A brand spanking new super special offer (last updated August 2010)
I’m offering a free critique to persons who purchase Triangulation: End of the Rainbow directly from me. These are not the one line quickie critiques we offer submitters, but a 1-2 hour detailed critique of a story up to 5,000 words. I provide overview comments on story effectiveness, structure, pacing, character development, as well as detailed comments on the manuscript (using MS Word Tracking feature where feasible).
It’s a perfect chance for you to get detailed feedback from a experienced slush pile reader and anthology editor. It’s also a good way to try out a story prior to submitting it to the anthology, though the story to be critiqued DOES NOT have to be aimed at the anthology. I will critique any story; my expertise is primarily in genre work (SF, F, Horror), though much of my output does have a literary slant.
Part of my reason for offering this is to obtain even more excellent stories for the upcoming anthology. I intend to work with writers to perfect stories that catch my eye and fit within the theme. That doesn’t guarantee acceptance (that requires at least 3 yes votes from our staff) but will surely improve the odds.
The theme this year?
Last Contact
Yep, you heard it here. We’re anxious to see how writers interpret this theme in a Science Fiction, Fantasy, or Horror vein. The connection need not be blatant, but if it’s obscure, you may wish to explain it in your cover letter/e-mail (please don’t summarize the story, just explain how it relates to Last Contact).
Details, because it’s always about details, right?
1. Email me at stephen.v.ramey at gmail dot com to order your copy of Triangulation: End of the Rainbow (for the excellent table of contents, see the TOC post) at cover price $13.50. This includes shipping within the US. International orders will be billed an additional fee to cover postage ($3.00 to Canada, $5.00 elsewhere).
2. Send payment via PayPal or mail (check/money order). I’ll provide appropriate addresses in my email response.
3. When you’ve got your story ready, send it via email or mail (address provided in email response). The story DOES NOT have to be aimed at the Triangulation series. If you have a particular market in mind, mention that and I’ll focus my comments accordingly.
4. I’ll send my critique, generally within a week.
5. You’ll take in all that sage advice, perfect your story, and sell it. Or maybe you’ll approach your next story a bit differently. In any case, please post your reaction to the critique (positive and negative) to this FB page.
6. This offer continues while my supply of copies lasts. Right now I have about 125 copies available.
In any case, please read the anthology. There are some really excellent stories in there, deserving of your attention. Take a moment to comment on Facebook, Twitter, at Amazon.com, BarnesAndNoble.com, etc.. Word of mouth is the key to any book’s success these days. We believe the anthology is a worthwhile endeavor or we wouldn’t volunteer hundreds of hours to its production. We’re convinced the majority of genre readers will find it worthwhile as well, but only if they hear about it, only if they read it.
Let the buzz begin, won’t you?
PARSEC, the nonprofit SF group that underwites the anthology and puts on a killer reader con (Confluence) receives all proceeds from this effort (income less cost of printing and cost of postage).
Ramey Writes 
Grateful for the feedback, evidenced here: http://dmbonanno.com/2010/09/13/always-learning/
Thanks Dawn.
I’m glad you found my comments worthwhile. I trust you’ll also find the anthology a worthwhile investment. I’d be interested in hearing your favorite and not-so-favorite stories from the collection. Reader feedback can be very helpful in putting together the next collection.
Steve
Receiving a critique from Steve is well worth the cost of the anthology and more. He’s a brilliant, insightful critiquer who helped me write a story for readers rather than story for myself. He has the rare ability to help you truly understand what your story is about and what is needed to make that understanding available to other people.
Regards,
Nick
Steve’s critique was worth the wait. And it exceeded the level of depth that I was expecting from such a busy editor/writer reading slush for an upcoming anthology. His remarks helped tighten up the language, and his suggestion concerning plot became the key to unlocking the story’s potential. Now it is much closer to my original vision. It was a pleasure to receive such helpful feedback and I’ve enjoyed the challenge!
Thanks,
Charles
Dear Steve, is this offer still open?
(I know you’re up to your neck with Slushy and its spawn, and then the contest, but I don’t mind waiting).
Sure, Christine.
I am certainly backlogged, but I will get to these as soon as I can.
Hi Steve,
Last year you critiqued a story(The Threshold) for me that was immeasurably helpful in advancing my writing skills. Since then, I’ve worked on my writing just about every day, and can see a vast improvement in myself.
Now, I’d love to benchmark myself with another critique. Are you planning to extend the special offer from last year to the Last Contact anthology?
Regards,
Amr
Hi Amr.
I’ll be happy to do that for you, but I’m soooooo far behind on these at the moment. Editing the antho left me sapped, I’m afraid, though I’m finally getting back into the swing now. I have a handful of critiques to send out as well as a dozen or so short critiques to send for the Parsec Short Story contest. So, while I welcome seeing your new story, I must warn you that it will be some time before I can respond.
Steve
By all means, take your time! We all need to recharge our batteries. I’m looking forward to finding out what the next antho theme will be, too, as I plan to submit then.
The story I have in mind for you to look at will likely be my next WoTF sub, for Q1 2012, so there won’t be any rush.