Conover's submission -- an excerpt from his third novel which starts with Jacqueline Kennedy being kidnapped by Mexican rebels during the Cuban missile crisis and goes from there -- was read and critiqued by a real Penguin Putnam editor, although Conover is not sure which one. His three-quarter-page critique came back unsigned with this final note: "We suggest when you feel your manuscript is ready for publication you consult 'The Literary Marketplace.'"

But he was one of the lucky ones, since he was one of the first to sign up for the course. When the program started, Penguin Putnam editors, including Phyllis Grann herself, then CEO and president of the company, were reading the manuscripts. (Grann conceived of the InsideSessions idea with Doug Morris, chairman and CEO of Universal Music Group, who drove the development of similar music business courses.)

But as the first wave of book manuscripts arrived, the dozen or so Penguin Putnam editors who were charged with reading and critiquing them quickly became overwhelmed by the new workload.

"We probably had not thought through carefully enough the burden we were putting on our editors, because our editors are incredibly busy," says Schline.

About 400 manuscripts have received critiques so far, but as of this month, InsideSessions has hired outside editors to read and respond to the manuscripts, "under Penguins' supervision," according to Lori Weintraub, president of InsideSessions. Now, the course's Web site promises only that "a professional editor" will read and respond to the manuscripts. InsideSessions won't reveal the identity of these editors beyond asserting that they have many years of experience in publishing.

"What freaks me out is the detail that these manuscripts will be read by an editor who may not be a Penguin Putnam editor," says Harriet Rubin, who was the founding editor of the Currency imprint at Doubleday. "Having worked in publishing, I have seen that the word 'editor' is a loose term. They may have really wonderful readers, but you just don't know. I think an aspiring writer can be done much more harm than good with the wrong kind of editorial feedback."

And an aspiring writer, eager to make a connection, could be forgiven for falsely believing that their manuscript will definitely be reviewed by a real Penguin Putnam editor, who could actually buy it. One of the ads for the course running on Journalismjobs.com reads: "Wanna Get Published? Submit your manuscript. To a Penguin Putnam Editor. Click here to find out how."

The cheapest course offering, at $69.95, promises merely that an editor will look at your manuscript. For $69.95 you're guaranteed that someone -- not just a 22-year-old assistant or a mailroom clerk -- will see your work!

Jonathan Karp, a vice president and executive editor at Random House, thinks that the course is "an inspired idea" for Penguin Putnam, but he's less enthusiastic about it from the writer's perspective: "For new authors, it's just another possible way to get noticed. I suppose this is the literary equivalent of tipping the maitre d' in a busy restaurant. In all likelihood, you won't get better service, but at least you'll have the psychological comfort of knowing you tried. Personally, I'm against bribery, but I don't want to be judgmental about it."

Universal's music business course suffers from the same marketing sleight of hand, giving the impression that a Universal executive who actually signs new bands will listen to your song, for a fee. "From Demo to Deal, we GUARANTEE a Universal Music Group A&R executive will listen to your demo," reads the Web site, advertising the $99.90 course.

But like the "professional editor" who now screens the book manuscripts, InsideSessions has hired someone specifically to listen to submissions. A public relations representative for InsideSessions declined to say exactly what the new executive's credentials were, beyond saying that he or she is an "A&R executive affiliated with Universal Music Group."

Apparently, whether it's in book publishing or the music business, there's only so much access $100 can buy. But the talent looking to be discovered: that's an unlimited resource. InsideSessions is considering starting a screenwriting course as well, for aspiring Hollywood scriptwriters. Can't you just see the marketing copy now? "Take 'FilmSessions Plus' where for $119.90, a professional studio executive will read and critique your script."

What's next? For $39.95, the William Morris agency promises that someone will listen to your voice mail message, and not necessarily return the call, but at least you'll know for sure that you were heard out. For $15 an editor at an online magazine will read your e-mailed story pitch. For $50, he'll respond!

There is always a chance that a real gem of a manuscript or a song will be submitted and get passed on to the right book editor or A&R executive who can actually sign a contract. That hasn't happened yet, but the course just started last October. In the meantime, InsideSessions is sponsoring 10 of their promising, unsigned bands to play on a secondary stage at the Locobazooka tour this summer.

As for Conover, he's still writing and still unpublished. But he's happy with what he got out of the course. He found value in the advice from published writers, as well as the book editor's critique of his manuscript. In fact, he's decided to start giving advice to other aspiring writers himself. Among his current works in progress are a how-to book titled "The Long Road to Becoming a Writer." It's a book of tips about pitfalls to avoid in the process.

After taking a look at the InsideSessions Web site, Geoff Kloske, an editor at Simon & Schuster, had this piece of advice for aspiring authors: "I find U.S.P.S. is the best way to submit your work to an editor, and last I heard a stamp was 34 cents."

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