The bad news: even really good manuscripts have weak spots that are enough to garner rejections from agents and publishers. The good news: most of these problems are easy to fix - once the writer sees and understands them.

Over time, literary agent Elizabeth Kracht noticed that many submissions had similar problems, so she began to make a list of the pitfalls. She knew that even excellent projects could be rejected based on these surmountable issues because those on the receiving end of proposals most often don't have the time to walk writers through needed adjustments. And writers can't clearly judge their own creative output.

The checklist Kracht has created helps writers make their manuscripts good to go. It offers short, easy-to-implement bites of advice, illustrated by inspiring - and cautionary - real-world examples. Kracht cuts to the chase and demystifies intricate issues like dialogue and pacing as well as nuts-and-bolts subjects such as query letters and agency guidelines.

The result is a reliable, doable way for writers to make their work truly ready for readers. Most aspiring authors yearn for a friend in book publishing. The Author's Checklist is just that.