Inkwell Group

femur61

I am ready to send my MS to agents and publishers.

Inkwell Group offers a critique service of the first few chapters, synopsis and covering letter for €250.

Has anyone used them, or heard if they are good?

I know Vanessa O Loughlin who runs this site also owns Kazoo self publishers. I have zero interest in self publishing.

Kazoo are extremely expensive for self-publishing, so that is why I ask is €250 the going rate for a critique of first few chapters, synopsis and cover letter. Is it money well spent?


Thanks

Lavinia

I do not know the answer to your question OP, but thought to ask about would you consider publishing online? That readers can download your book as pdf or kindle editions or similar?
Or only in paper?

My good friend published her books online and is earning a good money from it.

femur61

Lavinia wrote: »

I do not know the answer to your question OP, but thought to ask about would you consider publishing online? That readers can download your book as pdf or kindle editions or similar?
Or only in paper?

My good friend published her books online and is earning a good money from it.

Thanks Lavina, I might do that for another book as it would only be friends and family. But on the larger scheme of things I would still have to promote this book myself and that would require a lot of time and commitment,

Das Kitty

You might be better off getting a reader report on the full manuscript.

Remind me, is it a historical fiction novel? Where are you based yourself?

It will help you with your synopsis too.

Inkwell offer this service too, but I know a few people who do it as well.

femur61

Das Kitty wrote: »

You might be better off getting a reader report on the full manuscript.

Remind me, is it a historical fiction novel? Where are you based yourself?

It will help you with your synopsis too.

Inkwell offer this service too, but I know a few people who do it as well.

QUOTE=Das Kitty;99414014]You might be better off getting a reader report on the full manuscript.


Hi Das Kitty,

A Reader report, do you mean a critique? I did get a critique but was

Is set in Cavan and Dublin in 1917 - 1923.

Das Kitty

femur61 wrote: »

Hi Das Kitty,

A Reader report, do you mean a critique? I did get a critique but was

Is set in Cavan and Dublin in 1917 - 1923.

Looks like a bit of your post got chopped off there.

If you fancy a bit of free feedback (non professional but from my own experience with my writers' group) on your synopsis and three chapters, I'd be happy to take a gander.

Hrududu

Is there any writing group you could join? Even an online one? You could find a few beta readers to read it and give you feedback. I think the idea would be that you would then beta read their work in return some time.

I think the Absolute Write Forums have some section where you can do this.

femur61

Das Kitty wrote: »

Looks like a bit of your post got chopped off there.

If you fancy a bit of free feedback (non professional but from my own experience with my writers' group) on your synopsis and three chapters, I'd be happy to take a gander.

Hi Das Kittty,

Thank you for the offer. There are 20 pages in the first three chapters that may be too long to read at your group. I have read some out to my reading group and I have received great constructive criticism. Ultimately I want to know is it a good stroy that publishers would be interested in, or do I need to go back to the drawing board.

femur61

Hrududu wrote: »

Is there any writing group you could join? Even an online one? You could find a few beta readers to read it and give you feedback. I think the idea would be that you would then beta read their work in return some time.

I think the Absolute Write Forums have some section where you can do this.

Thanks for that. I tried to get Beta-reader, but it is proving difficult.

I am in a writing group. Even though I have get fantastic constructive criticism from them, sometimes there is an underlying politeness,as they are also good friends now.

Das Kitty

femur61 wrote: »

Hi Das Kittty,

Thank you for the offer. There are 20 pages in the first three chapters that may be too long to read at your group. I have read some out to my reading group and I have received great constructive criticism. Ultimately I want to know is it a good stroy that publishers would be interested in, or do I need to go back to the drawing board.

I wouldn't be reading it at my group.

I've been through the synopsis/ first three chapter thing myself, and have worked with others in my group. I've gotten some feedback from agents on what they look for.

And I'll be honest with you.

Up to yourself.

femur61

Das Kitty wrote: »

I wouldn't be reading it at my group.

I've been through the synopsis/ first three chapter thing myself and have worked with others in my group. I've gotten some feedback from agents on what they look for.

And I'll be honest with you.

Up to yourself.

Hi Das Kitty, sorry I thought you meant you would show it to your reading group. It would be greatly appreciated if you had a look at it.

I will PM you the first few chapters, and wait nervously for your feedback!!

Do you want the synopsis as well?

Das Kitty

femur61 wrote: »

Hi Das Kitty, sorry I thought you meant you would show it to your reading group. It would be greatly appreciated if you had a look at it.

I will PM you the first few chapters, and wait nervously for your feedback!!

Do you want the synopsis as well?

Yeah give me both. PM me and I'll give you my email address.

Clampdown

I wouldn't pay that fee for someone to read something. There's a whole industry based on making money off of hopeful writers (and artists, actors, models, etc). I'd say they laugh their behinds off at the people who fall for it, and I'd be willing to be most people in the industry can tell off of the first few pages whether a piece of writing is up to snuff, and if they thought THEY could make money off of it, they'd be willing to read more of it for free.

Why not ask them yourself, who have they worked with that went on to become a success?

Perhaps try submitting excerpts to literary magazines, they're usually free to submit and you would not only know if the work is of a good enough standard to be published, but if your work is printed than it would get your name out there, perhaps be read by someone interested in publishing more of it.

I'd say if you google 'name of author you like' + 'interview', and they're asked 'how did you break in', you won't find many who said, 'I paid someone 250.00 to read my work'. I never have, and I read a lot of author interviews.

EileenG

Inkwell have good people, and a lot of published writers. €250 is probably a fair price for the sort of work a detailed critique of three chapters and a synopsis would involve.

Yes, of course start with a good critique group, but Vanessa and Inkwell have a good understanding of what publishers are looking for right now, and that's part of what you are paying for.

And for what it's worth, I paid Emma Walsh to crit my first novel. She produced a seventeen page report on all the things that were wrong with it, and she was right about every single one of them. That novel was published, and I've had a lot published since.

femur61

EileenG wrote: »

Inkwell have good people, and a lot of published writers. €250 is probably a fair price for the sort of work a detailed critique of three chapters and a synopsis would involve.

Yes, of course start with a good critique group, but Vanessa and Inkwell have a good understanding of what publishers are looking for right now, and that's part of what you are paying for.

And for what it's worth, I paid Emma Walsh to crit my first novel. She produced a seventeen page report on all the things that were wrong with it, and she was right about every single one of them. That novel was published, and I've had a lot published since.

Thanks for that. Just wondering did you go straight to publishers or agents? Or did you self-publish? Self publishing seems like an awful lot of work.

femur61

EileenG wrote: »

Inkwell have good people, and a lot of published writers. €250 is probably a fair price for the sort of work a detailed critique of three chapters and a synopsis would involve.

Yes, of course, start with a good critique group, but Vanessa and Inkwell have a good understanding of what publishers are looking for right now, and that's part of what you are paying for.

.

As a new writer many years ago I had a story to tell and used a mentor from their sister site, Writing.ie and he charged me 2,500 euros. I am really embarrassed about it and subsequently did a writing course with Maynooth NUIG. And joined many writing groups. Now I realise I was totally scammed but it may have just been him and not the Inkwell group. The reason I am wary is he tried to get me to self-publish with Kazoo and they wanted 5,000 euro! The same thing happened with someone else I was in contact with.

I don't want to tar all the writers on that site with the same brush as some appear to be genuine and are good writers.

I am not bitter about it lead me to a direction in life I love. (just have never told my husband the final price,) the man kept asking for more money, for editing and I've done a few editing courses and know that was nonsence.

EileenG

femur61 wrote: »

Thanks for that. Just wondering did you go straight to publishers or agents? Or did you self-publish? Self publishing seems like an awful lot of work.

No, I was published, with varying degrees of effort depending on which publisher it was.

I've since self-published a few novellas, to go with print novels, and it wasn't a big deal, once I had a decent cover and editor.

EileenG

femur61 wrote: »

As a new writer many years ago I had a story to tell and used a mentor from their sister site, Writing.ie and he charged me 2,500 euros. I am really embarrassed about it and subsequently did a writing course with Maynooth NUIG. And joined many writing groups. Now I realise I was totally scammed but it may have just been him and not the Inkwell group. The reason I am wary is he tried to get me to self-publish with Kazoo and they wanted 5,000 euro! The same thing happened with someone else I was in contact with.

That's a lot of money. Do you mind saying who it was?

Das Kitty

That's massive money all right.

To contrast, a good friend of mine got an excellent reader report with structural edit and suggestions for a fraction over 1/10th of that price.