A Lit Agent’s Guide: How to Talk About, Write About, and Get People Interested In Your Book - Remote!

Class Description

Format: This class includes 3 hours of recorded lecture and guided workbook exercises, and a 3-hour Zoom class. You'll receive 6 hours of instruction in total.

Important: You are encouraged to register for this class at least two weeks in advance of the Zoom meeting, by October 9th. Two weeks before class, you will receive a link to a combination video lecture and video guided workbook, which you will need to watch and complete before the Zoom class portion. You will also receive detailed instructions on what is due and when, in order to make the most of the class.nPlease budget about three to three and a half hours to get through the video and the pre-class writing exercises. If you are registering after October 9th, please contact the instructor at [email protected].

Materials due to instructor: Completed workbook (8 writing exercises) by end of day Thursday, October 22^nd. Email as attachment to [email protected]

For Class: Instructions will be sent with the video link, but please also be prepared to have your completed workbook with you for the Zoom class. There will be group critique and discussion of some of the exercises, as well as time to do a little additional rewriting and get personalized feedback.

Class description: Sometimes it feels easier to write a book than it is to effectively and confidently pitch, summarize, or simply talk about one. This interactive workshop held by literary agent Sorche Fairbank, of Fairbank Literary Representation, will cover how to talk and write about your book in one sentence, in one paragraph, and in one page. We'll go over uses for each, from logline/elevator pitches to queries and synopses and (for DIY authors) book jacket descriptions, metadata, press releases, Amazon descriptions, and more. There is tremendous overlap in all these areas, though each use will have to highlight or focus on slightly different things. You will leave the session with tools and handouts to help talk about your book no matter if you’re looking to catch the attention of an agent, nail the elevator pitch, or draw more attention online to your self-published book.

This class will be hosted using live Zoom meetings! You will be able to participate in class via Zoom videoconference from wherever you’re most comfortable. All you’ll need is a laptop or a phone! About 15 minutes before your class is scheduled to begin, you'll receive an email from your instructor with a link to join the class meeting via Zoom–no need to download anything or sign up for Zoom in advance! If you have questions about remote learning, please feel free to reach out to [email protected] for more information.

For a glimpse at how remote learning works, look no further than the deep Zoom discussion of writing and literature below:

Scholarship Information

Thanks to the excellent literary citizenship of our donors, scholarships are available for all GrubStreet classes. To apply, click the gray "APPLY FOR SCHOLARSHIP" button. In order to be considered for a scholarship, you must complete your application at least one week before the start date of a class. Please await our scholarship committee's decision before registering for the class. We cannot hold spots in classes, so the sooner you apply, the better. Scholarships cannot be applied retroactively.

For more more detailed information about GrubStreet scholarships, including how to contribute to scholarship funds for other students, click here.