Focus, Assess, RechargeManuscript Review
Find out what publishers really think of your book
Expert feedback for children's authors, from the people who acquire children's books for a living. Get clarity, and get published.
Books we've published. Yours could be next.
Book before Sunday 1 November
Focus, Assess, Recharge closes on Sunday 1 November.Free EK Books submissions close that day too.
But if you book a review before then, don't worry about the calendar. Priority submission consideration means you can send your manuscript to us at any time — including the months when the standard EK window is closed. A publisher will always be on hand to read your work, because we know that with our guidance it will have risen to the highest standard.
Who reads your manuscript
Real publishers, not a review service
We're working traditional book publishers. Our books win major awards and sit in bookshops the world over. We can show you what has been holding your manuscript back — and give you the clarity to move forward.
Our mission is to help you develop your book to the standard of commercial publication. We'll show you where you may be falling short, how to build on your strengths, and how to advance from here.
How it works
Three steps to clarity
Book your review
Choose your package below. You bypass the standard submission process for the traditional publishers our editors work for, and go directly to a senior publisher in your genre.
Send your manuscript
Your complete picture book text, with a little context about your goals and background. Novice or veteran, it makes no difference to us — what matters is the pages.
Read your assessment
A concise, highly readable report with clear action steps. You'll understand your strengths, and uncover what may have been keeping you from publication until now.
Choose your review
Select the review that fits your work
Every review is read and written by a senior publisher who acquires children's books for a living. All three are for picture books, and all three close to new bookings on Sunday 1 November — but keep your door to EK Books open long after it.
One picture book
The Standard Review
$290USD
One manuscript, read and answered
- A senior publisher in your genre reads your manuscript
- A concise written report: what's working, what isn't, and what to do next
- Priority submission consideration with EK Books and our partner imprints
Up to three picture books
The List Review
$790USD
Three manuscripts — and which one to lead with
- A written report on each of your three manuscripts
- Which book to submit first, and why — the judgement most writers can't make about their own work
- How the three sit together as a body of work, and what that says about you as an author
- Priority submission consideration with EK Books and our partner imprints
One picture book, three months
The Publisher Mentorship
$1,950USD
Two reads, two calls, and a plan
Month oneA full written assessment of your manuscript, then a 45-minute call with your publisher to talk it through.
Month twoYou revise. We read the new draft and assess it again — so you find out whether the fix worked before a publisher does.
Month threeA second call, and your publishing plan.
- Two written assessments and two video calls with a publisher
- A personalised publishing plan: where your book sits in the market, which publishers to approach and in what order, how to pitch it, and what to write next
- Priority submission consideration with EK Books and our partner imprints
Our publishers can only do four of these at a time.
Included with every review
Priority submission consideration
Your manuscript doesn't go back into the general pile. It stays with the publisher who read it, and is considered for EK Books and our partner imprints alongside everything else we're looking at that season.
It also means the window doesn't close on you. Free submissions shut on Sunday 1 November and stay shut while our publishers work through what has already arrived. Once you have booked a review, that date stops applying to you: send us your manuscript whenever it's ready, in any month of the year, and a publisher will be on hand to read it.
A review is not a promise of publication — nobody responsible can promise that. It is a read by the people who decide, and a straight answer about where your book stands.
What we promise, and what we can't
You get the benefit of our judgement and taste, and the skill and experience at our disposal, applied to your manuscript with one clear goal: to help you get published by a reputable publisher like EK Books.
We have gone on to work with authors who came to us through programs like this one, and welcomed them onto our traditional publishing list. But undertaking a program like this does not guarantee publication with EK Books or any equivalent publisher. Publishing is highly competitive and highly selective. Many factors sit beyond your control — and some sit squarely with you, in how far you're willing to take the advice on board. Different lists suit different authors.
We make no guarantees of any kind. What we can tell you is that we are in your corner.
What our authors say
What that report reads like
Before you book
Questions
What closes on 1 November?
Two things: Focus, Assess, Recharge stops taking new bookings, and EK Books' free submission window closes. So book before Sunday 1 November. What doesn't close is your access — once you've booked, priority submission consideration means you can send us the manuscript at any time, including the months when the free window is shut.
How long does it take?
Normally 21–30 days from the day we receive your manuscript. The Publisher Mentorship runs across three months.
Does my manuscript need to be finished?
Yes — send the complete picture book text. We assess picture books, because that's what we publish. If you have longer work, write to us and we'll tell you whether we can help.
What is the mentorship, exactly?
Three months of one-to-one editorial and strategic guidance from a publisher: two full assessments, two video calls, and a written publishing plan at the end. It is guidance, not a publishing offer, and it gives no advantage in EK Books submissions beyond the priority consideration every review carries.
Who actually reads it?
A senior publisher in your genre — one of the people who decides what EK Books and our partner imprints acquire. Not a freelance reader, and not an assistant.
Do I need illustrations?
No, and we'd rather you didn't send them. A picture book is made by two people, and one of the qualities we look for in an author is the ability to leave room for an illustrator. Send the text.
Is my work kept confidential?
Yes. Every manuscript is covered by our assessment and confidentiality terms.
Find out where your book stands
Bookings close Sunday 1 November, along with free submissions. Book before then and your door to EK Books stays open all year.
Choose Your Review →Questions first? Email [email protected] — a real person answers.
Children's Publishing Academy is an international service provided by our global
publishing team, with representatives in Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and North
America. Prices are in USD; if that isn't your currency, your bank applies the conversion at
checkout. Prices include all relevant taxes. For all enquiries, email
[email protected] or call our
offices.
Manuscript
Assessment & Confidentiality Terms