Developmental Editing from an Agent’s Point of View, & Query Letters, and Agent Submission Tips
Instructor: Andrea Hurst, literary agent and editor
Registration – FREE
When: May 18, 2024 at 1 P.M. EST
Where: Writers’ Police Academy Online
*Click here to register – Developmental Editing
Crafting Fiction That Sells–An Agent’s Point of View
There are areas fiction authors often overlook when writing and selling their novels. One is to underestimate the importance of developmental editing.
A polished and professionally crafted manuscript has a higher chance of success during the pitching process. When an agent reviews a book for possible representation, they assess the quality of the writing and the intensity of the story, as well as the potential for it to sell to publishers. Whether you have just started writing your novel or memoir, are ready to seek an agent or publisher, or plan to self-publish, your manuscript must hook readers from the first page, and keep their attention through the last.
In this class, taught from a publishing professional’s point of view, Andrea discusses what a developmental edit covers and how it helps authors polish their manuscripts. Additionally, she shares developmental editing tips to create the strongest manuscript to compete in the commercial marketplace of Crime Fiction.
This type of edit is very effective for addressing the literary content of a manuscript, from finding plot holes, fixing structure, and fleshing out character arcs, to making sure your book fits the target market and genre.
This session also covers writing an effective query letter and the process of pitching an agent.
About Andrea Hurst
Andrea Hurst is the Founder and President of Andrea Hurst & Associates Literary Management. As a literary agent and developmental editor, Andrea brings over 25 years of experience in the publishing industry. She has worked with major publishers, both domestic and international. Overall, her focus is to help authors polish their book, obtain publication, and build their author brand. Some of her clients include bestsellers such as Dr. Bernie Siegel, Boo Walker, Marc Edelheit, Hannah Jayne, Penny Warner, Ashley Farley, Chef John Ash, and Suzanne Kelman. Her clients and their books have appeared on the Oprah Show, Ellen DeGeneres Show, Good Morning America, National Geographic Network, Amazon Charts, and in the NY Times.
Andrea began her career in the entertainment business working in product development and marketing with Columbia Records, but eventually found her passion in book publishing. She teaches classes at writing conferences and MFA programs, offering valuable insight as an agent, editor, and author of ten books, both in fiction and nonfiction. Her most recent novel, House of Dreams, releases in April 2024.
Andrea’s Manuscript Wishlist:
I am currently seeking well-crafted, commercially viable fiction titles. My preferred genres are women’s fiction, upmarket and book club fiction, domestic suspense/thrillers, family drama, psychological suspense, crime fiction, historical fiction, rom-com, and romance. I am always open to working with underrepresented voices and stories.
- Crime novel that plays games with the psyche – no police procedurals
- Rom-com with a diverse set of characters and an idealistic setting (like novels by Abby Jimenez)
- In terms of literary fiction, I am drawn to works like Beartown by Fredrik Backman, which contains strong character development, powerful themes, and overcoming both internal and external conflicts.
- Historical fiction set in the Georgian era (Austen’s time), Gilded Age, or early 1900s like Downton Abbey and WWII.
- Contemporary romance with strong tropes and series potential.
- Fast-paced, twisty domestic suspense (like novels by Freda McFadden or Harlan Coben)
- Atmospheric, high-conflict, high-stakes thriller similar to The Guestlist by Lucy Foley
- Dramatic thrillers with family dynamics similar to The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave
- Psychological suspense with a surprise ending like The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz
- Anything along the same vein as the series The Morning Show or Defending Jacob on Apple TV+
- As always, I’m enthralled by stories that challenge me, where the mystery is seemingly impossible to figure out, and the reader never knows the truth until the very end. However, believability is of utmost importance.
Please keep in mind, I am not a right fit for titles that deal with espionage, the military, explicit gore or carnage, high-fantasy or sci-fi, erotica, poetry, young adult, or middle-grade.
Visit Andrea’s website at www.andreahurst.com
Since misidentification is the single greatest cause of wrongful convictions in the U.S., it is paramount to develop better discrimination accuracy when it comes to police lineups.
crime documentaries and magazine shows, is an executive producer of Murder House Flip, and has consulted for CSI, Bones, and The Alienist. The author of more than 1,500 articles and 69 books, including The Forensic Science of CSI, The Forensic Psychology of Criminal Minds, How to Catch a Killer, The Psychology of Death Investigations, and Confession of a Serial Killer: The Untold Story of Dennis Rader, The BTK Killer, she was co-executive producer for the Wolf Entertainment/A&E documentary based on the years she spent talking with Rader. Dr. Ramsland consults on death investigations, pens a blog for Psychology Today, and is writing a fiction series based on a female forensic psychologist.
Of course, you and your friend must attend the Writers’ Police Academy event in June to receive the rebate and free seminar registration. There is no limit as to how many rebates you may receive. If you refer ten friends and they each attend the WPA, well, you’ll receive $50 for each one. Twenty friends equal a rebate of $1,000! And so on.
Register to attend at the 2022 Writers’ Police Academy at 
Guest of Honor Charlaine Harris is a true daughter of the South. She was born in Mississippi and has lived in Tennessee, South Carolina, Arkansas, and Texas. After years of dabbling with poetry, plays, and essays, her career as a novelist began when her husband invited her to write full time. Her first book,
Susan Hatters Friedman, MD
Kathy Bennett worked for the LAPD for twenty-nine years. Eight years were spent as a civilian employee, and she served twenty-one years as a police officer. While most of her career was spent in a patrol car, Kathy also worked at the police academy as a firearms instructor, promoted to the position of a field training officer, then worked in the “War Room” as a crime analyst. She promoted again, this time to the position of Senior Lead Officer—where she was in charge of a basic car area within a geographic division. She’s done a few stints undercover and was honored to be named Officer of the Year in 1997.
Bruce Robert Coffin is the award-winning author of the bestselling Detective Byron mystery series. A former detective sergeant with more than twenty-seven years in law enforcement, he supervised all homicide and violent crime investigations for Maine’s largest city. Following the terror attacks of September 11, 2001, Bruce spent four years investigating counter-terrorism cases for the FBI, earning the Director’s Award, the highest award a non-agent can receive.
Carrie Stuart Parks is an award-winning, internationally known forensic artist. She travels across the US and Canada teaching courses in forensic art to law enforcement professionals including the FBI, Secret Service, and RCMP, and is the largest instructor of forensic art in the world. Her best-selling novels in the mystery/suspense/thriller genre have garnered numerous awards including several Carols, Inspys, the Christy, Golden Scroll, Maxwell, and Wright. As a professional fine artist, she has written and illustrated best-selling art books for North Light Publishers.
Sheri Lewis Wohl is a 30-year veteran of the federal judiciary, a search and rescue K9 handler, and the author of more than fifteen novels, several of which feature search dogs. She is a field ready member of search and rescue in Eastern Washington and for the last nine years, has been a human remains detection K9 handler deployed on missions throughout Washington, Idaho, and Montana.
Kevin Rathburn became a full-time faculty member at Northeast Wisconsin Technical College in 2000 after serving as an adjunct instructor for nine years. Prior to that, Mr. Rathburn served for ten years as an Assistant District Attorney for Brown County in Green Bay, Wisconsin. In 2004, Mr. Rathburn became Municipal Judge for the Village of Suamico. Mr. Rathburn holds BAs in political science and economics from St. Norbert College (1987) and a JD from Marquette University Law School (1990).
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, Heather Graham, majored in theater arts at the University of South Florida. After a stint of several years in dinner theater, back-up vocals, and bartending, she stayed home after the birth of her third child and began to write. Her first book was with Dell, and since then, she has written over two hundred novels and novellas including category, suspense, historical romance, vampire fiction, time travel, occult, sci-fi, young adult, and Christmas family fare.
