Class Description
Note: This class is recommended for students who have thoroughly revised drafts of short fiction or novels that are ready to be sent out for publication. Participants should bring four copies of the first page of a work they deem ready to send out. The page should be double-spaced and in standard formatting.
This informational workshop for writers of short stories and novels will cover topics related to getting your work out in the world. The first half of the workshop will be devoted to publishing short stories and the second half to novels, though there will be lots of overlap as well. Topics covered will include (but are not limited to) the following: submitting work to literary magazines, standing out in the slush pile, what editors want to see in your work, cover letters, agents, query letters, traditional publishing vs. indie publishing vs. self-publishing, dealing with rejection, and what happens after an acceptance. We'll discuss our goals for our writing, as well as the different approaches writers take to publishing and marketing their work. We'll also talk about other opportunities that can lead to career breakthroughs, including sources of funding for your writing, developing a platform for yourself as a writer, how conferences can help, as well as how to grow your own network. We'll spend some time looking at sample query letters and cover letters, and lastly we'll practice editing each others' work in a way that will give you an editor's perspective. Come with any and all questions related to these topics - we'll have lots of time for Q&A! Open to all prose writers interested in learning how to get their work out there, including previously-published and self-published authors interested in other opportunities.
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.