Thursdays, May 21-June 4, 3-5pm EDT
Online via Zoom
For aspiring authors, the most important thing to work on is the work itself—the manuscript or book proposal. But there’s so much other stuff to think about along the way: How important is an author platform, really, and how do you go about building one without selling your soul? Will your whole career really hinge on the quality of a one-page query letter, and if so how do you make it perfect? How do you even decide where to submit your manuscript when it’s done—to an agent or directly to a small press, and which ones??
This three-week bootcamp will demystify all of these questions and tasks and expectations that swirl around in the background as you prepare to try to land a book deal. With segments on platform, submission materials, and submission strategies, writers will leave with clear and actionable plans for everything else they should be thinking about and working on while they finish their manuscripts.
For fiction and nonfiction writers!
This course is built on my years of experience as an acquiring editor and writing instructor, and an author who has published with both independent presses and Big 5 imprints, with and without agent representation. (And it's based on a professionalization course I initially designed for MFA students at Columbia University.)
Plus Q&As with industry professionals:
Cassie Mannes Murray: Founder and director of Pine State Publicity (and writer of one of the best publishing Substacks around)
Annie Hwang: Literary agent at Ayesha Pande Literary (and my agent!)
Chloé Caldwell: Founder of Scrappy Literary (and celebrated author of four books!)
Recordings will be made available for one month after each session, for students who are unable to attend live.
"This course taught me things I never knew about becoming a published author. From writing a query to picking the right agent for myself, Lilly's knowledge of the publishing world gave me insight I would've never received if I did not take this course."
"The guest speakers were invaluable to this class, answering a lot of questions I'd had about agents and editors, particularly in relation to how they work with writers. Although the class would have still been worth it if there weren't any guest speakers, the speakers definitely enhanced the quality of this class. "
"I can't begin to express how helpful Lilly was in this class. She was incredibly organized, quick to give feedback, and she openly and kindly responded to all questions we had related to publishing."