Write Stronger Novels. Create Unforgettable Characters. Build Stories Readers Love.
The Basic Idea –
Now that I am 69, I have decided to “semi-retire.” That is, to cut back from writing and publishing two novels a year, down to one. This will free up some time for me to help other writers still struggling to make a go of it, whose writing abilities are clearly there in some measure, but their efforts so far have not yielded the results they’d hoped for.
The overwhelming majority of writers who struggle like this don’t understand why. The system isn’t 
really set up to help them figure out what’s missing in their writing or what kind of mistakes are keeping them from becoming successful.
- When most agents or publishing editors reject their work, they don’t explain why, nor do they have the time to. They may offer some vague explanations but nothing that a writer could use effectively to fix what’s caused the rejection.
- For those skipping the agent or traditional publishing process and publishing directly on Amazon, this rejection takes the form of poor sales, and often very few reviews.
- They may have done their best when writing the book before uploading it, but there’s no one to explain why readers are not taken with the book, or why they likely stopped reading it before the end.
- This is often why there are so few reviews. If a reader doesn’t finish a book, they’re certainly not excited enough to take the time to leave a positive review.
- Critique groups can be helpful to some extent. Here, fellow writers read parts of your work and offer helpful advice. I know. I’ve been in a critique group almost every month since 2011. These can catch a few problems perhaps, but most of these writers are in a similar place as you are.
- They are not experts. Many, if not most, are not multi-published authors with a proven track record of success.
- It’s not exactly a blind-leading-the-blind situation, but it’s not the same thing as having a skilled craftsman, a writing expert, personally and thoroughly review your work and pinpoint exactly what’s missing and what things need to change, and why.
This is why I think I can make a genuine difference for writers in this predicament. And why I think I can help you:
- My first novel, The Unfinished Gift, was published in 2009 by a major Christian fiction publisher and instantly received rave reviews from critics and bloggers.
- It went on to win 2 Carol Awards for Best Debut Author and Best Historical Fiction.
- It also became a bestseller in the Christian Fiction market.
- After the sequel, The Homecoming, did so well I was able to start writing full time in 2010 and have been writing full-time ever since.
- Over the next 6 years, I wrote a total of 13 novels — in traditional publishing.
- Winning a total of 3 Carol awards (a finalist six times) and five Selah awards.
- All my novels consistently hit the bestseller lists shortly after their release.
- In 2015, I went out on my own and became an Indie Author, taking advantage of the major shift in publishing toward e-books and online stores like Amazon.
- Since then, my writing success has well-exceeded my traditional publishing years.
- I’ve written 17 new novels, including adding an exciting new suspense genre, while continuing to write the more inspirational novels that helped me become a bestselling author.
- These 30 novels combined have received over 74,000 Amazon reviews while maintaining a 4.7 star average.
- Over 1.9 million copies of my novels are in print or have been downloaded.
- Two of my books are being made into Faith-based films.
I share all these statistics not to brag but to illustrate and support my conviction that I can genuinely help 
improve your fiction writing. Besides all my writing success over the past 18 years, I have also been invited to speak and teach fiction writing classes and workshops dozens of times all over the country.
And before my 18 years of novel writing, I was a full-time pastor for 25 years. Teaching and explaining helpful and meaningful things to others was a big part of my job.
You don’t need to take my word for it. Here are just a handful of quotes about my writing from reputable publications. But I would encourage you beyond these, to check out some of my books on Amazon and read just a smattering of those 74,000 reviews. Pick any book you like.
Quotes about My Writing
“Dan Walsh is an artist who paints with words. His canvas is the novel, where he uses different colors and hues of words to create a masterpiece. His books will surely touch your heart and soul.”
—New York Journal of Books
“His emotional storylines and well-crafted characters will appeal to all. Walsh demonstrates that, like Nicholas Sparks, men are capable of writing romantic fiction.”
—RT Book Review Magazine
“The Deepest Waters reminds the reader that even in hopeless situations, God is still at work. Walsh’s emotional work matches the compelling storytelling of bestselling romance author Nicholas Sparks.”
—Christian Retailing Magazine
$500 for 50 Pages
If you’re still reading, then you are likely wondering how much this is going to cost and, practically, what’s involved.
The heading answers the first question. If we agree to work together, you will send me the first 50 pages of a novel you want me to review (and a few other things I’ll explain in a moment). For $500, I will carefully read over these pages and give you my very best advice about what I’m reading, in the margins right beside your paragraphs.
As a bonus, my own “in-house Pro Editor,” (my wife Cindi) has agreed to review the 50-page submissions, as well. Cindi has actually edited ALL 30 of my books, including the 13 traditionally published ones. My editors were so impressed at how clean my manuscripts were. They hardly ever had to make any changes. At one point, they even offered her a job (which she politely turned down). But she’s been editing ALL my indie books, and they are STILL averaging 4.7 stars.
Please understand, the kind of review I will be giving you is not for the faint of heart. This is not a 
time to be “fishing for compliments.” Rather, it’s a time to hear from someone the industry considers a fiction expert, specifically what’s wrong with your work. What’s not working.
I’ll be gentle and encouraging whenever possible, but the point is… you’re not paying me to make you feel good about your writing. You’re paying me to help get your writing to the next level (maybe even a few levels beyond that).
After you have read over my review of your work, I’d like you to sit down and write out any questions you have about things I’ve said. Then we will schedule a one-hour Zoom call (or some other video chat platform) to go over them.
Why Only 50 Pages?
This is a fair question. But remember, I am not an editor, who would likely review the entire book. I am serving as a Fiction Coach, something of a specialist, you could say. The intent here is, after I share with you everything I see that needs to be fixed and explain why and how to do it, you should now have the tools to take these things you’ve just learned, and use them to rewrite your whole book.
It is this exercise — you doing this work yourself — that will reinforce these things in your mind and help train your eye to see them in your own work whenever the old/bad habits appear.
More importantly, as your skills improve, they will help you with any new writing projects. You will likely catch yourself whenever you make a familiar mistake, enabling you to make it right at that moment. I’ll share a little tip, my writing process includes reviewing whatever I wrote in my last session carefully before writing anything new.
This not only helps me reconnect with the story, it helps me make little mini-edits as I go. Because of this practice, when I finish my manuscript the first draft is already 90% ready to go.
Besides the 50 Pages
Besides sending the first 50 pages, it is essential that you send me a 3-5 page synopsis of the story. So that I can know where the story goes beyond those first pages, and whether those first pages do a good job setting up the rest of the book. I may also share some thoughts — if I see 
anything worthwhile — about the synopsis itself.
If you aren’t clear on how to write a synopsis, do an internet search, maybe ask some AI source for help. There’s plenty out there on how to write one. For me, a synopsis is basically me sharing the story of the book with someone — beginning, middle, and ending — in about 10 minutes. As if sharing it in a living room setting, only writing these words on paper.
I will also need a brief character sketch of the main characters in the story. Just their names, and a paragraph or two about who they are in the story, and how they relate to the main plot points, and the other characters in the book.
Books That Qualify
By qualify, what I’m really saying are – books that I can still help you fix. That would be pretty much any book or manuscript that you still own the rights to. A book that is under the control of a traditional publisher should not be sent, because even as the author, you likely no longer have editorial control over the work.
Unless you have signed with a smaller, independent house that would give you full permission to do a major rewrite of the book, and resubmit a new manuscript, you should not consider a book already published by a publisher. If you are an “Indie,” however, you own the rights to the book, and you are able to resubmit an edited manuscript–even if you previously published the book, say with Amazon–this is a book I can still help you fix.
I did this myself some years back, after getting the rights of a traditionally published book back from a major publisher. I didn’t like how they edited this book, and a number of the parts of the book they wanted changed. It never sold well, nor got great reviews. When I got the rights back, I rewrote the book to make it just the way I’d always intended and republished it. It instantly began selling well, and now has over 1,300 reviews (4.5 Avg).
And, of course, any manuscript that is not yet published still qualifies.
Disqualifying Things
These are some of the practical matters I spoke about earlier. I am a Christian fiction author. That is my expertise. I am not interested in reviewing books that are not considered Christian fiction. The gospel message does not need to be clearly shared in the book for me to consider it “Christian fiction.” But it should at least be written from a Christian worldview.
At least some of the main characters should be credible believers who are clearly trying to respond to the main conflicts and plot points in a way that a true believer would. I’m not okay with profanity or bedroom scenes. I’ve learned how to create some pretty sinister villains while staying within these boundaries.
Also this, you have to have completed the manuscript. Or at least come very close. In order for the synopsis to be effective, I need to see how you handle the middle and end of the story.
Finally, no “AI written stories” allowed. I’m not saying you can’t take advantage of some of the amazing tools AI offers, such as researching your book or help with marketing, cover art, etc. But if you’re using AI for the creative parts, that is, the actual writing of the book, I’m not your guy. I believe this area is reserved for human authors alone.
Are We There Yet?
If all of this is acceptable to you and you would still like me to serve as your Fiction Coach, just contact me here on my website using the Contact Button (on the right side of the Menu above), to set things up. Everything written on my Contact Page goes directly to my email inbox. I check my emails every day.
Please be aware, I will have a limited number of openings per month. Remember, I’m not fully retired. I am still writing at least one book a year plus managing a 30-book business on Amazon.
Also this, you’ll need to send me MS Word documents. This is the app I’ll be using to do all the edits and share all my suggestions.
Looking forward to hearing from you.
Dan Walsh
Bonus Offer?
For an additional $300, I will do the same kind of Expert Review of your LAST 50 PAGES. Mickey Spillane, a huge NYT Bestselling Fiction author once said: “Nobody reads a novel to get to
the middle. They read it to get to the end. If the ending’s a letdown, they won’t buy anymore. Your first chapter sells your book. Your last chapter sells your next book.”
I have found this to be true. Years ago, I did a survey of my readers. Thousands participated. I asked them, “What are the Top 3 Things that matter to you as a Fiction Reader?” I gave them 7 Elements of a novel to pick from. “A Satisfying Ending” made the Top 3 list from that survey.
My Endings, literally, sell my next book. I’ve learned how to craft satisfying endings, and I’m sure I can help you with yours. Another reason for great endings? Readers who love the way a book ends are far more interested in leaving a great review.
You can only choose this “Bonus Offer,” if you let me know upfront, because I’ll need to schedule more time. The door closes if you want this extra work after the First 50 Pages has been completed. I’d be open to doing it after that, but it would be $400 then. Also, you wouldn’t send me exactly 50 pages. I’ll need to read complete chapters for this. So, send me your “Ending Chapters” as close to 50 pages, as possible.