Writing feedback, Manuscript assessments, and One-to-one Mentoring

Get supportive, constructive feedback on a sample of your fiction, your poetry, your novel in progress, or your completed manuscript, or one-to-one mentoring.

If you’d like advice or guidance with your writing, I’m happy to help at any point. My feedback is supportive, practical, and encouraging. I want to make your writing better, which means giving you the insights, tools, and confidence to develop it further.

Jump to what you'd like feedback on. If you're not sure where to start, feel free to email me for advice.

Excerpts or short fiction

Get feedback on aspects of fiction, such as pacing and tension, characterisation, dialogue, action, exposition, voice, and prose. I’ll let you know your writing’s strengths, so you know what to build on and keep, and give you practical advice on how to improve your writing and develop it further.

How it works: Email me with your word count and we’ll arrange a date. You send me your writing in advance, so I can read and make notes, and then we’ll have a Zoom meeting for your feedback (which you’re welcome to record).

• Up to 2000 words • £50 • 20-minute Zoom meeting
• Up to 5000 words • £125 • 45-minute Zoom meeting
• Up to 10,000 words • £175 • 1-hour Zoom meeting
• 3 × up to 2000 words • £130 • 3 x 20-minute Zoom meetings

For an overview of your writing strengths and areas to develop, 2000 words is a great sample size. It allows room for both a sense of the plot tension and for more detailed prose commentary.

For feedback on a longer complete story, you can send up to 5000 words (a common word-limit for contemporary short stories) or up to 10,000 (the outer limit for long short stories: fantasy and sci-fi often fall between 5000 and 10,000 words).

If you're booking three rounds of feedback, we'll agree together on a set of submission dates for you. I advise having 2–4 weeks between each, so you have time to incorporate the feedback in your next piece of writing.

Email me to arrange feedback or to ask any questions. You can also jump down to read what my students say about their feedback and more about my experience.

Poetry

Get feedback on aspects of poetry, such as rhyme, metre, poetic forms, themes, imagery, use of line and stanza breaks, and the balance of meaning. I’ll let you know your poetry’s strengths, so you know what to build on and keep, and give you practical advice on how to improve your poetry and develop it further.

How it works: Email me with how many poems you’d like to send and we’ll arrange a date. You send me your poems in advance, so I can read and make notes, and then we’ll have a Zoom meeting for your feedback (which you’re welcome to record).

• Detailed feedback on one poem, up to 40 lines • £50 • 20-minute Zoom meeting
• Overview feedback on three poems, each up to 40 lines • £50 • 20-minute Zoom meeting

Detailed feedback on one poem will identify its strengths and areas to develop, and offering practical advice and guidance on how to improve it. It will also identify specific lines and phrases to build around or rework.

Overview feedback on three poems will identify what’s strongest in your poetry and core areas to develop further. Rather than advice on how to rework the individual poems, this focuses on how you can develop overall as a poet.

Email me to arrange feedback or to ask any questions. You can also jump down to read what my students say about their feedback and more about my experience.

What my students say about their short-piece and poetry feedback

Ready for feedback? Email me.

Novel-in-progress feedback

You don’t need to have finished your novel to get feedback on it – and some clarity, guidance and encouragement earlier on can help you shape and finish it. Often when you’re stuck on a novel, you’ve consciously or unconsciously identified specific structural issues or insecurities. Resolving these can open the floodgates of writing back up.

Feedback on a novel in progress respects that it’s early draft and gives you advice and clarity on its narrative structure and plotting, characterisation, prose style, and any genre-specific elements such as world-building or handling mystery. It also includes very practical advice on how to approach any plot restructuring, character development, etc, drawing on tools and exercises from the writing courses and workshops.

How it works

Email me with your word count and we’ll arrange dates. From there…

• We’ll have a half-hour Zoom meeting to discuss your novel, its background, any aspects you’d especially like feedback on, and your hopes and fears for the feedback process.
• I’ll then read and assess your novel so far and any notes you have, eg plot outline, character sketches, etc. Allow 1–2 weeks for this so I can mull and digest it fully.
• We’ll have a 1–2 hour Zoom meeting to discuss its strengths, areas that need work, and suggestions for how to develop it further. This also gives us opportunity to bounce ideas around together. (I allow 2 hours for the Zoom meeting, plus a 15-minute break halfway through, but we can keep it to one hour if your schedule is tight. You’re welcome to record it.)

Rates

• up to 20,000 words • £350
• up to 40,000 words • £425
• up to 60,000 words • £550
• up to 80,000 words • £660
• over 80,000 words • £8.25 per 1000 words

50% is payable in advance and 50% after the Zoom feedback.

To get started

Email me to arrange feedback or to ask any questions. You can also read more about my Experience and Testimonials.

Completed manuscript assessments

A manuscript assessment gives you thorough feedback on your completed novel’s narrative structure and plotting, characterisation, prose style, and any genre-specific elements such as world-building or handling mystery. I’ll highlight your novel’s strengths, so you know what’s working well, and give suggestions for aspects that could be improved or developed further. I’ll also advise on what types of line editing and final polishing it needs to be ready to submit to an agent.

How it works

Email me with your word count and we’ll arrange dates. From there…

• We’ll have a half-hour Zoom meeting to discuss your novel, its background, any aspects you’d especially like feedback on, and your hopes and fears for the feedback process.
• I’ll then read and assess your novel. Allow 1–2 weeks for this so I can mull and digest it fully.
• We’ll have a 1–2 hour Zoom meeting to discuss its strengths, any areas to develop, and any suggestions for how to rework it. This also gives us opportunity to bounce ideas around together for anything that needs resolving. (I allow 2 hours for the Zoom meeting, plus a 15-minute break halfway through, but we can keep it to one hour if your schedule is tight. You’re welcome to record it.)

Rates

• up to 60,000 words • £550
• up to 80,000 words • £660
• over 80,000 words • £8.25 per 1000 words

50% is payable in advance and 50% after the Zoom feedback.

To get started

Email me to arrange feedback or to ask any questions. You can also read more about my Experience and Testimonials.

One-to-one Mentoring

If you want to focus on one-to-one discussion and advice rather than feedback, you can book mentoring hours. This is ideal for meta-discussion of the writing process, an overview of your book’s structure, planning your next steps for your current or a new project, and so on.

How it works

Email me and we’ll arrange dates. I suggest you write down your questions in advance, but don’t worry if you’re struggling to articulate exactly what help you need: that’s what I’m here for. We’ll have a one-hour Zoom session, to discuss where you are, advise you on key questions, and plan your next steps. You can also screenshare anything related to the project that you’d like me to look at (such as a plot map). You’re welcome to record the session.

Rates

• One-off session of 1 hour • £80
• 4 sessions of 1 hour each • £300

To get started

Email me to arrange dates or to ask any questions. You can also read more about my Experience and Testimonials.

Experience

Since I started the writing courses in 2011, I’ve given over a thousand pieces of written feedback on poems and excerpts of fiction. Receiving feedback is consistently one of the most valuable aspects for my students. For me, seeing people's writing develop through feedback is a joy and a privilege. I’ve since started offering feedback on short pieces outside the courses as well.

Before starting the writing courses and alongside them, I’ve worked one-on-one with a range of writers, on some 50+ books, giving feedback on works in progress, full manuscript assessments for completed books, and mentoring. This includes fiction and non-fiction, literary and commercial, and a wide cross-section of genres.

My previous individual clients include:

• Sam Stewart, Fireblood, Two Moons, Three Minds and Four Walls
• Mary Kane, Vi Et Armis, Celestial Fire, and House of Horses
• Nigel Collin, Game of Inches and Herding Monkeys
• David Meyer, Control Shift
• Lee Perry, Desert Rose
• Thomas Mckerley, Touch Not The Cat (Bloodlines series)
• Frank Lucas, The World is Getting Bigger
• Filip Dousek, Flock Without Birds (Hejno bez ptáku)
• Anne Edelstam, Three Ladies in Cairo
• Jo Parfitt, The Windtower
• Jon Treanor, The Power of Failure
• Jae de Wylde, The Thinking Tank
• Melinda Reilly, Diggin Your Dark Side
• Penny Sophocoleous, The Humanity Principles
• Shirley Mansfield, Grown-Up Business
• Angela Vassallo, The Second Wives' Guide
• Michael Neaylon, True Brand Toolkit
• Angelique Milojevic, Entrepreneurs under the Radar
• Michele Tocci, Time to Create a Better Life

While the courses focus on fiction and poetry, I've worked extensively in non-fiction as well and am am happy to discuss feedback, manuscript assessments, and mentoring for non-fiction projects.

Ready to get started? Email me.

Testimonials: Work-in-progress feedback & manuscript asssessments

Megan is an editor par excellence. Her suggestions were bang on. Even when I truly didn't want to cut a section, I had to admit in every single case that Megan's proposed changes tightened the narrative and enhanced my message. Snap her up quickly for your book – she's a busy lady and you need her superb skills! Jae Minshall, The Thinking Tank

I was amazed how quickly and thoroughly Megan understood the target vision. Her feedback was spot on, practical, provoking and very encouraging. Filip Dousek, Flock Without Birds

Megan is an expert editor, coach and guide, who confidently leads you to every possible gem hiding between the sentences. She keeps the work focused and taut without stifling or inhibiting the flow. She’s works with immense integrity and significant passion for the craft, while never losing sight of the business aims the book is written to achieve. I can’t recommend her enough. Michael Neaylon, True Brand Toolkit

I would recommend Megan to anyone who is serious about writing, or for anyone who needs an excellent editor. Megan is very thorough and professional and honest. She has amazing skills and insight. I have already referred Megan to my business associates and will continue to do so. Angela Vassallo, The Second Wives' Guide

Without Megan Kerr my book would never have been completed. What I loved about Megan was her certainity, openess and direct communication – basically, she didn't put up with my excuses. She squeezed that book out of me and personally I am thankful and grateful for the finished product. Adrian Rainey, Blood in the Water

Having never written a book previously and writing not being my one true love I was unsure about the book editing process. Megan was recommended to me by an author who has published 16 books so I felt he must know what he was doing and what the requirements of a good editor are. Megan not only edited my book but took me on a developmental journey. Her feedback was always positive but at the same time identifying areas for improvement in my writing. Of which there were lots but that's what she is there for! I would recommend Megan to any budding author as she provided support, assistance and encouragement so that you deliver a product that matches your potential reader’s needs. Michelle Tocci, Time to Create a Better Life

Email me to get started or to ask any questions.