Mark Malatesta Review by David Brown | Mark Malatesta Reviews

David Brown, author of And Goliath (Double Dagger Books), provided this review of former literary agent Mark Malatesta. David worked with Mark to revise and improve his manuscript, platform, book proposal, and query letter, which led to literary agents and a publisher expressing interest in his book. 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 David.

Mark Malatesta Review by David Brown

When a publisher contacted me and said, “Your book is really good and we’re interested in publishing it!” I was surprised, excited, and gratified. I was also relieved, because the effort to get to that point was a lot. It felt good that somebody wanted the story.

The publisher said he was excited the book was ready to go–tight and ready to publish–and that my marketing plan was really good. He said the proposal was one of the best he’s ever seen, complete and concise, and that it was clear I was ready to market the book.

The platform work you had me do was challenging but essential, to get the publisher and to prepare me for promoting the book. Without that, as a nonfiction author, I think it’s almost impossible to make it, to have a breakthrough and get published.

The most important part of working with you–one reason the book has so many 5-star reviews–was your instruction to improve the book. I equate it to a college course. “You need to read this, you need to read that. You need to understand this, you need to understand that.”

I wasn’t a writer coming into this, so I had no idea, really, how to write a book. It took me a year to do the research and understand how to write. It wasn’t enough that I wanted to write about these things; I needed to learn how to write about these things.

It seemed like I was dragged through the tortures of hell, but the manuscript morphed into a much better book. I’ve always loved it, but now it’s butter…and other people love it. I get emails saying things like, “I’m taking the day off of work to finish your book. I can’t put it down!”

I sent queries out before we met, but didn’t get any requests. I think, for good reason, because the manuscript we have now is 100% better. I didn’t know what I didn’t know, including your thoughts about how to make the book more attractive to women.

That was some of the best advice you shared, and you helped me work with my “man brain.” A lot of rewrites were focused on that aspect. The book cover is female-friendly also. If it was all black with nothing but a machine gun, that would only be good for guys.

Men are going to buy my book anyway. I saw this at the UDT/SEAL Museum in Fort Pierce FL during their Annual Event called a “Muster.” As people walked into the gift store, they went to the book section and, without exception, every woman went right to my book to pick it up.

My co-writer, Robert “Bob” Gettlin, and my wife, Sheryl, are also excited and grateful. They’ve been with me for this long ride. We were skeptical when we found you online, but then we saw all your reviews and what people were saying about their experience.

My memoir is about living your biggest life. You’re helping me do that because I now have a real publisher. You’re organized, efficient, and dedicated to your craft. Working with you has been enjoyable, in that respect, though it wasn’t so enjoyable querying!

As you said, you need thick skin because your book is going to get rejected more than you can imagine. But, at the end of the day, if you keep your head down and keep working at it, you can be successful–as long as you have a good book.

David “Brownie” Brown
And Goliath
(Double Dagger Books)

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Do you want to put yourself in the best position to get interest from literary agents and publishers? 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 David “Brownie” Brown.