My name is Michael Garrett and I'm an internationally respected editor. As credited in Mr. King's non-fiction book On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft, I served as Stephen King's first editor. In a professional capacity I've also edited the works of such greats as Joyce Carol Oates, Harlan Ellison, Lawrence Block and many others for major publishers like Pocket Books and Kensington Publishing.

I'm also an internationally published author and have been extensively published since 1979, in periodicals ranging from Twilight Zone magazine to my novel, Keeper, which sold out its initial printing and was optioned for a movie. My short story, "At the Count of Three," was also optioned as the pilot episode of a late night cable television series. My works have been published in England, Germany, Japan, Italy, the Netherlands, France, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Spain, Finland and Russia, as well as in audio book format.

I serve as co-editor of the internationally award-winning Hot Blood anthology series, a popular selection of the Doubleday, Mystery, Literary Guild, and Science Fiction Book Clubs. The series has also been optioned for television.

I served as an Editorial Associate of the Writer's Digest School for over fifteen years, and since 1986 have presented highly acclaimed writing workshops at major colleges and universities across the nation. A featured speaker at numerous writers' conferences, I currently serve on the Advisory Board of Kentucky's Green River Writers.

STARTING YOUR NOVEL:
An Online Writing Workshop

If you're like many beginning novelists, you've considered writing a novel for quite some time, but postponed the project from not knowing where to begin. First novels are judged more harshly by editors than anything written by best-selling authors. Can you actually define the word "novel"? Do you know what constitutes a marketable first novel? Even if you've already completed a novel, STARTING YOUR NOVEL will provide tremendous insight into an effective rewrite!

This online writing workshop will get you started on the right track, preparing you to begin what should be one of the most rewarding creative experiences of your life. STARTING YOUR NOVEL offers the following:

          BECOMING A PUBLISHED AUTHOR:
                  An Online Writing Workshop

With baby boomers approaching retirement, possibly more writers are attempting publication than ever. A few succeed, but the overwhelming majority do not. Why? How can a writer with only average writing skills achieve greater success than someone with superior writing skills?

You will likely find advice in this online writing workshop unavailable elsewhere that could dramatically improve your chances of acceptance. Not your typical creative writing workshop, BECOMING A PUBLISHED AUTHOR doesn't teach you how to write better, but how to write smarter through an awareness of what publishers want to buy. BECOMING A PUBLISHED AUTHOR offers:

SESSION ONE:
GETTING PUBLISHED

There’s a common sense approach to getting published that the majority of new writers typically overlook. Here it is, as well as a basic explanation of why best-selling novels are sometimes poorly written.

SESSION TWO:
GETTING AN EDUCATION

Writing, like any other profession, requires an extensive continuing education, but colleges rarely offer coursework on commercial publishing, so where do you learn what you’ll need to know to be published?

SESSION THREE:
GETTING AN AGENT

All professions require some knowledge beyond the basic field of study. For instance, doctors must know certain business practices to manage an office and employees, but this isn’t taught in medical school. To be a successful author, you must also be open to non-writing-related issues that could prove crucial to your eventual success. Literary agents are important, and they are discussed here, but their focus is strictly on sales.

SESSION FOUR:
GETTING A PUBLISHER'S ATTENTION

An effective query letter alone won’t get you a publishing deal (unless you’re writing non-fiction), but it can get your foot in the door. Here is a simple approach to writing eye-catching queries. And remember that no matter how talented you might be, you’ll always face rejection and/or criticism. No individual writer can please everyone.

SESSION FIVE:
GETTING PREPARED TO WRITE

Some best-selling authors discourage the use of outlines, but they live in a different world than you. Manuscript length and rejection are rarely an issue to them. An outline will help you meet a publisher’s needs and improve the efficiency of your writing time. No matter what you might have heard elsewhere on the subject, a positive approach to outlining can be critical to your eventual success.

Tuition: $129

Forward payment in U.S. funds along with your e-mail address to:

CREATIVE INSPIRATIONS, INC.
P. O. Box 100031
Birmingham, AL 35210

To enroll and pay via PayPal:

COMING SOON!

THE TRUTH ABOUT SELF-PUBLICATION
Learn which manuscripts are most amenable to self-publication and which are an entire waste of money.

CREATING YOUR NOVEL
What do publishers expect from new writers? Your work is evaluated differently than that of best-selling authors. Here you'll learn what publishers want in a novel from previously unpublished writers.

SCREENWRITING FOR THE MOVIES
Grab some popcorn and learn about creating effective screenplays that will get the attention of top producers and directors.

 

EDITORIAL SERVICES OF MICHAEL GARRETT