Writerpedia discussion

I'm a semi-retired literary agent and have taught fiction writing classes for over 10 years as well. I have written a series of booklets on writing for the writer who needs a little help.

You can find out more information on these booklets on my website at: www.FosterLiteraryAgency.com. Click on the left side of the screen under the heading "Help For Writers."

Here is a synopsis of each of the booklets:

"Ten Reasons Why Editors and Agents Stop Reading."

Learn what the ten most common mistakes are that writers make which can cause an acquiring editor at a publishing house, or a literary agent, to stop reading your manuscript and pick up someone else's.


"Formatting Manuscripts." Plus Other Words of Advice.

This is probably the FIRST reason for rejection by most acquiring editors at a publishing house, as well as literary agents. They see the physical look of the manuscript as soon as they take it out of the package, BEFORE they even read one word of your story. If they see common beginning writer mistakes, your manuscript will go back into the package, UNREAD. Proper formatting separates the professional writer from the amateur. Yes, there is an industry standard which editors and literary agents expect writers to know before they submit their manuscript for perusal.


"A Hand Book For Writers." Includes Plotting and Characters, Plus Other Writing Dos and Don'ts.

There is MUCH MORE to writing than just putting words down on the pages. Amateur writers often have pages filled with common mistakes that tell the editor at a publishing house, or a literary agent, that they have not honed their writing skills, and their manuscript usually lacks polishing. The sad truth is, you get from 1 to 5 pages to hook that editor or agent into your story. You may have the most wonderful story, but if it is riddled with common beginner mistakes and amateurish writing, they will never read enough of it to find out if it is good or not.
Learn what things to avoid in your writing that TURN OFF editors and agents. Learn more effective writing, pacing, sentence structure, plot points, characters that come alive on the pages, and the many dos and don'ts that editors and agents look for in great writing.


"How to Write an Effective Query Letter." Plus Other Advice on Approaching Editors and Agents.

Think of the query as your sales brochure when approaching an acquiring editor at a publishing house, or a literary agent when seeking representation. There are dos and don'ts that editors and agents look for when vying for their interest in your project. Learn the best ways to approach them, and what turns them off.


You can go to my website at: www.FosterLiteraryAgency.com and click on Help For Writers for more details on content and how to order as well as pricing. (They are pretty reasonable and contain a lot of information that every serious writer should know.)

I also have a group on goodreads, called "Help For Writers" if anyone wants to join.

Good luck, and good writing.

I clicked the link to your website and it says that it is a missing html. Not sure why. Thought you should know.