With over thirty years of experience editing and publishing children’s books, I have a deep understanding of the craft of writing children’s books and of the business of children’s books in an ever-changing publishing landscape. Whether editing, consulting, coaching, or teaching, my expertise is supporting creative clients in a collaborative environment to enrich their craft, deepen an understanding of the marketplace, define priorities, and instill confidence to take next steps in a career.

No promise or guarantee can be made that by working with drydenbks a client will find representation by an agent or acquisition by a publisher. Working with drydenbks will, however, provide clients with some information, tools, and strategies they can use to enhance  their craft and advance their creative careers.

• AUTHORS & ILLUSTRATORS
• CONSULTANCY / COACHING
• PUBLISHERS & AGENTS
• WORKSHOPS & PRESENTATIONS

author & illustrator services

Have you gotten feedback on your work from a critique group, workshop, or conference and aren’t sure what to do next? Do you have a terrific story beginning, but don’t know how to end it? Do you have fantastic characters in need of a plot? Do you need to ready your manuscript or portfolio to submit to agents? Do you have lots of book ideas and don’t know which one to work on first? Has your work been rejected by several agents or editors and you’re just not sure what to do next?

I edit board books, picture books, chapter books, graphic novels, middle grade, young adult, non-fiction, poetry, and pretty much everything in between. drydenbks offers this complete range of editorial services to authors and illustrators:

• general manuscript review & short e-mail or phone consultation
• manuscript evaluation & broad-stroke editorial suggestion
• line-by-line manuscript editing & detailed editorial suggestion
• manuscript revision follow-up
• art portfolio evaluation
• synopsis evaluation & preparation guidance
• proposal evaluation & preparation guidance
• picture book dummy evaluation & preparation guidance
•  See what many authors & illustrators and drydenbks’ clients say about working with me.

author & illustrator Fees

drydenbks will conduct a preliminary free evaluation of your project based on the submission guidelines.  If, in the opinion of drydenbks and for any reason, a project does not seem suited to or viable for drydenbks, you will receive a written declination. Otherwise, I will be in touch by e-mail with a proposal of the course of action drydenbks can provide for the project and the proposed fee structure.

Fees for editorial services are charged either on an hourly-basis, starting at $295/hour with a minimum, or on flat Project Fee basis, with fees tailored to the scope and complexity of an individual project. drydenbks and a client will agree to all terms, fees, and schedule in writing and will sign a Terms of Agreement before any work begins. See below for sample Project Fees:

sample project fees

Project Fees for manuscript assessment with broad-stroke editorial feedback and suggestion—consisting of an in-depth reading of the manuscript, the delivery of an Assessment Memo to the author with general and specific comments about the work outlining strengths and weaknesses, and brief follow-up email or phone conversation as needed or upon request—start at $1,000 for picture books and $4,500 for novels. Project Fees vary and are based on a variety of factors including page count, complexity, genre, etc.

Project Fees for manuscript assessment with line-by-line manuscript editorial feedback and suggestion—consisting of an in-depth reading of the manuscript, the delivery of an Assessment Memo to the author with general and specific comments about the work outlining strengths and weaknesses, the delivery of line-by-line editorial feedback and comments, and brief follow-up email or phone conversation as needed or upon request—start at $1,500 for picture books and $6,500 for novels. Project Fees vary and are based on a variety of factors including page count, complexity, genre, etc.

Consultancy / coaching services

drydenbks consults with and coaches people breaking into or expanding their position in children’s publishing. drydenbks also offers consulting and coaching services to those seeking on-going support for their children’s book projects or children’s book careers. Services include:

• author & illustrator career strategy
• author & illustrator coaching
• editors seeking to advance or make a career change within the field
• college or graduate students interested in entering the children’s book publishing field
• start-up or specialized publishers growing their children’s book business
• start-up or specialized agencies growing their children’s book profiles
• See what many drydenbks’ clients say about working with me.

consultancy / coaching fees

Consultations and coaching may be charged in one of three ways, depending upon a clients’ goals and nature of the arrangement: A flat consultancy/coaching fee; a retainer for on-going consultancy/coaching over a specific period of time; or hourly at $295/hour with a minimum.

All fees are tailored to the scope of a specific project or to the parameters of a consultancy/coaching arrangement in addition to an individual client’s needs and goals. Fees are determined on a variety of factors, including scope of project, complexity, time needed, etc. drydenbks and a client will agree to all terms, fees, and schedule in writing and will sign a Terms of Agreement before any work begins. 

publishers

drydenbks extends a range of editorial services to publishers:

• manuscript evaluations & reader’s reports
• manuscript editing
• “fresh-eye” manuscript assessment
• scouting for new talent
• See what many publishers say about working with me.

Agents

drydenbks extends editorial support to agents:

• manuscript evaluations & reader’s reports
• synopsis & manuscript consultation
• synopsis & manuscript editing
• assist authors in manuscript preparation for submission
• “fresh-eye” manuscript reading
• author or illustrator career strategy consultation
• scouting for new talent
• See what many agents say about working with me.

workshops & presentations

drydenbks offers workshops, classes, critiques, and presentations tailored to suit different audiences:

•  informational 101 presentations for new authors and illustrators
• intensive craft workshops – picture books, fiction, voice, dialogue, plot, revision tools, etc.
• one-on-one manuscript or portfolio evaluations and critiques
• presentations on craft, genre, publishing, and more
• See what workshop participants say about me.

workshops & presentations fees 

drydenbks’ fees for workshops, classes, critiques, or presentations are usually based on an honorarium and would include reimbursement of all travel-related expenses. One-on-one critiques or consultancies are additional. Fees and arrangements to be negotiated on a case-by-case basis.