"This is a really amazing and in-depth critique. Thank you so much for your close reading! I just posted on Facebook recommending your wonderful contest!"
North Street Book Prize: Add a critique at a discount
$23,500 in Prizes | Final Judge: Jendi Reiter
Here's a quick recap of the North Street Book Prize, then we'll describe how to order a discounted critique of your book.
Submit your self-published or hybrid-published book to this year's North Street contest from Winning Writers. The grand prize winner will receive $10,000.
Choose from nine categories. $23,500 in cash will be awarded in all, and the top ten winners will receive additional benefits to help market their books. Books published on all self-publishing and hybrid-publishing platforms are eligible. Any year of publication is eligible. Entry fee: $95 per book, with free gifts for everyone who enters.
Winning Writers is one of the "101 Best Websites for Writers" (Writer's Digest, 2026), and this contest is recommended by Reedsy. We suggest submitting online (not by mail) if you want a critique with your entry.Click to read about past winners and learn more about our contest.
Our critique team under managing editor Annie Mydla has prepared critiques for hundreds of books. We usually charge $299 for this service, but if you order a private critique with your North Street Book Prize entry, we discount the price to $249. If you've ordered manuscript critiques before, you know this is a serious bargain. Just enter our North Street contest online in the usual way. When you check out, tick the box to request a private critique.
Ordering a critique does not affect how your entry is judged, and you'll receive it by February 15 when we announce the results of the contest.
Here is a sample critique. You can expect yours to be 1,500-3,000 words long. It will include the following sections as relevant:
1. Critique summary
2. Two to three of the following areas, with subsections that incorporate examples from your book and craft considerations like: structure, character, theme, setting, physical and sensory immersivity, atmosphere, tropes, and more.
Page-turning energy (PTE): Where does the book's page-turning energy come from? What changes could strengthen the PTE?
Genre expression (GE): What can genre tell us about what belongs or doesn't belong in the book? About which parts are commercially friendly, and which need development?
Distinctiveness: Is your book's content likely to stand out with agents, publishers, and/or your target audience? How could it stand out more?
Scope: Does your book have "too much stuff" in it? How to figure out what to keep and what to prune back.
Target audience (TA): Who is going to buy your book? How can the book be made more enjoyable for them? How might the TA be widened or narrowed, depending on the author's goals? What effect might the TA have on agent considerations, and how to edit for agent success?
3. Recommendations and conclusion
4. Exercises to unlock creativity
We seek to provide perspectives that will provoke new ideas and directions for future drafts.
Critique testimonials
"I wanted to thank you for your wonderful critique of my book From Womb To Bloom. It's the first time someone like you, a professional, has reviewed any of my books. I think you gave me a fair and honest review. I appreciate all the personal comments, and that you told me you cried. I love the transparency displayed as well. It made me smile that you get my humor. I am known for it.
"What I took away from reading your book review is 'less is more', I do have some talent, don't give up (which isn't in my vocabulary), that being critiqued by a professional is a great experience, and the extra links you sent me and your kind words made this eighty-year-old lady very happy, and Winning Writers is an awesome company!! I am seriously thinking of entering my poetry book in the contests from the email I received from them recently."
"Thank you so much for this thoughtful and generous critique. It truly means a great deal to me, especially as Tía Is… is my debut book.
"I'm incredibly honored that it reached the top 2% of entries, and I deeply appreciate the care and clarity you brought to your feedback. It's both affirming and helpful as I continue developing my work."
"Thank you so, so much for your detailed, constructive, and complimentary review. I constantly ask for feedback and the response is rarely as thoughtful or grounded as yours. Very helpful.
"It's truly an honor, and I will be submitting again!"
"Thank you for such a detailed critique. I read every word and plan to learn from your suggestions and recommendations. This is an incredible document to have, and I will do my best to bring my writing up to a higher level because of your work.
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