About Our Feedback

It's that time of year - we've reopened for submissions (1 Aug to 1 Sept), and there's already a flurry authors sending us their creations. It's as good a time as any to talk about our Feedback Options, how they can help improve your writing and chances of publicatoin, as well as some of the behind the of editing a literary journal.

As many of our fans and contributors already know, we offer a range of Feedback Options for writers. Earlier this year, we launched a series of masterclasses, with one-to-one online mentoring from our Editor in Chief, a professional editor and writer, for those looking to take their skills to the next level.

But for the curious, let’s dive into the feedback we offer, why it’s different, and how it’s helped dozens of authors publish more widely, pursue further education, get the attention of literary agents, sign book deals, and more.

We don’t just focus on one particular work, and whether or not it ‘grabs’ us – we help develop your editorial instincts and know-how, so you’re set up for success in editing your next work, and the next, and – you get the picture.

There are many places offering feedback, either through literary journals, competitions, and boutique ‘writing services’ agencies. It can be difficult to know what you’re getting before you pay for it, or whether what you get will help with your particular kind of writing.

Let’s clear up any mystery about what we offer:

-AFFORDABLE. We keep our feedback prices affordable compared to the going market rate because we know writers come from all backgrounds. Working class and other marginalised writers are often priced out accessing the professional resources they need – and those are the folks we like to help.

-PROFESSIONAL. The feedback we offer is professional – direct from our Editor in Chief, Hanna Nielson, with over ten years experience working across genres, in both film and publishing.

-EDUCATIONAL. Our EIC specialises in structural and developmental editing, and has mentored creatives for over 15 years – so she knows how to take a ‘teaching’ approach to feedback, that goes far beyond the mere ‘liked it/ didn’t like it’ level. She often goes above and beyond, providing recommendations for further reading and other resources and handouts, as needed. (Hanna also works professionally with authors and small presses, and is passionate about contributing to the wider literary scene. Find out more here.)

-HUMAN. We never use Chat-GPT, LLMs, or any other “AI” type software to provide feedback - and we never will. We expect work submitted to us to be written by a human – and it is read by a human. Full stop.

-FLEXIBLE. We offer a range of Feedback Options, covering works from 6K up to 50K. You have a choice from receiving 1-3 pages feedback, all the way to 20 pages (for longer works). If you like our feedback, and want to submit more work, you're absolutely welcome! There's no limit on how often you can use our services.

-VARIETY. Whether you’re writing short stories, poetry, nonfiction, scripts, or novels in progress, we can accommodate you. (There are some restrictions in terms of content, the usual no-go’s for literary journals.) Because our EIC focuses on elements of storytelling, and has a wide range of professional experience, she is both adept and ethusiastic about reading across genres.

How do we compare to other places offering feedback?

Typically, editorial feedback from journals and other ‘writing services’ companies limit to 1-3 pages, and charge an average of £30 or more. For writers, that's both an investment and a gamble, given there's no assurances about what kind of editorial feedback you might get.

With other places, there’s seldom a description of what exactly will be covered in the feedback, whether it’s based on an editor’s ‘first impression’ and ‘vibes,’ or on multiple read-throughs and deep analysis. If it’s an analysis, it might not cover all aspects of the storytelling but just focus on one or two areas that are the editor's specialty.

Not only that, it might be guesswork figuring about which editor actually handles the feedback, their qualifications, experience, preferences, and so on. Editors come in a wide variety, and not all of them are a good fit for your unique needs as a writer.

We rely on our EIC's professional experience in both editing and mentoring, and make it clear that our feedback is a deep analysis of the work, focused on all the major building blocks of storytelling structure.

We also know that as a writer you don’t need to just know what’s ‘wrong’ with your story, you need to know how to fix it – in a way that resonates with you, not just with an editor. After all, it's your story, not the editor's.

In our opinion, writers need to develop their own editorial know-how and skills, not just have an editor point out mistakes. An author’s vision might not come across in the first, or even the seventh draft, unless they understand some of the underlying rules of dramatic structure, genre expectations, character development, and world building.

Our goal with feedback is to provide a mini-tutorial in editing, as well as a targeted blueprint for your revision.

If something ‘doesn’t work’ or comes across to the reader in a way the author doesn’t intend, we’ll point out the elements, structures, and genre conventions that apply to that situation. We provide examples of potential options for resolving the problem, to help you discover a solution that fits your vision.

Instead of dictating it ‘has to be’ a certain way, we know our job as editors is to help an author develop both their vision and their storytelling instincts. We’re just here to help you see things more clearly.

Why do we go above and beyond when so many only offer the bare minimum? Our goal in starting The Belfast Review was to contribute to the wider literary scene. Not everyone has access to university courses, writing coaches, or expensive workshops - but all writers, regardless of background, need a helping hand.

Confident authors from diverse backgrounds build a more robust literary community, help support other creatives, get more satisfaction out of their craft, and go on to achieve their personal and professional goals. For us, that's worth investing our time and expertise.

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A BRIEF DEFINITION OF EDITORIAL TERMS

Writers aren't necessarily editors, but as they gain more experience and pass more professional milestones, they will definitely need to build relationships with editors - and understand more about editorial terms and processes. Here's a very brief breakdown:

-PROOFREADING: covers typos, punctuation, spelling, formatting, and word-level errors.

-COPY EDITING: deals with sentence-level issues, grammar, flow, repetition, readability.

-STRUCTURAL EDITING: deals with plot, tension, dramatic structure, suspense, plausibility, etc.

-DEVELOPMENTAL EDITING: covers character development, motivation, conflict, voice, point of view, world building, genre issues, etc.

In book publishing, it’s normal for a story to go through multiple rounds of editing, even if the manuscript you originally submitted was as 'polished' as you could make it.

When crafting your story, Developmental Editing and Structural come first. Copy Editing happens when the first two stages are complete; and Proofreading is the final polish before submitting it anywhere (to agents, presses, literary journals, etc).

It’s like building a house – you want solid foundations (development) before you put up the structure; and both foundations and structure are far more important to get right from the beginning than worrying about the putting in the windows, or choosing the right table lamp. Th

Editing is the ‘other half’ of the writing journey, and not always covered in depth in writing workshops or creative writing degrees (and we know that from experience).

Editing behind the scenes in literary journals

For most literary journals, the publication schedule is quite demanding and involves a tight turnaround. From reading and accepting pieces, to proofing and formatting for publication, to building the assembled journal - there's not a lot of spare time.

The pieces that tend to get accepted need only minor editing, such as proofreading. Smaller journals might work with authors in developing their work, but that shouldn't be taken as a given.

As a writer, you shouldn't expect that editors have the time to help you polish your work. There are many time constraints on editors - so sending only your best, most developed and polished work isn't only a must for you, it's a courtesy for them.

If you're submitting stories that 'aren't quite there' in the hopes an editor can provide free feedback, that's not the most proactive strategy. It's like leaving it to fate to determine if the house you built can withstand the weather, instead of hiring a professional to inspect it.

Purchasing feedback from a professional editor is a better solution, but not the only one. Having a network of writers who enjoy reading and commenting on each other's work, whether in a formal workshop or informal online group, can helpful. Reading as a volunteer for a literary journal is another option, so you gain a sense of what 'works' in a story, and what doesn't.

Regardless of the route you choose, your goal as a writer is to develop your own instincts about your writing, and understand more about what makes stories 'work' in general. Reading more and writing more are essential, but having the ear of an editor can also help clarify things.

At The Belfast Review, we have a tight turn around with our publication schedule. From accepting works, to proofreading, to allowing authors a final edit, to publication - is perhaps 6-8 weeks.

As a general rule, we accept stories for the magazine that are between 90-100% developed, in need of only minor copy editing and proofreading. That's in line with the majority of literary journals out there, and a big reason why authors should seek out more avenues for developing their work than simply submitting work that isn't quite ready and hoping for the best..

However, we have worked with authors in need of structural editing, and some light developmental editing, meaning the story is 70% there but the writing was strong enough that we knew the author would benefit from our guidance. We rarely find these stories in the general submissions pile - but we do find them from authors using our Feedback Options.

Purchasing any service from us is never a guarantee for publication. But because our EIC handles the feedback, she gets an in depth look at a story and knows just how much revision and TLC it needs in order to sparkle. If she decides to 'mentor' an author through multiple rounds of editing, the timescale often doesn't match up with our magazine publication schedule - and these stories are more likely to feature in our blog.

Authors she has worked with have gone on to produce collections, sign book deals, enroll in university courses, and more. That just goes to show that a little investment in your own work can lead to someone else investing in you - and soon enough, open doors lead to more open doors.

Conclusion

We hope this has been helpful, not just in learning more about us, but some of the behind the scenes aspects of both literary journals and editing. Our goal with writers is to make editing your work less mysterious, more accessible, and something you can take forward with you as you continue to develop as a creative.

As always, we wish everyone all the best in their writing and publication journeys.

Visit our range of Feedback Options here.

Learn more about our Editor in Chief here, or visit her professional website here..