During one of our email exchanges she mentioned a special “Double Feature” service she would be offering with fellow screenwriter Merrel Davis. Merrel sent over all of the details and he and Xandy took some time to answer my questions. Today I want to share information about this service with you — a story analysis service for both screenwriters and novelists. (Note: I’m not an affiliate or compensated in any way since I know some people worry about that — this just a solid recommendation from me to you.)

Background on the Story Analysis Service

There are actually four services available where you can hire Xandy and Merrel as a team: coverage, development, rewriting, and ghostwriting. The latter two would be more applicable for clients who aren’t professional writers in their own right — which you are — so we’ll focus on the first two.

Coverage / Story Analysis — This service gets you two simultaneous reads of your manuscript, with two coverage reports and a “head to head” report (to give you “a clear apple to apples comparison of both readers’ comments,” as Merrel put it).  You also get a 1 hour phone consultation with both Xandy and Merrel. Between now and May 15th this service is just $300 ($450 after that).

Development Package — The development package is tailored to writers who want a little more help and feedback along the way. This package includes a first read from each reader, a second read and set of notes on your work from both of them, and a third read with notes before the final two coverage reports. You also get five hours of phone (or Skype) consultations to help you develop your story. This Double Feature service is $2000 until May 15th (and $2700 after that).

Check out Xandy’s sample coverage reports for a better idea of what the final cover reports will look like.

Why Hire Professionals for Story Analysis?

Look. Many writers don’t like criticism, but constructive critiques can be vital to a creative professional’s success. The longer the work, the more important I think this becomes (it’s much easier to lose consistency in a novel than a 300 word blog post for example). I asked Xandy and Merrel to share their own thoughts on constructive criticism and why it’s worth hiring people to provide it.

Merrel: It’s important to get an unbiased perspective on your work. When I first started writing, I relied on close family members and non-writer friends to provide me what turned out to be some pretty bunk advice. Family and friends are well meaning; they may offer you platitudes about how “good” your work is. And while it can be helpful for motivation, it is essential to get unbiased notes from someone who hasn’t diapered you.

Xandy: Story analysts are like personal trainers. We’re here to help you achieve your goals for yourself. It’s really the only way to assess where you are and figure out a plan to get you there. Think of it a bit like weight watchers.

Why Hire Two Professionals for Story Analysis (at the Same Time)?

Why you should consider professional story analysis seems simple enough — unbiased feedback could make your final project suck significantly less because it helps you catch potential problems early. But why hire two readers at once? I put it to the pros again:

Xandy: How many times will you get to have two professional, produced screenwriters and story analysts battling it out over your story? That’s the best way to get that big idea. Think of it like your own mini writer’s room. It’s a little smokey, pencils are stuck to the ceiling, but it’s the essence of hashing out a story delivered to you. It becomes organic. You have more than one person to bounce jokes off of; to spark ideas, develop plot lines, and keep track of the details. The better the ideas are, the better your project turns out. Often times, our clients will reconcile our differing opinions – finding a happy medium between us both.

Merrel: We are most valuable to you as a team, so we pass that value onto you. It’s cheaper to book us together than separately. Think of it like going to a doctor and getting a second opinion on the spot, but you didn’t have to make another visit. When we piloted this program last month, our guinea pig writer was super surprised how intimate the entire process was. They were able to reconcile and decide, from both of our notes, what worked for them.

Which Service is Right for a First-Time Novelist?

I could be way off base, but I’d guess we have more aspiring novelists than screenwriters as regular readers here. So I wanted to know what the dynamic duo would suggest for someone in those shoes:

Merrel: First time novelists should do the development package for sure. A first time novelist will most likely have NO outline, and 200 pages of written material that’s unusable. It’s a common problem among first timers to charge into battle with no gear on. The development package allows us to begin our “Rocky training montage” where we whip writers into shape, in fast cuts, to Eye of the Tiger. For me, the development stage is so important, because a lot of first timers have great ideas but aren’t totally clear on how to best present them. They have a notion, and often make the mistake of going too big, and trying to jam in too much. The development option allows them to organize their thoughts, and get an outline done, early so they are on track for the first revision.

Xandy: All levels of writers come to us. For those more accustomed to the novel or script writing process, coverage is the way to go. It’s a good way to get a story checkup, figure out your strengths and weakness and get some concrete ways to fix or elevate your already completed story. Some clients like to book us for coverage to assess where they are, and then book us again for development services if their story is in dire need.

Who Are These People Anyway?

It’s not enough to know that this is a good service. You should know a bit about the people behind it. So here are their mini-bios to tell you why Xandy and Merrel are qualified to provide these story analysis services for writers.

“Xandy is a working, produced screenwriter. In the past, she worked as lead Story analyst for WB & WB Animation, and read for many production companies and studios including Miramax and Jennifer Lopez Entertainment. She has written for WB Animation, Cartoon Network and Disney et al.

Merrel is a produced screenwriter, story analyst and the organizer of Screenwriter Karaoke; a fun and successful writers/screenwriters networking event. He read for clients and production companies around the world. He staffed on series for NatGeo and works currently as a writer / editor for television, documentaries, and web series.”

Final Thoughts

I don’t think there’s any secret that I like honest opinions over coddling “yes you’re wonderful sweetie” comments. So any chance you have to get objective feedback on your work, I would consider a good thing. I have no idea how my own screenplay project will progress, or how long it will take me. I also have no idea when I’m going to make time to get back to the three novels I outlined from 2004-2008 (yeah Merrel, I’m one of the first-time novelists who did take the time to outline thoroughly to hash out problems early, so :P ). But whichever project I finish first, I can definitely say I’ll consider tossing it their way, especially if they’re still offering the Double Feature options.

If you have a project ready for story analysis from a couple of pros, I hope you’ll check out the services. You can order them online through Xandy’s site — CoverMyScript.com.

Xandy and Merrel wanted to share a few closing remarks:

Ultimately, we do this work because it’s important to us to help cultivate and grow craft. We are working writers as well, we feel your pain, but luckily have the tools to make you a better writer, so bring it!

In the meantime, here’s what Marshall had to say about how he became an author and what you should keep in mind if you’d like to do the same:

On How he Became a Novelist…

“I started writing novels when I was eleven, but it wasn’t until years later that it finally dawned on me that I was creating novels only for myself and wasn’t truly thinking about publishers’ and readers’ needs. So I started from scratch, cold-bloodedly studied the market, targeted a genre in which editors were aggressively buying, and came up with a fresh angle. These were my Jane Stuart and Winky mysteries–cozies featuring an amateur sleuth no one had done before: a literary agent. I created a proposal and within a month had a three-book contract. I’m currently at work on my tenth novel, which will be published in late 2010.”

On Needing Specialized Education or Experience Before Starting…

“I’m constantly reading cozy mysteries to see what’s being done and what isn’t. That’s the most important kind of education–knowing the market inside and out. Experience helps, of course (I based my first series on my own experience as an agent), but thorough research can take the place of experience. My current series, the Hidden Manhattan Mysteries, feature a New York Sanitation Department supervisor. I’ve had a ball researching–touring SDNY garages, interviewing personnel, and so on.”

On How Writers can get Started in Novel Writing…

“At any given time it’s important to find out the genres in which editors are currently actively buying. Of course, the genre also needs to appeal to you. Right now, for example, paranormal is huge, so fresh ideas in this genre are welcome.”

On Things Prospective Novelists Should Know Up Front…

“1. You will probably not be able to make a living solely from your writing any time soon, if ever.

2. It takes a while to build a readership, so you must be patient and keep at it.

3. There may be times when you have to change course–start a new series, change your name, change publishers. It’s how this business goes.”

On Evan Marshall…

Evan Marshall is the author of a number of popular mystery novels; recently released in his Hidden Manhattan mystery series are Death is Disposable and Evil Justice; coming in March 2010 is Dark Alley. Learn more about Evan’s mysteries at http://www.evanmarshallmysteries.com. He is president of the Evan Marshall Agency, a literary management firm specializing in fiction, and is a former book editor and packager. Evan is also the author of the bestselling Marshall Plan® writers’ guides. Recently he and coauthor Martha Jewett released The Marshall Plan® Novel Writing Software, based on this series. Visit http://www.writeanovelfast.com and download Evan’s free 77-page Fiction Makeover guide, packed with tips and ideas for writing a great novel.

Linda Formichelli

To continue our interview series on various writing styles freelancers may be interested in pursuing, today I’m talking with Linda Formichelli, co-author of The Renegade Writer: A Totally Unconventional Guide to Freelance Writing Success and The Renegade Writer’s Query Letters That Rock, about writing nonfiction books.

Many freelancers already work in nonfiction, and some have even written longer e-books. Moving on to publishing a nonfiction book might seem like a natural progression to them. What was that transition from freelance writer to nonfiction author like for you, and what was the biggest challenge you faced when going from freelancing to that first book?

Really, it was a natural for me since I was writing nonfiction articles — and my book was on nonfiction article writing! It is challenging to write something so long when you’re used to writing 2,000-word articles, but my co-author and I broke the book into manageable chunks. I would write just a little bit at a time. I also had a great team: My husband and my mom both helped me edit the chapters as I wrote them.

You not only write nonfiction, but were actually a co-author of The Renegade Writer. What made you opt to co-author a book rather than writing one solo? What was the biggest benefit of having someone else to work with?

I thought it would be fun to write with a friend. The benefit is that it seems much more manageable when you have someone else doing half the writing, and when you have someone else to bounce ideas off of. It’s also been a lot of fun to run the Renegade Writer business together — the blog, the e-courses, etc.

I also co-authored two Idiot’s Guides, two Chicken Soup books, and a Dummies book. In these cases, unless you’re an expert in the topic with a good platform, you’re expected to write the books with an expert co-author. The benefit there is that you have an expert who can read over your writing and make sure it’s technically correct, meaning that all the info in there is correct. The downside is that some of these co-authors think that *they’re* the writer, and they take it upon themselves to edit your writing. I had this happen once, and it was a real PITA. I was very familiar with the Idiot’s Guide style, and the expert co-author would edit my writing OUT of the style. Then I’d have to go and change it all back. When the book came out, she didn’t even notice that I hadn’t made any of her style changes.

You didn’t have to prepare a proposal to have one of your books published–instead it came about through your writing contacts. How important are a writer’s network and platform in landing a nonfiction book contract?

I think having a network of writers is very important. I belong to an online writer’s forum, and one of the members posted that her agent was looking for someone to cu-author a business book. I threw my hat into the ring, and got the gig. It ended up being The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Starting and Running a Coffee Bar. My Chicken Soup co-authoring gigs came from another writer on a different forum, who recommended me to her editor. So join online forums, join writers’ groups, and contribute to the conversation. Be helpful and make yourself known as a good writer. And be sure to recommend other writers to your editors and agents when the opportunity comes up!

What does your book writing process look like (do you just sit down and write, do you outline extensively), and how did your freelance writing experience influence the way you approach working on a book (if it did at all)?

For the Idiot’s Guides and Dummies books, you start with a very detailed table of contents, so that works as an outline. For The Renegade Writer, I didn’t outline — I had a general table of contents to follow, and I kind of outlined in my head as I wrote. I’m not an outlining kind of person! I just write, and then go back and edit.

I viewed each chapter like an article and approached it the same way I would if I were writing for a magazine. That helped the task seem less overwhelming.

If a writer wanted to transition from freelancing to writing their first nonfiction book, what advice would you give them? Is there a way of approaching the project that might help someone adapt from writing shorter freelance pieces to a book?

One difference between writing articles and writing books is that instead of writing an article query, you need to write a book proposal, which is a much more involved thing. When you write an article query, you’re describing your idea, why it’s right for the magazine, and why you’re the right person to write it. When you write a book proposal, you’re doing all that, but also including information on competitive books, research on your market, a detailed table of contents, and usually a sample chapter as well. There are several good books out there on how to write a book proposal, and e-courses you can take as well.

To write a nonfiction book, you’ll be using all the skills you developed as a magazine writing — researching, writing, persuading, marketing — just more of it! So don’t let the idea of pitching and writing a book scare you.

About Linda Formichelli

Linda Formichelli has written for more than 120 magazines and is the co-author of The Renegade Writer: A Totally Unconventional Guide to Freelance Writing Success and The Renegade Writer’s Query Letters That Rock. Linda teaches an e-course on how to break into magazine writing at http://www.writeformagazines.com. She lives in Concord, NH, with her writer husband, new son, and three cats.

More in This Series:

• Novel Writing: An Interview With Evan Marshall