I offer a complete set of services and assistance ranging from submission analysis to conference presentations to editing for individuals and publishers; let me know your needs, and we’ll discuss how I can help you.

For Writers:
Submission Analysis: Cover letters, queries, synopses and outlines…based on questions I’ve received over the years, they represent one of the greatest concerns of the new writer. If you’re ready to send your work out for consideration and are concerned about the submission package, help is at hand. I’ll read your cover letter, synopsis and first fifty pages just as any editor (or agent) would when it arrives on their desk. Based on my more than forty years experience considering submissions, I’ll tell you what you did right and what might be improved, offering suggestions and direction, with light editing of the material.

Editorial Assistance: If you’re not ready to send your material out, if you’ve just finished your first draft and are swamped with those often conflicting suggestions from friends, critique groups and others intent on helping you, you now have access to a knowledgeable, successful, award-winning editor. Combining my experience behind the desk with my time on your side of it as a writer, I’ll work on your manuscript page by page and line by line, editing, suggesting, and doing what an editor is supposed to do: aid the writer in creating the best work of which she is capable at the time.

At the time we agree to work together, a letter of agreement, defining the terms of service will be sent for your signature. No one can honestly say that your manuscript will sell when these processes are finished; anyone who makes that guarantee is lying…period. What I can promise is that your book will be as good as we can make it by working together, that you will learn how to think as editors and agents do, and that you will be a better writer.

Mentoring: If you are interested in a one-on-one teaching experience, I’m available to work with you, either by phone or in person, on a daily basis. This hands-on experience is available on a limited basis; if you are interested in pursuing a program of that kind, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

For Publishers:
Editing services to help keep you on schedule are only part of what I can offer. Additionally, cover concepts and all copy (flap, cover, catalogue, and material for your sales force) will be prepared according to your guidelines and needs. In light of my years of manuscript preparation, I’m aware of your scheduling needs and can guarantee meeting all deadlines.

For Conference Coordinators:
In addition to offering one-on-one readings for your attendees and presentations on topics of importance to writers, including contract negotiation for the unagented, the business of publishing, and writing topics, I’m available to present intensive one- or two-day presentations for a limited number of students. These workshops are interactive, offer exercises for improvement of integral aspects of storytelling, and will give your membership the equivalent of a professional writing seminar for fiction writers.

For further information about any of these services,
please contact me at mseidman@mseidman.com