Sell Synopsis Critiques & Submission-Ready Feedback From Your Bio

A synopsis critique is a fixed-price service you sell straight from your bio link: the writer uploads a query-ready plot summary — commonly one to two pages, single-spaced — and you return written feedback on clarity, pacing, and whether the ending is revealed clearly enough for an agent to follow. No live call, no reading fee, no coaching platform. 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.

Clients can pay by card without creating an account. Brillay has an 8% platform fee when a follower pays for work and 5% on tips and goals, with creator payouts available in 41 countries (pricing).

Writers who post querying updates or manuscript progress often get some version of the same DM: "Can you look at my synopsis before I send it out?" That request is narrow enough to price and deliver without a booking calendar, a coaching marketplace listing, or a monthly retainer — it just needs a clear offer sitting in the bio link the writer already found you through. Sold on Brillay, a synopsis critique works best through Custom Work: one deliverable, one price, and a delivery time. Followers pay upfront; you can decline a request. You send the critique without scheduling a call (how it works).

Publishing-industry educator Jane Friedman's guidance on writing a novel synopsis treats the synopsis as its own craft skill, distinct from the query pitch — which is why a dedicated synopsis-critique offer can sit alongside, rather than duplicate, a manuscript-critique or query-letter critique service.

What is a synopsis critique, exactly?

A synopsis critique is written feedback on the short plot-summary document a writer submits alongside a query letter or self-publishing package — not feedback on the full manuscript, and not a rewrite of marketing copy. The reviewer reads for clarity, pacing, and whether the ending lands, then returns specific notes the writer can act on before submitting.

Synopsis length is a widely repeated convention rather than an enforced industry rule. Publishing educator Jane Friedman recommends a novel synopsis of about 500 to 1,000 words, single-spaced, which she describes as one to two pages:

"Write a one- or two-page synopsis—about 500-1000 words, single spaced—and use that as your default, unless the submission guidelines ask for something longer." (Jane Friedman)

Writer's Digest frames the same range as a preference, not a standard: "While there is no universal standard for the length of a book or novel synopsis, agents usually favor one to two pages, single-spaced" (Writer's Digest, "Learn How to Write a Synopsis Like a Pro"). A critique listing should therefore state its own page or word cap rather than assume a shared definition.

Because a synopsis has to compress an entire plot — including the ending, which query letters often withhold — writers frequently misjudge what to cut. A critique targets that compression problem directly: does the summary read clearly to someone who has never seen the manuscript, and does it reveal enough plot for a professional reader to evaluate the story.

A synopsis critique sits between two documents this cluster covers separately: it is not a manuscript critique, which responds to the full draft, and it is not new marketing copy for a back cover or listing. Keeping the scope to "the synopsis document only" is what makes the offer easy to price and deliver quickly.

Why won't a literary agent critique your synopsis for you?

A literary agent reading a query is deciding whether to represent the book, not coaching a revision, and the Association of American Literary Agents bars its members from charging reading fees for that evaluation. Paid synopsis critiques therefore sit outside the query process, sold by editors, coaches, and published authors rather than bundled into representation.

"Members may not charge any reading fees for evaluating work for possible representation." (AALA Canon of Ethics (2026))

The AALA reading-fee ban protects querying writers from pay-to-play agents, and it leaves a gap a paid critique fills: feedback on the synopsis document itself, delivered outside the query process, with no representation decision attached.

The AALA's 2026 Canon of Ethics does permit member agents to sell editorial services to writers who are not their clients, provided the agent says in writing beforehand that the paid work implies no offer of representation. Any seller of synopsis critiques — agent or not — should carry that same disclosure into the listing.

"Members may offer editorial or non-editorial services (e.g. web design, social media consultation, creation of promotional content) to non-clients. However, the member must make clear to the non-client in writing in advance that the rendering of such services does not indicate or imply that the member will represent them as a literary agent." (AALA Canon of Ethics (2026))

Freelance editors are well placed to sell synopsis critiques alongside their regular editorial workload. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a median annual wage of $77,920 for editors in May 2025 (BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook — Editors). The BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook states verbatim that "about 7,900 openings for editors are projected each year, on average, over the decade," and its Quick Facts table lists Job Outlook, 2025-35 for editors as "-1% (Decline)". BLS attaches no year range to the 7,900-openings sentence itself, so quote it as an average across the projection decade rather than as a count for any single named year. A staff-job outlook that flat is one reason a scoped, priced side offer is a reasonable way for a working editor to diversify income.

Should a synopsis critique be a paid question or a full service?

A synopsis critique should be sold through Custom Work, not Paid Questions, in almost every case, because the client submits a document and receives detailed written notes back. Paid Questions on Brillay are one typed question and one written reply.

How much should you charge for a synopsis critique?

No official synopsis-critique rate card exists, so price the offer from the nearest published editorial benchmark and the hours the work actually takes. A practical launch range for one round of written notes on a two-page synopsis is roughly $50 to $85, derived from the Editorial Freelancers Association's published hourly band for manuscript assessment work.

The Editorial Freelancers Association's rate chart lists manuscript assessment and evaluation work at $40.00–$54.00 per hour, with a median per-project fee of $600.00 and a mean of $855.56 (EFA rate chart). The example math below rests on an assumption, not a surveyed figure: no published survey reports how long a synopsis critique takes, so assume for illustration only that one careful pass on a 500–1,000-word synopsis plus written notes fills 60 to 90 minutes of working time. Applied to the EFA's reported $40.00–$54.00 hourly band, that illustrative 60-to-90-minute assumption yields $40 to $81 per critique — round to a $50–$85 launch price rather than copying the $600 full-manuscript median, and time your own first three critiques to replace the assumption with a real pace.

The Editorial Freelancers Association's 2026 rate chart is built from a survey of more than 1,100 EFA members — over a third of the association's membership — collected from November 2025 through mid-January 2026 about rates charged during calendar year 2025, and the EFA states plainly that it "neither sets rates nor advises members on what rates or rate types to use". Treat every EFA figure on this page as reported member behavior, not a fee schedule anyone is obliged to match.

The same Editorial Freelancers Association rate chart lists beta reading at $50.00–$70.00 per hour with a median per-project fee of $150.00 (EFA rate chart), which is a useful ceiling check: a synopsis critique is a narrower deliverable than a full beta read, so a launch price above $150 usually needs an added tier — a query letter, a revision memo, or a second pass — to justify it.

Any price example here is illustrative, not a guarantee — what an offer earns depends on audience size, positioning, demand, and how clearly the listing is scoped, not the price point alone. On Brillay, Custom Work has a flat price and a delivery time you set yourself, up to a five-day maximum.

How do you sell a synopsis critique from your bio link?

Selling from a bio link works when one line of bio copy names the deliverable, the price, and the delivery time, and the link label repeats the deliverable rather than saying "link in bio." Brillay's own setup instructs creators to put the Brillay link in a TikTok, Instagram, or YouTube bio and point followers there. That link works from your first follower, with no follower minimum to clear, so the querying writer who asked about their synopsis can pay you directly the day the listing goes up.

Example bio CTA copy, in decreasing order of specificity:

• Bio line: "Querying? Send me your synopsis — notes back in 48h. $65 ↓"
• Shorter bio line: "Synopsis critiques · 48h delivery time ↓"
• Link label / button text: "Synopsis critique — $65, 48h" (name the document, not "Work with me")
• Pinned post or video caption: "Every synopsis question in my DMs gets the same answer, so I made it a proper offer — link in bio."

The three ordering rules that follow are best-practice advice from the Brillay Team. Put the synopsis-critique service near the top of your Brillay page so a visitor meets it before tips and questions; keep the tier count to one or two at launch so the client is not asked to choose; and name the offer in the pinned post your bio link is attached to. A bio that reads "link in bio" without naming the deliverable makes the reader guess what is for sale.

Payments run through Stripe, whose published US pricing lists online card processing at 2.9% + $0.30 per successful domestic-card transaction (Stripe pricing); that processing cost applies in addition to Brillay's platform fee — 8% when a follower pays for work, 5% on tips and goals — so set the sticker price with both in mind.

What should a synopsis-critique listing include?

A clear listing tells the client exactly what they get before paying, keeps the work inside scope, and leaves a clear record of the submitted brief and finished delivery if a payment dispute happens. Every synopsis-critique listing should name six things: the input limit, the genres accepted, the deliverable format, the revision policy, the delivery time, and the exclusions. Define each in plain language:

• Input: A synopsis up to a stated page or word limit (for example, two pages single-spaced, or 1,000 words).
• Genre fit: Whether you review all genres or a specific category (romance, thriller, literary fiction).
• Deliverable: Inline comments, a summary memo, or both.
• Revision policy: Custom Work includes one delivery; if you offer a second look, sell it as a new order through Custom Work.
• Delivery time: A period you can reliably meet inside Brillay's 1-to-5-day range.
• Exclusions: State plainly that the offer does not cover the full manuscript, the query letter, or new marketing copy.

For example: "One round of written notes on a synopsis up to two pages, focused on clarity and pacing. Does not include manuscript pages, query letter feedback, or a rewrite." How to write a custom request offer walks through scoping a listing this way.

What packages make sense for a synopsis critique?

Four tiers cover the request shapes a synopsis-critique seller sees most often: line notes on one synopsis, line notes plus a revision memo, a synopsis-and-query combo pass, and a discounted second look after revision. The illustrative launch prices below are derived from the Editorial Freelancers Association's $40.00–$54.00 hourly band for manuscript assessment work (EFA rate chart).

The combo tier prices higher because the query letter is separately paid editorial work: the Editorial Freelancers Association's rate chart lists query letter coaching at $70.00–$77.50 per hour with a median per-project fee of $300.00 (EFA rate chart).

Launching one bounded tier and adding others once real requests arrive is best-practice advice from the Brillay Team. One delivery of line notes on one synopsis is the simplest offer to start with; add a combo or second-look offer through Custom Work later, with each second look purchased as a separate order.

What else can you sell around querying and submissions?

A synopsis critique does not have to be the only paid option for a writer working toward submission, and separate offers are easier to price than one vague "query package." The related offers below stay clearly distinct from a synopsis critique, so a client can tell at a glance which document each one covers:

• Manuscript critique: Feedback on the full draft, not the summary — see how much to charge for a manuscript critique.
• Personalized Videos: A quick encouragement clip before a writer sends a batch of queries.
• Tips: A way for querying-journey followers to support you without buying a specific critique.
• Goals: Cash toward a stated goal — such as covering conference registration — with a progress bar, not a purchase of the finished critique itself.

The same structure in Custom Work applies to other document types too — see sell a poetry critique service online — and a poet can use the identical flat-fee setup to run a custom occasion poem menu instead of open-ended critiques.

How do you get a synopsis-critique offer live?

Decide first whether a given request is a narrow text question or a full document review, then write the listing with an input limit, deliverable, revision policy, and delivery time before publishing it. Custom Work on Brillay lets a client submit the document and notes, pay upfront, and receive your finished critique later — the same flow works for a website copy audit, not just manuscript feedback.

Brillay's published eligibility answer says the only requirement is that someone wants to interact with you. Under the FAQ heading "Do I need a minimum number of followers?", Brillay states: "No. There's no follower minimum and nothing to apply for — the only requirement is that someone wants to interact with you". No editing credential, MFA, professional membership, or application step appears in that eligibility answer. Describe your background accurately — querying history, publishing credits, or editorial experience — rather than implying credentials you don't hold, and keep the listing clear that a critique does not guarantee an agent's interest or an offer of representation. The same no-credential eligibility lets a working screenwriter sell paid career advice from a bio link too.

Frequently asked questions

Six questions come up most often about selling synopsis critiques: whether you need a credential, whether the offer belongs in a custom request or a Paid Question, how long a synopsis should be, how a synopsis critique differs from a query letter critique, what Brillay and Stripe charge when a client pays, and what to do with a too-long submission.

Do I need to be a published author or an agent to sell synopsis critiques?

No. Brillay's own FAQ states: "There's no follower minimum and nothing to apply for — the only requirement is that someone wants to interact with you", making that the eligibility requirement. Describe your actual background — querying experience, publishing credits, or editorial work — accurately, since buyers rely on that context to judge the offer.

Should a synopsis critique be a Paid Question or a custom request?

Use Custom Work — nearly every synopsis-critique request needs a document submitted and written notes returned.

How long should the synopsis I review be?

Set your own cap and publish it. Jane Friedman recommends about 500 to 1,000 words, single-spaced, as a default novel synopsis length, and Writer's Digest notes there is no universal standard while agents usually favor one to two pages, single-spaced.

What's the difference between a synopsis critique and a query letter critique?

A synopsis critique reviews the plot-summary document; a query letter critique reviews the pitch letter that goes to an agent alongside it. They're different documents with different jobs, so they're best sold as separate, clearly labeled offers rather than bundled under one vague "query package" listing.

What does Brillay charge for a custom request like this?

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. Stripe's published pricing lists US online card processing at 2.9% + $0.30 per successful domestic-card transaction, which applies in addition to the platform fee.

What if the synopsis is longer than the listing allows?

Brillay's FAQ answers the case of an unwanted request directly: "You can decline and refund it. You're always in control of what you take on". Brillay's Purchases, Support & Refunds policy is the governing text and states that "Ordinary refunds are decided and initiated by the creator," listing a full refund, a partial refund, or declining "in accordance with the creator's stated policy and applicable law" among the creator's options. Stating the limit up front — "up to two pages, single-spaced" — makes that boundary easy to enforce without an awkward mid-project conversation.

Create your free Brillay page and turn the next "can you look at my synopsis?" DM into a clearly scoped paid offer.