PUBLICATIONS & AWARDS

My work has received four national awards: The Faulkner Society
Faulkner Award, The Omaha Prize for the Novel, The Patrick T.
Bradshaw Book Award, and The St. Andrews Press/Cairn Short
Fiction Award. In addition, my short fiction has received four
Special Mentions in Pushcart Prize. Works of mine have also
been finalists for awards such as the Iowa School of Letters
Award and The Quarterly West Novella Prize.

I have presented at large conferences such as The Writer’s
Digest Novel Writing Conference (Los Angeles) and the
International Plot Summit (online originating from London,
England), and I’ve been a visiting writer at places like Kansas
State University, Missouri State University, the Hemingway-
Pfeiffer House, the New Orleans Book Club, and Texas A&M
University. In July of 2024, I was a presenter at a National
Endowment for the Humanities workshop for public school
teachers from across America.

I have had extensive experience with publishers ranging from
literary houses like Main Street Rag to commercial houses like
Random House and Llewellyn. I’ve also worked with movie
professionals and screenwriters like Ebbe Smith (Falling Down)
and Derrick Sims (Come Morning), and I’ve participated in
several TV shows like Paranormal Witness and A Haunting.

SERVICES

“Mark, I feel indebted to
you for your assistance
and direction with my
novel. I can’t thank you
enough”--Brian Hackett,
author of Leaving Naples

“Dear Mark,

Thanks for helping give
me the knowledge and
feedback. Your help is the
reason why I’m published!
So Grateful.”--Mia Siegert,
author of Jerkbait

“To Mark,

Thank you for your help
and encouragement to
make this book possible.”

--Scott Kauffman, author
of Revenants

“Dear Mark,

I’m so glad I found you.”--
Trisha Pritikin, author of
Then Came the Summer
Snow

For over 40 years, I have been teaching literature and
creative-writing courses at the university level.

For about 25 years, I have also done freelance
critiques of fiction and nonfiction. Many of my
students and clients have published short stories in
magazines, and several have published books
commercially. Some of the authors I have worked
with are Mia Siegert (Jerkbait), Michelle Cohen
Corasanti (The Almond Tree), Scott Kauffman (In
Deepest Consequences), Rich Marcello (The Beauty
of the Fall), and Barbara Barnett (The Apothecary’s
Curse). You can find their books on Amazon, Barnes
and Nobel, and elsewhere.

I provide comments and suggestions regarding
structure, development, and style. In other words, I
comment on all aspects of a work, large and small,
everything from overall plot structure to the
structure of a phrase in a sentence, everything from
the overall development of a character to whether a
particular word is necessary.

My fee is two cents per word. Most authors simply
email their manuscripts as Word files, and I reply by
email. In most instances, my response time is within
ten days. I accept payment via PayPal, personal
check, or money order.

For further information, contact me at:
markspencerauthor@gmail.com