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Terms and conditions

Getting a manuscript assessment with Writers Victoria? Here are some things you should know:

  • The industry standard for published manuscripts is 80,000 words. If you wish to submit a manuscript of over 120,000 words for assessment, please contact us first to see if this will be possible.
  • Writers Victoria prefers that manuscripts are submitted in Word format via email. If you would like to submit a printed manuscript, they must be unbound, typed in 12-point font and printed clearly on one side of A4 paper, with lines double-spaced (or 1.5-line spacing for poetry) and numbered pages.
  • Do not submit the original or only copy of your manuscript.
  • Once your manuscript has been assigned to an assessor, your assessment will be completed within four to six weeks.
  • Manuscript Assessment reports are between 2,000-2,500 words long. Publisher Submission Appraisal reports are approximately 1,000 words long. The assessor may also annotate a part of your manuscript for demonstration purposes, but this is not a regular part of the service.
  • Whether or not a Manuscript Assessor wishes to be identified and/or wishes to undertake a Post Assessment Consultation is entirely at their discretion. If you do not want an anonymous assessor, you are welcome to request an assessment from one of them in particular (pending availability).
  • Post-Assessment Consultations must take place within two months of the assessment or appraisal.
  • Post-Assessment Consultations and mentoring meetings must take place at the Wheeler Centre, by Skype or phone (unless another neutral, professional space is agreed in advance with Writers Victoria).
  • The author’s copyright over their manuscript will be respected.
  • Copyright of assessors’ reports remains with the assessors and they cannot be published or otherwise used without approval.
  • Any further contact or mentoring between author and assessor must be arranged through Writers Victoria.
  • Writers Victoria reserves the right to decline manuscripts and payments at its sole discretion without further correspondence.
  • Receiving a Manuscript Assessment does not guarantee publication of your writing. An assessment may help you polish your work for submission to a commercial publisher, but it will not directly impact your chances of publication. Neither assessors nor Writers Victoria are able to approach publishers on your behalf. 
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