Professional Critiques and Mentoring with Editor Lynne Marie

NOTE: Please e-mail ThePictureBookMechanic@Gmail.com with any and all Inquiries. Thank You! 

PROFESSIONAL CRITIQUES available from a multi-published Picture Book Author and Editor in both fiction, non-fiction and rhyme. 

Lynne Marie is the multi-published, award-winning author of picture books, including three with Scholastic,  The Star of the Christmas Play   (Beaming Books 2018), Moldilocks and the 3 Scares (Sterling / Scholastic 2019),  Let’s Eat! Mealtime Around the World (Beaming Books 2019), The Three Little Pigs and the Rocket Project (Mac and Cheese Press 2022), The Palace Rat (Yeehoo Press 2023), and Henny Penny’s Weather Worries (Mac and Cheese Press, 2025) and more, forthcoming. 

Her recent book, BroomMates: A Brewing Boundary Battle (The Little Press 2024), is an honor book for the 2025 Anna Dewdney Read Together Award,  has been awarded a 2025 CBC Favorite in K - 2 from Teachers, Kids and Librarians, as well as a winner in the Holiday Category of the 2024 Northern Lights Book Awards.

She’s an Editor at The Little Press, Director of RateYourStory.org, Mentor at ThePictureBookMechanic.com, Creator of March On With Mentor Texts (www.rateyourstory.org/march-on) and Mentor Text Talk, Co-Host of #SeasonsOfKidLit (www.seasonsofkidlit.com) and a Columnist at Children’s Book Insider (https://writeforkids.online/).  Visit her at www.LiterallyLynneMarie.com.

In addition, she is a contributor to Family Fun's Games on the Go (Hyperion, 1998), and has published magazine articles, stories, poems and crafts with 

Highlights for Children, Highlights High Five, Highlights Hello, Baby Bug, Spider Magazine, Family Fun, Turtle, Writer's Digest, Writer's Journal and more.  An extensive resume can be provided upon request.

SERVICES AND PRICING

Pricing is SUBJECT TO CHANGE, so take advantage by purchasing critique packages, which will price protect you. These can be purchased now and used now OR in the future (see expiration date following).

Any unused Critiques or Mentoring Packages purchased in a particular year expire on NOVEMBER 30th of that year (no exceptions) and will not carry into the new year.  Please send in package critique requests or schedule Mentor Sessions by November 15th. I apologize for this, but I get slammed at the end of the year.

PAYMENT TERMS: Payment must be received prior to services rendered, in the form of Zelle, Venmo or Paypal with Fees Added

Venmo (@Lynne-Marie-1) 

         www.venmo.com/Lynne-Marie-1

Zelle (LiterallyLynneMarie@gmail.com)

Paypal with Fees (ThePictureBookMechanic@Gmail.com) 

Your receipt will come from Little Wolf Literary, LLC.

PLEASE NOTE: If you send the wrong amount by sending Paypal Goods and Services without adding on the Extra Fees, you will need to send a 2nd amount to correct the amount. So please be careful when sending. Either FRIENDS AND FAMILY or PAYPAL FOR GOODS AND SERVICES PLUS FEES (which I believe are around .40 plus 3.0% per transaction). Here is a Paypal Fee Calculator to figure it out: PayPal Fee Calculator | Salecalc.com

The cost includes: Full line edits plus overall big picture comments. It does not include a cover letter (pitch, marketing paragraph and bio $25.00), or pitch ($15.00) unless you pay for the add-on(s).

FICTION PICTURE BOOK MANUSCRIPT CRITIQUE

COST: $75.00 per picture book (Full Manuscript up to 750 Words) - See below for over-the-limit fees.

NOTE: Bulk Prepay Package - For 280.00 will get you four (4) Picture Book Critiques on account.

OVER THE LIMIT FEES -- There is a $7.50 surcharge for the first block of up to 150 additional words and $10 for the additional blocks. This includes any and all backmatter, if over the limit.

NON-FICTION PICTURE BOOK MANUSCRIPT CRITIQUE

COST: $85.00 per picture book (Full Manuscript up to 850 Words) - See below for over-the-limit fees.

NOTE: Bulk Prepay Package - For $320.00 will get you four (4) Non-Fiction Picture Book Critiques on account.

RHYMED MANUSCRIPT CRITIQUE

Please note that any rhyming manuscripts will not include rhythm and/or meter edits / suggestions unless the story is solid first. Please understand that there's no point in focusing on the rhyme if the story doesn't work.

PICTURE BOOK MANUSCRIPT CRITIQUE with 20 MIN PHONE CONSULT

COST: $90.00 per picture book

NOTE: Bulk Prepay Package - For $340.00 will get you four (4) Picture Book Critiques with 20 Min Phone Consultations on account.

PICTURE BOOK MANUSCRIPT CRITIQUE / 30 MIN. CONSULTATION

COST: $95.00 per picture book

NOTE: Bulk Prepay Package - For $360.00 will get you FOUR (4) Picture Book Critique / Consultations with 30 Min Phone Consultations on account.

PICTURE BOOK MANUSCRIPT CRITIQUE / 1 HOUR CONSULTATION

COST: $110.00 per picture book

NOTE: Bulk Prepay Package - For $420.00 will get you FOUR (4) Picture Book Critique / Consultations with 1 Hour Phone Consultations on account.

TARGETED SPEEDPASS WITH LYNNE MARIE

COST: $35.00 for one page of feedback and manuscript rating.

CRITIQUE & FOLLOW-UP PACKAGE & ADD-ON FOLLOW-UP CRITIQUES:

COST: $130.00 for One Critique and One Revision Critique on the same manuscript, when Purchased TOGETHER. Follow-up critique on revisions, if not pre-purchased, will be $70.00, unless quoted otherwise (if there were only a certain # of issues in the first manuscript).

ADD-ON PAGINATION:

COST: $10 for 32 Page MS, $12.50 FOR 40 Page MS

PLEASE NOTE - This is highly recommended for 1st time Critiques and/or non-paginated manuscripts as it is an invaluable tool for finding the holes in your manuscripts and checking pacing, flow, viability of spreads and page turns.

ADD-ON RATING:

COST: $5 - A 10-1 (10 being needs a lot of work, 1 being ready to send) Rating of your Manuscript with a one-two sentence explanation.

ZOOM CRITIQUES/ MENTOR SESSIONS:

COST: $42.50 - Stand alone manuscript critique or consultation for 1 hour.

COST: $35

Stand alone consultation for 1 hour.

OPTION For only $5 Extra I will record our session and send you the recording!

EDITOR OR AGENT COMMENT / PRIOR MANUSCRIPT REVIEW:

I am happy to review a manuscript and give feedback on Editor or Agent Comments for $25.00 per manuscript. 

CRITIQUE OF REVISIONS FOR SUBMISSION TO AN EDITOR/AGENT:

These critiques are billable at $40.00 per hour, with a minimum deposit of $80.00 which includes 2 hours and Editor/Agent Comments review.

CUSTOM PACKAGES:

I am happy to make up a custom package to try and accommodate your needs.

DISCLAIMER: PLEASE NOTE THAT ALL FEES ARE NON-REFUNDABLE. UNUSED FUNDS, IF ANY MAY BE APPLIED TOWARD ANOTHER PACKAGE IN THE SAME YEAR. 

TURNAROUND TIME: Please note that while I strive in every way to get your manuscript back as quick as possible, due to popular demand and affordable pricing, I have quite a queue. Please know that I will do my best to get to your manuscript as soon as possible and turnaround time is now estimated at 10 business days.

Should you want or expect a quicker turn around time, please add the following Rush Fees to your order:

RUSH FEE(S): For Guaranteed Turnaround (Picture Books)

If you require a same-day turnaround, there will be a $30 rush surcharge added to your order. If you require a one-day turnaround, there will be a $25 rush surcharge added to your order. For a two-day turnaround, there will be a $20 rush surcharge, and $15 for a three-day guaranteed turnaround, and $10 for a four-day turnaround. Of course, these require pre-approval before payment of fees.

PLEASE NOTE: Since I have a full schedule and need to schedule these things into my day, SAME DAY is 24 hours from payment. 1 Day is basically anytime the next day after payment date, 2 Day is anytime in the next two days after payment date and so on. Thank you for understanding. 

WHAT'S INCLUDED: For these rates you will receive a multi-level, line-by-line critique which discusses several aspects of writing a story (including any of the following: beginning, inciting event, characterization, motivation, stakes, character flaw, attempts at solving the problem, deep dark moment, renewal, ending and take-away value, IN ADDITION to title, word choice, poetic devices, sentence length, point of view, syntax, etc.). Sometimes, I am able share comp titles. PLEASE note if your manuscript requires a lot of work, we can only focus on first things first. In that case, I recommend repeat critiques to get the manuscript submission ready.

CLIENT ACCOLADES:

"Lynne Marie's detailed critiques helped me take my work to the next level. 

She is a wealth of knowledge and also offered invaluable marketing and industry advice. I highly recommend her services!" 

Charlotte Offsay, Author of THE BIG BEACH CLEANUP (Albert Whitman, Spring 2021) and HOW TO RETURN YOUR MONSTER (Beaming Books, Fall 2021)

Lynne Marie is an expert at pinpointing and offering suggestions for weak areas in a manuscript, ensuring that a piece’s theme and voice are appropriate for the audience, and providing line-level suggestions. She has a wide breadth of experience and skills and still maintains very reasonable prices. I recommend working with Lynne Marie, the Picture Book Mechanic! ~A.M.

"Thank you so much for your generous feedback! You are a genius.

I can’t wait to sit down today to incorporate your revisions. I feel one step closer to getting an agent. I just need to revise my ms a little more and I’ll be ready to submit. I can’t thank you enough for your time and help. It means the world to me." S.

"Lynne Marie provided an incredibly thorough critique of my picture book manuscript. I could tell she put a lot of thought into her comments and her revision suggestions were very helpful. I will definitely be using her services again." MA Blair

I highly recommend Lynne Marie’s mentor and critique services. Lynne Marie is an accomplished, talented author who has a true gift for helping others take their manuscripts to the next level. From the moment I started mentoring with her, I knew that I was in the right hands. She is a "picture book mechanic" who is teaching me how to improve my writing. Sometimes, that means taking the story apart and putting it back together again, but that’s okay! I’m grateful for the opportunity I have to work with her and for everything she is teaching me. It is my hope that I will someday be one of Lynne Marie’s success stories! PB

“Lynne Marie is a wealth of knowledge when it comes to the world of children’s literature, and she has the experience to back it up. She has the ability to zone in on the potential problems in your manuscript, and helps you find solutions. I resonated with her feedback, and feel it will ultimately help bring my book to the next level. I would highly recommend her consulting and mentoring services. Her critiques are easy to digest, and extremely affordable!” -Lydia Lukidis, author

"I wanted to thank you again for your insightful comments. You really have great suggestions and are able to pinpoint the problems. Thanks so much." KB

"Thank you so much for these detailed and extremely helpful edits. I can't wait to dive back in and use all of your suggestions." KD

"Thank you, Lynne! I'm so grateful for your help with several of my stories. I think your two recent critiques in particular helped me catch the interest of agents!" B.S. 

"What amazes me about you is not only that you send the critiques out so quickly (you must have racing stripes on your red pen), but also that the quality of your critiques are so good. Your fee is darn reasonable, too." J.S.

"You are efficient! Thank you so much for your very helpful, speedy feedback! That was one of the most thorough critiques I've ever received." RYS Member 

"I want to say thank you for your critique of my story. I’ve had a chance to review it a few times and your notes and suggestions will be extremely helpful for my revision. I obviously have a lot of work still to do on this story, but I want to continue to develop it into, hopefully a polished manuscript for submission. Your thoughtful and detailed critique has set me in the right direction."

Many thanks for the detailed critique! I have already incorporated many of your changes and ideas.

"Thank you so much, Lynne. Your insights on both of these pieces are incredible. You've given me a LOT to think about and I'm excited to tackle the revisions. Very much appreciated!"

Wow, you are awesome! I absolutely love the way you’ve commented throughout the document and your insights are just what I need.

I have never learned so much from someone's critiques as I have from yours. You make me see things so much clearer. They have been thoughtful and honest. You have no clue how much you are teaching me. Thank you SO much. I didn’t know what to expect with my first critique, but Lynne Marie made the entire process painless and enjoyable! My manuscript took so many necessary turns and twists that I didn’t even know I needed! Andrea Jaimes

Thank you so much and when I get back to revising this story, I’ll have all your suggestions to get me through. K. 

Oh, my goodness! You are wonderful! You were so thorough and exceeded my expectations. It is quite evident that you spent some time on the critique. I would love for you to critique the revision and will get back to you once I feel it is ready. Thank you so much! C.L.M. 

Man I learned so much. Truly grateful for all the insights! PM

Thank you for making a difference in my life and work. Devon Kondaki. 

I want to celebrate my small victory with you - my story is a PBparty finalist. I still have a long, long, way to go, but this win is encouraging and helps me silence the 'why the hell are you doing this' critic inside me. Thank you for your thoughtful and detailed critique. You really do help writers get better at their craft. NA

ARE YOU A TRAVELLER AND A WRITER? WANT A CRITIQUE X 2 FOR FREE?

For a limited time, if you book a Vacation Package through me as a Travel Agent @PixieVacations.com, I will give you two (2) picture book manuscript critiques of up to 750 words PLUS two (2) 15 minute telephone consultations. Details: Offers available after travel. Not combinable with other Pixie Perks.