Sell a poetry critique by pricing feedback on a reader's existing poem — not a new poem you write — as a Paid Question for a single short poem pasted as text, or a custom request when the poet wants a longer manuscript reviewed or a marked-up file returned. Set the deliverable, price, and turnaround before opening requests. Custom Work lets you offer clearly scoped commissions and services: you set the price, the scope and the delivery time, and followers submit a brief and pay before you start.
No monthly fee, you only pay a small platform fee when you get paid. 8% platform fee when a follower pays for work, 5% platform fee on tips and goals. Card processing is separate. pricing
A workshop-style critique is feedback on a poem someone else already wrote: line-level notes on imagery, sound, line breaks, and where a draft is or isn't earning its ending. That is a different product from writing a new poem to order for a wedding, a birthday, or another occasion — commissioned occasion poems are their own offer with their own pricing and scope. This page covers only the critique side: getting paid to react to and improve poems that already exist.
Poetry has a real, measurable audience worth writing for. Nearly 12% of U.S. adults read or listened to poetry in the past year, according to early data from the National Endowment for the Arts' 2022 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts (NEA) — a readership large enough that "will you look at my poem" is a recurring DM for anyone visibly writing or teaching in the space, not a one-off favor.
"Nearly 12 percent of U.S. adults read poetry or listened to it via media, according to early data from the 2022 SPPA." — National Endowment for the Arts
What counts as a paid poetry critique?
A paid poetry critique is written or spoken feedback on a poem the buyer already drafted: line-level notes on imagery, sound, line breaks, and structure, delivered once for a set fee. A critique is not a rewrite, not a replacement poem written for the buyer, and not an open-ended "how do I get better" coaching relationship. Scope each order to one poem, one short sequence, or one small manuscript.
Set the boundaries upfront: how many poems are covered, whether you comment on craft, content, or both, and that the order is a single delivery, not an ongoing exchange. A critique that quietly turns into a rewrite is unpaid extra work; state the boundary in the listing instead of discovering it mid-request.
Should a poem critique be a Paid Question or a custom request?
Choose Paid Questions when the poem is short enough to paste as text and the follower wants notes back in writing. Choose Custom Work when the follower wants to attach a file, submit several poems, or receive a marked-up document back.
Both offer types are listed on the same Brillay page: Paid Questions and Custom Work.
| Request | Better-fit format | Why |
|---|---|---|
| One short poem, pasted as text | Paid Questions | The follower submits the poem in the question, and you reply in writing. |
| A chapbook-in-progress or several poems | custom request | Needs a file submission and a longer, structured deliverable |
| A marked-up or annotated document back | Custom Work | The follower can attach files, and you can deliver the marked-up or annotated document as a file. |
| A brand-new poem for an occasion | A separate commissioned-poem offer | Different deliverable — writing a poem, not reviewing one |
Paid Questions are configured with two settings, price and reply time, and the creator sends one written reply (how it works).
Custom Work has a price and delivery time you set, capped at up to 5 days — five calendar days — and lets you deliver text plus files of any allowed type and/or a link. The 120-hour ceiling is the product maximum, and you set any advertised delivery time within it.
What should a poetry-critique listing say?
A poetry-critique listing should state the unit of work, the kind of feedback, the delivery format, and the delivery time. Use Paid Questions for written replies; use Custom Work for marked-up files or other delivered files and/or a link. Vague listings such as "poetry feedback" invite open-ended submissions that don't match the price.
A tighter example: "One round of written line notes on one poem, up to about 40 lines. Covers imagery, line breaks, and sound; does not include a rewrite or a second poem." That sentence answers what's included, what isn't, and how much the buyer is submitting.
Speed is a real differentiator worth naming in the listing. Poetry magazine tells submitters that its response time is up to one year and that submitting to Poetry is free (Poetry Foundation) — a paid critique competes on the opposite axis, so put the number of days in the listing rather than leaving delivery time implied.
Related reading on scoping a listing so requests stay inside what was purchased: how to write a custom request offer.
How should you price a poetry critique?
Price a poetry critique against the time a careful read-and-respond actually takes. A practical ladder runs from about $15–$35 for a single-stanza gut-check to $45–$90 for one poem up to 40 lines, $60–$120 for a recorded voice critique, and $150–$300 for a 3–5 poem batch. Every price below is illustrative, not a guarantee.
The nearest published benchmark comes from editorial freelancing. The Editorial Freelancers Association's 2026 Rate Chart lists a median rate range of $52.50–$70.00 per hour for developmental editing of fiction (EFA), so one poem that takes 45–60 focused minutes maps to roughly $39–$70 of billable time at that benchmark. The EFA's 2026 chart is built on responses from over 1,100 freelance editorial professionals — more than a third of its membership — surveyed from November 2025 through mid-January 2026.
"As more people become part-time or full-time freelancers, they often don't know how to price their work." — Vina Orden, EFA director of communications and marketing, EFA Announces 2026 Editorial Rate Chart
Poets already pay to put work in front of readers, which is the reference price your buyer is carrying into the transaction. The Academy of American Poets charges a $35 entry fee for its First Book Award (Academy of American Poets), and The Kenyon Review charges $24 to enter its Poetry Contest (The Kenyon Review) — in both cases the fee buys a reading, not written feedback. A $45 critique that returns named line notes in 48 hours is priced in the same neighborhood as a contest entry that returns a yes or no.
Price ladder with net payout after fees
| Tier | Deliverable | Example price | Net after 8% Brillay fee + typical US Stripe 2.9% + $0.30 | Suggested delivery time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Line/stanza gut-check | Paid Question: Written reply on one line or stanza, up to about 8 lines | $15–$35 | $13.07 at $15; $30.89 at $35 | Your configured reply time |
| Single-poem critique | Written line notes on one poem, up to about 40 lines | $45–$90 | $39.80 at $45; $79.89 at $90 | 24–48 hours (suggested example) |
| Voice critique | Custom Work: Recorded read-through plus spoken notes on one poem | $60–$120 | $53.16 at $60; $106.62 at $120 | 48–72 hours (suggested example) |
| Small-batch read | Written critique letter covering 3–5 poems or a chapbook-in-progress | $150–$300 | $133.35 at $150; $267.00 at $300 | 72–120 hours (suggested example) |
Assumptions behind every net figure in that table: an 8% Brillay platform fee charged when a follower pays for work (tips and goals carry 5% instead), plus typical US online-card processing of 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction as published by Stripe (Stripe). Worked example: a $45 single-poem critique gives up $3.60 to the 8% paid-work fee and $1.61 to typical US card processing, leaving $39.80 before income tax. International cards, currency conversion, and non-card payment methods carry different Stripe rates, so treat every net figure here as a US-domestic-card illustration.
The delivery time figures in the ladder are suggested examples, not platform guarantees, and their operational basis is simple: allow one working session for the read plus a buffer for the day the request lands. The 72–120 hour band for a small-batch read exists because up to 5 days is the hard product ceiling on Brillay delivery time — a batch that needs more than 5 days belongs in a different, larger offer.
Brillay's own recommendation for a first launch: open with exactly one tier, priced at $45 for one poem up to 40 lines, which nets $39.80 after Brillay's 8% fee on paid work and typical US card processing, and raise the price once inbound requests outpace what you can turn around inside your advertised window. Results depend on your audience, positioning, and demand for your specific critique style.
How should you sell a poetry critique from your bio link?
Sell a poetry critique from your bio link by making the critique the first tappable offer on your Brillay page, naming the unit and the delivery time in the button-adjacent copy, and pointing every "can you look at my poem?" reply at that one link. Order the page so the highest-intent, highest-priced offer sits at the top.
A listing order that matches how poets buy, top to bottom on your page:
- Custom Work — single-poem critique. The main offer, with price and delivery time visible.
- Paid Questions — line/stanza gut-check. The cheap entry point for someone not ready for a full critique.
- Goals. Cash toward a defined goal such as a chapbook print run.
- Personalized Videos. A recorded congratulations for a poet who just got published.
- Tips. For readers who want to support your own poems without buying anything.
CTA copy that converts better than "support me," because it names the deliverable, the size limit, and the clock:
- Button/offer title: "Line notes on your poem — 40 lines, back in 48h."
- Offer description: "Paste or upload one poem up to 40 lines. You get written line notes on imagery, line breaks, and sound. One round. No rewrite."
- Bio line: "Poet. I read your poem and tell you what's working → [your Brillay link]"
- Reply to a DM asking for free feedback: "I do this as a paid critique now so I can give it real time — link's in my bio, $45, notes back within 48 hours."
Social post examples that sell the offer without a hard pitch:
- The craft post: post a short thread on one technique (line breaks that earn their pause), then close with "If you want this done on your poem, the critique link's in my bio."
- The receipt post: quote one anonymized line of feedback you gave, with permission, then "That's what a line-notes critique looks like. Bio link."
- The price-context post: "A poetry contest entry runs $24–$35 and gets you a yes or no. A $45 critique gets you the notes." Both figures are verifiable: $24 to enter The Kenyon Review Poetry Contest and $35 for the Academy of American Poets First Book Award.
More on choosing what sits at the top of the page: best first offer to add to your link in bio and how to write a bio that makes followers click your paid link.
What if the poem needs more than a critique?
Decline a request that falls outside the listed scope rather than absorbing unpaid extra work — for example, a buyer who submits a 20-poem manuscript against a single-poem listing, or who asks for a full rewrite after purchasing feedback only. You can decline a request; followers pay upfront, so there is nothing to chase. Point the buyer to a larger tier instead.
A listing boundary makes an out-of-scope request rarer, but it will still happen. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports median annual pay of $76,910 for writers and authors in May 2025 and notes that many people in the occupation are self-employed (BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook); freelance income at that level depends on the same scope discipline that keeps a critique offer sustainable at volume.
What else can a poet sell alongside critiques?
A poet can sell four other things on the same Brillay page alongside critiques: tips from readers who enjoy the poems, Goals toward a defined goal such as a chapbook print run, a Personalized Video, and a Brand Collaboration Inquiries form for presses and literary brands. Each fills a different need without blurring the critique listing.
- Tips: A way for someone who read your own poems for free to support you without buying a critique.
- Goals: Funding toward a defined goal, such as a chapbook print run — see how to fund a poetry chapbook print run — rather than paying for feedback.
- Personalized Videos: A recorded congratulations or encouragement message — useful for a poet celebrating a publication, not for critique work.
- Brand Collaboration Inquiries: A separate inbox for literary magazines, presses, or writing-tool brands proposing a partnership rather than requesting a critique.
Some poets also carry a second, unrelated paid-writing skill on the side — for example, selling a landing page copywriting service for small businesses — which can run through the same Custom Work setup on Brillay without touching the critique listing.
Publication itself still pays in some places: Poetry magazine compensates published text poems at $500 per poem as of its March 2026 issue — a reminder that a critique offer complements submission income rather than replacing it. For the wider landscape of how poets get paid — journals, advances, grants, teaching, and readings — see how do poets make money. If you're pricing critique-style feedback on longer prose manuscripts rather than poems, see how much to charge for a manuscript critique. Writers working across formats sometimes run a nearby critique offer alongside poetry work, too — a screenwriter's note-giving equivalent is selling a script coverage service online, and a novelist prepping to query agents often wants a paid query letter critique.
How do you get a poetry-critique offer live?
Get a poetry-critique offer live in four steps: decide whether most requests arrive as short pasted poems or longer file batches, create the matching offer type, set one price and one delivery time inside the 120-hour delivery ceiling, and connect Stripe so payouts can reach your bank. Card processing is separate.
Creators connect Stripe during setup to receive payouts.
Describe your background honestly — years writing, publication history, workshop experience — without implying a credential you don't hold. A critique is one reader's informed reaction, not a guarantee that the poem will be accepted anywhere or read a certain way by anyone else; say so in the listing if you want to avoid that expectation forming.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need an MFA or publishing credits to sell poetry critiques?
No. Describe your actual experience accurately in the listing so buyers know what kind of feedback they're paying for.
How much should I charge for a poetry critique?
A workable starting ladder is $15–$35 for a single-stanza gut-check, $45–$90 for one poem up to 40 lines, $60–$120 for a recorded voice critique, and $150–$300 for a 3–5 poem batch. Those bands sit near the Editorial Freelancers Association's 2026 median range of $52.50–$70.00 per hour for developmental editing of fiction (EFA) once you account for how long each read takes. Prices are illustrative, not guaranteed outcomes.
What do I actually keep on a $45 poetry critique?
$39.80, before income tax, on a typical US card payment. A $45 sale gives up $3.60 to Brillay's 8% platform fee when a follower pays for work (5% on tips and goals), and $1.61 to typical US online-card processing of 2.9% + $0.30 as published by Stripe. International cards and currency conversion carry higher Stripe rates.
Should a poem critique be a Paid Question or a custom request?
Use Paid Questions when the poem is short enough to paste as text and the follower wants one written reply. Use Custom Work when the follower wants to attach a file, submit multiple poems, or get a marked-up document back; Custom Work delivery time is creator-set and capped at up to 5 days.
What if the buyer submits more poems than the listing covers?
Decline the request, or point the buyer to a larger tier before starting the work. A specific line in the listing — "one poem, up to 40 lines" — makes this easier to enforce.
Is a poetry critique the same as writing a poem on commission?
No. A critique reviews a poem the buyer already wrote; a commissioned poem is a new poem you write for an occasion. They're different deliverables and are usually priced and listed separately.
What does Brillay charge to sell a critique?
No monthly fee: the platform fee is the one stated near the top of this page, and it is only taken when a follower pays you. There's no follower minimum, and payouts run through Stripe — Stripe's published pricing lists 2.9% + $0.30 for typical US online-card transactions.
Create your free Brillay page and turn the next "will you look at my poem?" message into a priced critique offer.
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