaming. The authors and their publishers accept no responsibility for any emotional trauma that may result from your fictional doppleganger’s awful demise, or any horrible shit they might get up to before they die. You could end up being a villain who lights orphanages on fire. You could be the kind who kills puppies for sport. You could be an interstellar version of Ramsay Bolton. We don’t know yet, you’re just going to have to trust us now and live with it afterward.

Love,
Jay and Amie

You can bid on this auction right here.

I’ll work your name and a brief description into a POWDER MAGE novel as a minor character that will have at least a few lines. I may tweak the name to make it fit better with the world, but it’ll be you (or the person of your choice). Violent death is optional.

Bidding is open right here.

Name a character in book one of a brand new series from the author of The Immortal Descendants time travel fantasies. Ringo, the charmingly clever street urchin who traveled through history with Saira Elian, a Descendant of Time, is getting his own spin-off series. He begins book one as the guest of Oscar Wilde at a fateful meeting with Arthur Conan Doyle, and with the skills of his otherworld-seeing friend, Charlie, finds himself at the heart of a mystery in Victorian London.

The winning bidder of this Tuckerization auction will have the honor of naming a character (and providing an identifying characteristic or two) in book one of Ringo’s series. In the event the winning bid is higher than $250, that character will have a significant interaction with Ringo. If it goes higher than $400, that character will become a major contributor to the story.

To find out more about Ringo, download book one of The Immortal Descendants series – Marking Time, by April White – and follow his adventures through history.

Interested? Bid right here.

I’m offering to name a character in my upcoming espionage/spy/thriller novel after you, a friend, family member, whatever you’d like. We’ll iron out the finer details together, but a few solid names are up for grabs. I still need to formally name the main antagonist, who will be a recurring character throughout the series, and is quite villainous. I’ve got the plucky sidekick in need of naming. A whole slew of characters who need properly naming in the protagonist’s team of rough-around-the-edge heroes.

I’ll send you a signed manuscript and first edition copy of the completed novel – these books are due to hit shelves around late 2017.

If being in a spy thriller is up your alley, you can bid right here.

If Sci-Fi/Fantasy is more your game, I’ll stick you in my next YA release about a magical library for lost and wayward, dimension-hopping, pocket world exploring, teenagers. Fair warning that one is rife with awkward love hexagons and brooding antagonists who are really just misunderstood.

I’ll send you a signed manuscript and first edition copy of the completed novel – these books are due to hit shelves around late 2017.

Sound awesome? You can bid right here.

Bradley P. Beaulieu is pleased to offer one Tuckerization for inclusion in his brand new epic fantasy series, The Song of the Shattered Sands. The character will appear in in Book 3 of the Shattered Sands series, and may live beyond those pages.

In the event that this auction breaks $500, I will elevate the character from a minor character to a character of some import. In the event that this auction breaks $1,000, I will ensure that the character either dies in a spectacular way or performs some major, selfless, heroic act.

Please see the auction description for the full details.

Does this sound epic or what? Check it out and bid right here.

William Alexander’s next novel, A Properly Unhaunted Place, is about ghost appeasement specialist librarians. Peter S. Beagle makes a brief cameo. But you don’t. You aren’t in that book. You could be in the sequel, though. Bid for the chance to see your name in print, but please note that wonderful and/or terrible things are likely to happen to your fictional self.

Want in with the likes of Peter S. Beagle? Bid right here.

Next year, I will publish The Everwinter Wraith, the sequel to my debut novel,The Dark Thorn, which has been reviewed as a cross between Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files and Terry Brooks’s Word/Void series. For this year’s Worldbuilders, I am offering a tuckerization for The Everwinter Wraith! The novel takes place in our world as well as in Annwn, giving us the opportunity to put your real name into the story in our world or creating a fantasy name and putting you in Annwn.  If you’d like to have your name and physical description written into the story, you have to bid and win this auction!

Want to know what kind of story you are getting yourself into before you bid? Write me at shawn@signedpage.com and I’ll send you an EPUB of The Dark Thorn or any of the short stories set in the Annwn Cycle series!

You should really check this out. Bid right here.

Kevin will use your full name in one of his new Iron Druid short stories to be included in the collection BESIEGED, out July 11 2017. You might be in California during the Gold Rush. You might be in modern day Poland. You may survive, or you may die a spectacularly gory death.

Kevin is the author of the NYT-bestselling Iron Druid Chronicles and has an epic fantasy coming out in 2017 from Del Rey called A PLAGUE OF GIANTS.

Wanna hang out with Atticus? Bid here.

Hugo-award winning author Mary Robinette Kowal will tuckerize your name into a forthcoming piece of fiction. What does this mean? It means that she will work your name into a story or novel depending on what your name is and which project it seems to fit best into. She’ll also send you a signed manuscript before publication. So it’s like a literary twofer.

Want this awesome prize? Bid right here.