Rebecca “Becca” Besser, author of many short stories including one recently published in the Anything But Zombies anthology (Simon and Schuster/Atria Books) and the upcoming novel Nurse Blood (Limitless Publishing), provided this review of former literary agent Mark Malatesta. Rebecca worked with Mark to improve her query letter, synopsis, and novel, which resulted in literary agency representation and publication. 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 Rebecca Besser.
Mark Malatesta Review by Rebecca Besser
“I now have an agent and a book deal after getting many requests for my manuscript! The first request was from the number two agent on my wish list only two days after sending out the query. My first choice was on maternity leave! I cried when I got the offer for representation, but it was a happy cry. I’m soooo excited. My agent is persistent and energetic, just like me.
The best part of my work with you, Mark, was probably the structured information you gave me for the query process. Most of the articles and books about queries don’t explain them well. They tell you some of the things you should and shouldn’t put in it, but they don’t give you step-by-step guidelines. The tips you provided answered all those questions. And they let me do things right the first time so I wouldn’t have to do everything 50 times over again.
Your questionnaire was helpful also. It encouraged me to do more research for my query letter and that made my story more relevant and timely. I looked up the history of body snatching and discovered that the events in my book are actually more plausible than I originally realized. I knew that people used to harvest organs and sell them in the 1800s, but I didn’t know it happened as recently as 7 years ago on the black market. I was like ‘Wow! This is actually being done. There’s more of a premise to my story than I thought!’
Being able to communicate those things in my query made everything stronger and more interesting. Plus it’s making it easier for my publisher to promote it, and I look like more of an expert. I can talk about my novel, but I can also talk about the dark world of organ harvesting in real life. I think I first found you when a friend gave me a link to your website. He was like, ‘Here… get the MP3.’ I was like, ‘Oh god, he’ll want money eventually.’ That’s how it usually works. But then I went through your website and saw you openly responding to questions from people, and it took some of that away.
Some things happen for a reason…
The more people who visit your website will see how personable you are, and that you’re not preaching at anyone or just trying to sell people. You’re usually just sharing your experiences, which really helps. It doesn’t ever seem like you’re hiding anything, either. I’ve already started referring people to you, including one of my friends. She doesn’t think her work is good enough because she hasn’t been published yet. I told her that you would help greatly with her confidence. She would learn a lot and you would guide her through the process of sending her stuff out.
Most authors aren’t sure what they’re doing and they’re scared, so they don’t always throw themselves out there. That’s why your coaching is so valuable. You make an author look better, but you also make them feel more comfortable in the process. You’re basically the backbone they need, to get them where they want to go. I actually self-published my novel first (to see how it all worked), but then we started talking on your blog and I kinda jumped into the process of getting an agent.
My favorite part of working with you has been the fact that you’re easy to work with: nice, friendly, and fun. You also answer questions intelligently and informatively. You’re honest and straightforward, and you get everything done fairly fast. Working with you was totally worth it, and a pleasure. Thank you for EVERYTHING!”
Rebecca “Becca” Besser
Author of the novel Nurse Blood and many short stories including one recently published in the Anything But Zombies anthology (Simon and Schuster/Atria Books)
Website: http://rebeccabesser.com
Blog: http://rebeccabesser.wordpress.com
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Do you want to multiple requests for your book from top literary agents and get published like Rebecca? 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 Rebecca Besser.
MARK MALATESTA is a former literary agent turned author coach. Mark now helps authors of all genres (fiction, nonfiction, and children's books) get top literary agents, publishers, and book deals through his company 
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