Nelson Johnson Review of Mark Malatesta

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Nelson Johnson, author of the NY Times bestselling book Boardwalk Empire, which led to the critically acclaimed HBO series (produced by Martin Scorsese), and Darrow’s Nightmare: The Forgotten Story of America’s Most Famous Trial Lawyer (2021), provided this review of former literary agent Mark Malatesta. Nelson worked with Mark to improve his query letter, book proposal, and manuscript, which resulted in multiple offers for representation from top literary agents. Scroll below to learn more. Click here to see all Mark Malatesta reviews. And click here to learn more about Literary Agent Undercover and The Bestselling Author after you read the review about Mark Malatesta below by Nelson Johnson.

Mark Malatesta Review by Nelson Johnson

Mark, you’re a thoughtful gentleman and a constructive critic.

Thanks in part to your query letter, manuscript suggestions, and support prioritizing agents, I received multiple offers from agents. Within two weeks of sending out the first query, I knew who I was going to sign with.

I was able to embrace almost all your story recommendations—they were informative, made me a better writer, and loosened me up for more changes from my agent and publisher. Some of the suggestions you made, my agent also made, such as giving the protagonist’s wife more room, introducing her sooner, and getting the story off to a faster start.

Agents were also happy that I spent so much time brainstorming and researching promotional angles and outlets. I’m glad you encouraged me to do that. Now I have a really good marketing plan that will be helpful selling the book. The amount of detail you required for the marketing plan was the most challenging part of the process.

Now, I completely embrace it.

Before we met, I wanted to find a certain type of agent—one who’d understand the value of my work, bring it to life in the mind of readers, and bring it to life on the screen. When I looked online for a coach, your name rose to the top. After we spoke, I knew we’d work well together. I could tell by the questions you asked and your ability to listen. You understood where I was coming from, and you were extremely helpful.

I trust people and respect them, until they give me a reason not to. During our first conversation, I came away with trust and respect, but I also found myself thinking, “This guy’s a pro. I think he knows what he’s doing.”

I was correct…

And I value our friendship.

Nelson Johnson
Author of the NY Times bestselling book Boardwalk Empire, which led to the critically acclaimed HBO series (produced by Martin Scorsese), and Darrow’s Nightmare: The Forgotten Story of America’s Most Famous Trial Lawyer (2021)

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Do You Want to Be Like Nelson Who Provided this Review About Mark Malatesta?

Do you want to put yourself in the best position to get offers from multiple top literary agents? Click here to get instant access to the Free Resources on our websites for authors and click here to find out how you can Schedule an Introductory Coaching Call. Mark Malatesta is founder of The Bestselling Author and Literary Agent Undercover, helping authors of all genres (fiction, nonfiction, and children’s books) get top literary agents, publishers, and book deals. The above review of Mark Malatesta was provided by author Nelson Johnson.