Testimonials

 

Only one day into the March writing workshop, Anne sent me some feedback on a pitch I was working on. Sent the revised pitch. Within an hour I had a deal with a major national magazine online blog. Need I say more? Well, I could: beyond and above being an insanely efficient teacher and pitcher, Anne is a true support. She is generous with her ideas, resources, and networks to a fault. Take that class!

I am a middle-aged, career-switching, baby-journalist pursuing a Master’s Degree at Boston University. I have spent a TON of money writing courses as well as attended some for free. Anne’s is by far the best value I’ve come across and I think she could increase her tuition rates by a factor of three and still be giving people a great value. Good writers are a dime a dozen. To be successful, you need to learn what Anne teaches. How to Get Published. Take Anne’s class or compete against someone like me who did.

I really can’t say enough good things about this course. Anne offers professional, helpful advice based on her own experiences, those of other successful freelancers she knows, and tips from editors. My “classmates,” though all at different stages of their careers, were insightful and freely offered plenty of their own experiences to the group; not to mention they’re all great writers themselves, from what I saw. Best of all, though, was the motivation. Anne encouraged us to submit consistently throughout the two weeks we all worked together, and with everyone sharing stories, the mood was infectious. I submitted more pitches during this class than I had in the preceding month.If you’re serious about being a successful published writer in any field, take this class.

March 2012: Took Anne’s course.  May 2012: Got my piece published in the biggest newspaper in SF. Thank you Anne for making getting published seem not only do-able, but just a series of small steps (and emails) away. You are a treasure trove of a resource! [UPDATE: The writer later received a book contract for the essay]

I made a sale three days into Anne’s course. My fellow participants are really smart and accomplished writers who have already helped me a lot. Totally worth it!

I really enjoyed taking this course. Anne is knowledgeable, encouraging and full of great ideas. I learned a lot and got connected to useful resources, all from the convenient location of my dining room table.

I can’t recommend this course highly enough. Anne went beyond all of my expectations as both instructor and mentor in “drawing back the curtain” of freelance writing. I will forever be in her debt for her remarkable humor and candor in guiding me through a profession I had previously thought utterly elusive. Thank you, Anne!

It will only take a minute reading any of Anne’s work to figure out that she’s smart–and that is what this course is all about: the chance to hear from someone who has made this shift from the ivy tower into broader print in such an intelligent, creative way. I took the first version of this course earlier this spring, and I was inspired by her honesty and willingness to take risks in her own work, grateful for the great practical ideas for how to do this thing and much, much closer to getting where I want to be. I got great feedback on pitch ideas and hope to be working with her again soon (just as soon as I get this stack of paper off my desk).

I’ve been a local writer for seven years — but the national freelance market always seemed like such an impossible nut to crack — so I didn’t even bother trying.Anne’s class gave me the courage, and the know-how, to knock down these doors. As a direct result of Anne’s class, I successfully pitched a story to a national magazine award winning publication — and am now at work on my first national feature. The guidance, support, and community that this class provided has been one of the greatest gifts in my life.

This course is actually somewhat remarkable. In addition to  Anne’s own experience and practical expertise, and her generosity in sharing them, she also manages to foster a mutually-supportive community of writers which is inspiring in itself. The community spirit of the course goes some way to counter-balance the isolated fears of the solitary writer battling editorial indifference. In other words, Anne humanizes the whole process of writing for publication — no small feat! I can’t recommend this course highly enough.

I am just finishing up Anne’s March iteration of this course and it has been so helpful. I came in with a draft, came up with an idea for a new essay, and have a better idea of how to approach editors and publications. Mind you, most of my experience writing has been either academic or blog-oriented, so I was starting with almost a clean slate! But I had ideas and I knew I wanted to develop my writing skills outside of academia. But the best thing I got out of this course was a sense of community with the other writers who participated in the course. Our chatter on the blog kept me thinking, writing, and moving. This was a great experience–money well spent! If you haven’t scrolled up by now to sign up, you should go ahead and do that now…

I was looking to learn how to write pieces that were of interest to those working with young children with diverse abilities versus traditional peer reviewed research articles. I was searching for the skills and the confidence to pitch something to let’s say the New York Time. During the How to Pitch course, Anne and others from class mentored me and helped me to understand and begin to write in a new and exciting way. During the course, Anne provided constant individualized support, a wealth of resources, and willingly shared her vast knowledge and experiences. By the end of the course, I had a draft of an op ed written and tons of feedback. I then joined Anne’s Face Book group for alumni and continue to refine my draft and gain immediate feedback. I’m gearing up to pitch my op ed in the coming weeks.

Although I have experience with academic writing, Anne’s course helped me better understand how to write pitch letters and write for a more general audience. I came in with one decent but overly-long and somewhat dry pitch, and left with two much better pitches, a better understanding of what editors are looking for, and some really useful feedback from Anne and from other participants. I also read some really interesting essays and pitches and offered my own comments. I am grateful for Anne’s expertise and experience, and also the opportunity to interact with other writers from different backgrounds and different levels of experience. This course definitely unveiled some mysteries.