WORK WITH ME

*   MANUSCRIPT  SERVICES  ARE  OPEN   *

Looking for thoughtful, sensitive comments on your poems? 

Need someone to hold the flashlight while you work at a project you're developing, or be another pair of eyes on something else you're writing? 

Ready to spark or rekindle a writing practice, or maybe deepen your engagement with poetry as a reader who may or may not write? 

I'm here for all that.

I’ve worked with writers and readers of all ages and stages, bringing more than two decades of writing, editing, and mentoring experience to our work together. My experience includes workshops and discussion groups for Concordia University, the Quebec Writers’ Federation, John Abbott College, Festival Blue Met Bleu, Los Parronales (Chile), and many individual mentorships. I've helped people craft great copy for webpages, event listings, festival programs and more, and edited short- and long-form prose for a variety of markets. I also give talks, host workshops, and guide reading for poets and non-poets alike.

Send me an email or use the contact link at the top of this page. 

I look forward to hearing from you!

See what people have said about working with me.

MANUSCRIPT SERVICES

*Manuscript Services are currently OPEN* 

If you don’t see what you need here, contact me - together we will design a service just for you. 

The following services are open without the need to query ahead, though please feel free to do so if you have any questions:

$100        A Handful of Poems: up to 5 poems, max. 5 pages

$160        Folio: up to 10 poems, max. 10 pages 

 

What you get: A one-page written response focused on what I see in the poems with suggestions about how they may be strengthened. I may include questions intended to spark your imaginative response or directions for further development. 

 

Optional follow-up: feedback on revisions at the rate of $15/poem or page.

 

$100        Close-up on Poems: up to 3 poems, max. 3 pages

$295        Close-up on More poems: up to 10 poems, max. 10 pages

 

What you get: A detailed reading of each poem, focused if requested on specific questions or aspects of the work. I may include questions and suggestions for further development. Feedback includes considerations of form and structure, image, metaphor, lineation, sound patterning, word choice, etc. 

$350         Putting It Together: Consultation on a chapbook-length manuscript or body of work in progress

What you get: A 30-minute Zoom consultation and a detailed written response on a chapbook-length manuscript (roughly 15-30 poems / pages) offering my perspectives on what I see in the manuscript: its themes, what is stimulating, surprising, evocative, memorable, meaningful, challenging, etc, and elements of craft that support these effects. I may suggest directions to develop or other ways to ready the manuscript for submission or to develop it further as part of a longer work. 

$375       The Short Long View: Manuscript Review (up to 80 pages) 

 

What you get: A thorough review of a book-length collection of poems including written notes and a one-hour video conversation about the manuscript. 

 

Send your work (formatted in Word and PDF, each poem starting on a separate page) and the fee (by e-transfer or PayPal) to <susan@susangillis.ca>. Use a standard 12-point font such as Times New Roman, Arial or Courier New. Page numbers are helpful; a contents list is helpful but not required. Feel free to include a note or question if you'd like me to give attention to anything in particular. My response time is normally 3-5 weeks.

Please query ahead for the following services:

$1500 and up     The Long View: Manuscript Development and Editorial Consultation

 

What you get: A sustained mentorship focused on developing and revising a book-length manuscript. Together we will establish timelines for notes and discussion. Services and fees vary by manuscript length and the particular needs of the project, and are determined in consultation. 

MENTORING

A limited number of mentorship spots are currentlyavailable. Please enquire: 

$65/hour (3-hour minimum)    Field Work: Mentoring and developmental guidance in your practice of poetry 

This service is determined by your interests and needs. We can work on one, two, or many poems at a time, as determined by your needs and our schedules. Fees will always be established in consultation, so you will never be left wondering what a project might cost. We can also work on prompts, reading and responding, and other aspects of a creative practice involving poetry. 

Our work together focuses on you: you will be heard, encouraged, challenged and supported as you develop your writing your way, according to your goals. Our conversation may include everything from suggested writing prompts to discussions of work we admire (or are challenged by—because that’s productive too). See more about my approach to mentoring here.

My role is to guide, champion, and enable you in your practice, whether through individual poems or manuscript development, renewing a practice that feels stalled or beginning a new practice, exploration and discovery of how poetry lives and moves, or other area of interest in poetry. Services and fees vary by project, and are determined in consultation.

$175        Mini Mentorships (4 x 30-minute consultations)

A focused version of the Field Work described above, these four half-hour consultations provide you with feedback on poems and suggestions for development. Sessions can be scheduled weekly, bi-weekly or monthly. 

Copy-editing, proof-reading and related services are not included in these services.

Watching the tide change on the Minas Basin

Some things people have said about my services:

"Susan is a receptive and perceptive reader who knows when to suggest and when to sit back and let the writer do the heavy lifting. It is a privilege to have Susan help me with my manuscript, and I wholeheartedly recommend her services."

"The care and intelligence of the service Susan provided surpassed my expectations, it was a form of gift-giving, truly."

"Inspiring, constructive, effective!"