Authors for Philippines Auctions

(Hope it's okay to plug this here, if it would be better in another forum, could a kind mod move it? It's nothing to do with me, by the way, but wanted to spread the word about a good cause.)

A huge amount of authors and editors have got together to raise money for the British Red Cross Typhoon Haiyan appeal by auctioning off lots of stuff. There are signed books available, the chance to get characters named after you, and partial/full critiques. Bidding closes on Wednesday 20th at 8PM GMT. (Winning bidders will then need to donate to the British Red Cross and get a receipt to claim the item.)

Old Hack said:

I'm surprised that the bids are so low. A critique by Nicola Morgan (OK, she's my friend, but still: she's wonderful) is currently only £70, a line edit by Francesca Main (editorial director of Picador) is £221, there are meetings with agents available, the chance to have a character named after you... all sorts of wonderful things. And it's for such a great cause.

I might bid on a few auctions myself.

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The Nicola Morgan one is standing out as incredibly cheap at the moment - now up to £75. Given what people with nowhere near her reputation are charging for a 3000 word critique, that would seem to be a huge bargain if it goes for anywhere near that!

That's fab, Cathy!

Also currently ridiculously cheap, 20,000 words non-fiction critique from Pulitzer Prize-winner Bob Drogin is going for £40. I wish I wrote non-fiction!

Cathy C said:

Interestingly, my donation was refused. They're presently overwhelmed with items. But bids are more than welcome. I couldn't tell how they're handling the money conversion, though. It appears to be located in the UK.

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I think they're pretty snowed under with donations and it's been taking a while to upload...

Bids need to be in GBP (they are based in the UK, yeah) and made to the British Red Cross, who accept international donations. FAQ is here.

Still some incredibly cheap stuff there - as well as the Drogin I mentioned above, there's a critique for a novel aimed at 10-14 year olds by Emma Matthewson. That's Emma Matthewson of Hot Key Books, who edited Harry Potter! Currently only £250.

Hope no-one minds me bumping this - just to say there's about 12 hours left. I'm currently leading on a signed copy of one of my favourite books of the year, and trying to work out if I can afford £100, which might be enough to win a full crit from one of my favourite authors!