Writing a novel that sells

Do you dream about seeing your name on the bestseller list and wonder how the pros do it? Some of them seem to get there with every book. Do they have secrets other writers don't know?

Success is not an accident, it's a plan. If you're ready to write a thriller, mystery or suspense novel that can put your name on that bestseller list, you need the strategies and tricks the pros use to convince agents and editors the book will sell.

Whether you're working on your first or fifth novel or it's still only an idea, you can increase the salability of your mystery or suspense novel with tricks and techniques successful writers use, but that are rarely explained in writing books or courses.

My name is Marilyn Henderson. I have enjoyed a 42-year career as a selling author. My field of expertise is mysteries and suspense. Now I help writers master the advanced skills of novel writing so they become selling authors. There's no substitute for experience. Let mine work for you.

As Mystery Mentor, my field of expertise is mysteries and suspense. My goal is to share the inside tips and tricks I learned during a 42 year career as a selling author.

When I was a struggling beginner, a publishing writer helped me learn what a novel must have in order to sell. He showed me how to make the hard work of writing a novel pay off.

Because I started right where you are now and went on to become a full-time career novelist with more than 60 books to my credit. I wrote children's mysteries, stand-alone novels, and historical romances along the way, but I always came back to mysteries and suspense. I published with some small houses and some of the biggest ones, such as Scholastic, Jove, Doubleday, St. Martin's, Avon, Award and Berkley. Many of the books were also published in England, Australia, Spain, Germany, Sweden, Denmark and another Scandinavian country I haven't found anyone to translate for me yet. Whatever I wrote, the advice my mentor gave me worked every time. And I picked up more tips and tricks from editors, agents and successful writers at every turn.

I also discovered that the successful writers in every field knew the same secrets and use them in every book. Now I've written Writing A Novel That Sells to share techniques, tips and tricks learned while writing and selling more than sixty novels.

Writing A Novel That Sells isn't a textbook of lessons on how to write. It's a guided tour of a successful published novel that shows you how it was planned so the many elements fit together to create spine-tingling suspense. It's a complete manual that will guide you step by step in planning and writing your own book.

The book analyzed, By Reason of, sold hardcover, paperback, British and Scandinavian rights, and got top reviews in Publishers Weekly, the New York Times and Library Journal as well as newspapers across the country.

It tells the story of a young widow who brings her sick three-year-old home from nursery school and discovers they are not alone in the house. An intruder has taken refuge from the devastating Southern California storm. When she learns the man is a recently released mental patient sentenced to the hospital instead of prison after being found guilty of murder by reason of insanity, is now wanted for questioning in another murder, the most terrifying eight hours of her life begin.

Writing A Novel That Sells examines the original idea and shows how it grew into a plot, then how the plot evolved into the book, which was bought by the first editor who read it.

I point out each technique and nuance of building and escalating suspense as the story progresses. Excerpts from the novel illustrate subtle points so you learn different ways to use techniques in your own work. This gives you a blueprint for creating your own successful novel.

Writing A Novel That Sells is an immediately downloadable electronic file but not a quick ebook that only covers basic techniques and leaves you guessing what to do next.

It explains and shows by examples how, to build page-turning suspense from idea right to the final page. When you understand the logic and purpose behind these techniques you can apply them to every scene in every book you write. Writing A Novel That Sells explains everything in a comfortable, easy-to-understand way that makes sense

And it doesn't end there. It also includes a full chapter of all the vital information you need after you finish writing your novel, such as:

At last you can have the complete guide you need to writing a successful novel that sells! All you need to do is write the book and collect the royalties!

"FINALLY, A PRACTICAL WRITING BOOK!"

"Whenever I speak at mystery conferences or other writers' events, I always mention BY REASON OF by M.R. Henderson as an example of perfect plotting and now anybody can discover how Henderson did it because she uses the book in her new work on writing called, WRITING A NOVEL THAT SELLS.

Henderson said she wrote this book for the author who can write, but can't quite produce that book that will result in a sale. However, I think beginning writers could benefit from her analysis of BY REASON OF and learn a good deal about plotting.

Most writers don't have problems coming up with ideas for a book, but as we can all attest, our desk drawers are full of unfinished novels. Henderson contends that writers bog down in the middle of the book because they have no clear idea of how to get from the beginning to the end. In other words, no coherent plot.

Using her own book she takes the reader step by step through her plotting strategy from beginning to end... Having this new book in hand as you plot your novel is almost like having Henderson reading over your shoulder, reminding you what you forgot or what you need to move the plot forward.

WRITING A NOVEL THAT SELLS is also full of useful tips ranging from how to hook the reader to how to get an agent, information that Henderson has accumulated in over 40 years of writing and publishing." –Anna Ashwood Collins, reviewer CRIME BY COLLINS

Today's market for mystery and suspense fiction is tough. Thirty years ago, there were forty independent publishing houses in New York. Now there are a handful of huge conglomerates, even fewer free-standing houses and a scattering of small presses.

Competition is keen. Most editors accept only agented work, and it's often as hard to get an agent to read your manuscript as it is an editor.

To get attention, you need to go beyond the basics and into the secrets of selling.

Writing A Novel That Sells answers questions you've always wanted to ask and some that never occurred to you. It shares how top-selling authors do it, what editors and agents have taught me and things I've learned the hard way.

Experience is the best teacher. Now you can put mine to work for you. Read Writing A Novel That Sells. Use it as your guidebook while you work. Apply what you learn on every page of your manuscript.

There's no substitute for practice, but practicing the right things the right way will shorten your learning curve and put you on the road to success. For an investment of only $28.00, you can have your own manual for success at hand every time you sit down at the computer. Writing A Novel That Sells is a book to read and to use.

Just one tip I give you could easily help you avoid many false starts and wrong turns. As a result, much more of your effort will make its way into your final draft, thus saving you hundreds of hours and considerable frustration. Isn't that worth ten times the tiny investment?

"Marilyn Henderson is the exception to the adage that says, “Those that can, do. Those that can’t, teach. A gifted author in her own right, she possesses the generosity of spirit to not only want to share what she knows, but also the ability to translate the most difficult and varied nuances of good writing skills into ideas that novices can understand. Writing is difficult; good writing is even harder and requires a tremendous amount of work. Marilyn’s genius lies in her ability to be both a tough but fair taskmaster, and a motivator. Her newest book, Writing A Novel That Sells, is a “must have” for authors on every level because it encompasses and explains every skill a writer needs to master in order to create a compelling, tightly written story." C D Ledbetter, author of Blue Moon and Jingle of Coins

As a gift when you purchase Writing A Novel That Sells, you will receive a copy of the electronic format of my suspense novel, By Reason Of. Originally published by Doubleday in hardcover and Avon in paperback, the book also sold British and Scandinavian rights. The electronic version is currently for sale at PendulumPress.com

As the suspense novel analyzed in Writing A Novel That Sells, it shows how the individual tips and tricks you learn work together to transform a story into a saleable novel.

As a second gift with your purchase of Writing A Novel That Sells, you will receive the Mystery Mentor's Checklist for Serious Writers. This handy e-checklist guides you through one last check of your manuscript before you send it out. Writing your book is a right-brain process. Your creativity flourishes during the months you spend doing it. The sudden switch to left-brain detail work of editing isn't always easy. Even if you have someone else do a final edit for you, you absolutely must go over the manuscript one last time to make sure you haven't missed or failed to develop something vital. Once you send the manuscript out, it's on its way to making that first impression. The Mystery Mentor's Checklist will make sure it's ready to make a good one.

“Understanding the inner paradigm of the craft can be elusive, yet it’s really what separates the published from the unpublished writer. Henderson’s book rescued me from years of needless frustration by passing on techniques gleaned from forty years of experience. If you’re seriously contemplating a shot at publication, this book is for you.”

-- J.P. Naughton, author of Treasure Hunt

I guarantee this book provides all the information you need to become a selling author. It doesn't write your novel for you, but it shows you how to do it and write a novel that will sell. I believe this so strongly, I will refund the full purchase price if you apply the strategies and tips it gives you and they don't work. It takes a considerable amount of time to write a book or even revise one, so the guarantee is good for an entire year.

Despite how long ago it was, I remember clearly how many books, magazines and courses on writing I bought and took early in my writing days as I searched for answers to the burning question of why my fiction wasn't selling well. I knew the basics. Hadn't I studied them over and over? Wasn't I using them in everything I wrote? The trouble was I hadn't learned the real secret of writing novels that sell. I was working by the trial and error method, correcting my mistakes as I went along.

When I finally broke into the "big time", I realized at long last that the answer had been right in plain sight all the time. I had been searching for the wrong thing in the wrong places.

You don't need to make the same mistakes I did. Why take the long, hard road with all it's turn-offs and dead ends when you can have a road map that shows you the faster, tested way to selling your novel.

You need this book immediately, because the blood sweat and tears you pour into that novel of yours should bring you pride and recognition, not disappointment and frustration. Life’s too short to stumble around in the dark when you can follow a proven path so easily. I’ll show you exactly how to write your own page-turning novel that will have agents and editors falling all over each other to capitalize on your talent.

Get your copy of Writing A Novel That Sells now and be on your way to seeing your mystery or suspense novel on bookstore shelves everywhere!

Please invite me to your book signing! I'll be as excited as you are!

Write a novel that sells now. Start today!

With best wishes for your success and an invitation to contact me directly if you have questions or concerns,

Sincerely,

Marilyn Henderson marilyn@mysterymentor.com

42-year novelist, coach and manuscript critic