Class Description
Do you have a finished or in-progress novel you’d love to see published, but aren’t sure how to take the next step? With so many publishing paths, agents, and submission processes out there, the world of novel publishing can feel confusing or closed off. But it doesn’t have to be.
How to Publish a Novel is a supportive, information-rich seminar designed to demystify the publishing process and help you chart your path toward publication. Over the course of three hours, we’ll cover what agents and editors are looking for—from compelling premises and strong openings to polished manuscripts and effective query letters. We’ll discuss how to research agents, understand submission guidelines, and identify where your novel might fit in the marketplace.
You’ll have the chance to draft or refine your query letter or pitch, ask questions about representation and the publication timeline, and leave with a clear sense of next steps for your project. We’ll also talk about common challenges, from rejection to revision, and how to build a sustainable, confident relationship with the publishing process. Toward the end of class, we’ll share information about upcoming GrubStreet workshops and other resources to help you continue developing and submitting your work.
Writing Roadmap: We've created a simple, goal-based writing roadmap to help you find the perfect GrubStreet course for your writing needs.
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 detailed information about GrubStreet scholarships, including how to contribute to scholarship funds for other students, click here.
This class will take place using Zoom videoconferencing. After registering, a yellow Resources tab will appear in this section containing a link to join class. Please note that you will need to be logged into view the Resources tab.
Zoom Participation:
In our experience, the intimate nature of a writing workshop benefits from on-camera participation. Students are of course welcome to turn their camera off whenever they need to, but it is a community norm for cameras to be on most of the time. You can learn more about using Zoom here.
Zoom Accessibility:
You can enable closed captioning at any time during the meeting by clicking the CC button at the bottom of the screen. If you'd like to access the transcript after class, please make sure to let your instructor ahead of time that you'd like a copy.