Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between mentoring and manuscript assessment?

A manuscript assessment is a written evaluation of a piece of work, identifying its strengths and weaknesses and suggesting areas for development.

Mentoring, in contrast, is a collaborative conversation in which we work alongside you as your project evolves. We give practical advice and craft fixes, but the focus is on helping you understand the project as a whole, sharpen the deeper questions that animate your writing, and work through blocks you are encountering.

Is this editing?

No. Mentoring is different from line-editing. We will typically return your manuscript with some areas lightly marked up with suggestions, but we do not provide a full line-edit.

We find that technical and structural issues tend to come downstream from the bigger questions about the core ideas of the project and your relationship to your writing. Editorial issues often end up resolving more organically if we start from these more fundamental questions.

What kind of projects do you work with?

We specialise in ideas-driven nonfiction, including memoir, essays, auto-theory, narrative nonfiction, cultural criticism, strongly argued expert-driven books, and all hybrid forms.

If you’re unsure whether your project is a good fit, you’re very welcome to get in touch.

How do I choose a mentor?

We share the same ethos and approach, but each of us brings different experience and areas of expertise.

You can read more about us on our individual profile pages, before deciding who feels the best fit for your project. Read more about Katherine Angel. Read more about Tiffany Watt Smith.

If you’re still unsure, please email hello@thenonfictionroom.co.uk explaining the situation, and we can help you decide.

For 6-session mentoring, we are happy for you to split your sessions between Katherine and Tiffany, to gain the additional benefit of different perspectives. We both charge the same.

How do you set your prices?

Several factors go into the calculation of our fee: our significant experience, the skilled nature of both the reading and the meeting itself, the preparation time reading and planning, and the administration involved. (The Artists Union England advises a rate of £352.01 per day for freelance creatives with 5+ years experience.)

What is included in the written report?

If you opt to have a written report, we send this within a week of our meeting. It will summarise the main points discussed, including key strengths and areas for development, as well as practical suggestions for the next stage of your project and the mentoring process.

Do I need to have a complete manuscript?

No.

Some writers come to us with a proposal or the beginnings of a book. Others have a substantial draft that has become stuck. Still others have just a few pages and are wondering where to go next. Mentoring can be valuable at many different stages of a project.

How much writing should I send?

Unless we agree on a different structure, for most sessions we ask you to send up to 10,000-15,000 words in advance, together with a short note about your project and any particular questions you’d like to explore.

We ask that you send us this at least one week in advance.

Will you help me get an agent?

We can advise on the process for submitting work to an agent in the UK (and, with less experience, in the US) advising on how book proposals are typically presented, and what a covering letter usually includes. However, our priority is the writing itself and your relationship with it.

Will you tell me whether my book will be published?

No.

Traditional publishing is influenced by many factors. We can share with you our own experience of how getting an agent and publisher works (in the UK), but rather than advising on the industry or predicting any outcomes, we focus on helping you make the work as strong, ambitious and true to itself as possible. We can also give advice on sustaining a writing practice over time. (We aren’t able to guide you on self-publishing, as this is not an area we know about.)

Are sessions online or in person?

Most mentoring takes place online, allowing us to work with writers wherever they are based.

If you are based in London and would like to meet in person, let us know.

Is this confidential?

Yes.

As writers ourselves, we know how sensitive the development phase of a project is.

We do meet monthly to discuss our mentees’ progress and provide a fresh pair of eyes. If you would prefer us not discuss or share your work between ourselves, just let us know.

Please see our Privacy Policy for further information about how we store your work, what happens to it after the mentoring has ended, and how we use your data.

What is your cancellation policy?

We ask that you give us 48 hours notice if you want to reschedule a session. Cancellations made with less than 48 hours notice are normally non-refundable, unless exceptional circumstances apply.

If you cancel and do not wish to reschedule, but we have already read your work, we will charge you a reduced rate of two-thirds of our fee.

Please read our full Terms and Conditions for further information.