I teach two adult education courses at the College of Dupage in Glen Ellyn. The
first is a one-night class called
How to Land a Literary Agent. The second is an five week fiction writing
and marketing course called Go Pro: How to Write and Sell Your Fiction.
Because these are adult education, you do not need to be enrolled in the
college to attend. You can register online at
www.cod.edu or by calling 1-630-942-2482.
I'll be teaching
the follow agent class on Sept 21 at 7pm-10pm.
"Get Represented:
How to Land a Literary Agent"
We all know the Catch-22 of publishing-- you can’t get
published without a literary agent, and you can’t get an agent
without being published. But this is not true! Instructor Joe
Konrath had three agents (and offers from a dozen more), without
publishing a single word. Whether you write fiction or non fiction,
this course can show you how to get a New York agent’s full
attention. Bring a snack, your book proposal, and your questions
about the publishing industry.
OBJECTIVES
1. Research where and
how to find agents.
2. Gain an
understanding of what agents want.
3. Learn how to
successfully market yourself to agents.
4. Discover the
difference between good and bad agents.
5. Create a
submission package that brings you to the top of the slush pile.
6. Learn
the art of pitching.
TOPICAL
OUTLINE
Session 1:
Get Represented
a. What an agent
does. b. Why you need an agent. c. Where to find agents. d. What
agents are looking for. e. The Agent Submission-- selling yourself
to NY. f. Good and bad agents. g. What to do when you gain agent
interest. h. Working with your agent. i. The irresistible pitch.
This is
a three hour course with a fifteen minute break. I would need an
overhead projector (to put some writing up on screen). Students will
get a handout which includes some sample query submissions, notes on
self promotion and pitching, and a list of places to find agents.
They'll also get my email address and are free to contact me after
class with any further questions.
"Go Pro: Surefire
Steps To Selling Your Fiction"
Want to learn the
exact steps to getting your fiction published? This class will
take you from "needs a little work" to your first contract. Learn
what agents and editors really want, master rewriting and
polishing, research paying markets, write query letters, and
submit your work-- all in one term. Bring one short story (at any
stage of development) and your dreams.
Textbook: 2007 Novel & Short Story Writer’s Market, Writer’s Digest Books.
Instructor Joe Konrath recently signed a three book deal with
Hyperion Press for six figures. His first novel, WHISKEY SOUR,
comes out in hardcover Spring 2004. Joe broke into the incredibly
tough fiction market using the same techniques he teaches in this
class.
OBJECTIVES
1.
Build critiquing and editing skills.
2.
Research and select likely markets for specific genres.
3.
Master query letter formats.
4. Master submission techniques.
5. Submit one completed manuscript to a professional market.
TOPICAL OUTLINE
Session 1: Mastering the Critique
a.
Introductions. Discussions of individual goals. b. Explanation of
the Crit Sheet system (rating the Hook, Conflict, Characters,
Setting/Mood, Pace/Style, Resolution, Spelling/Grammar, and
Enjoyment on a 1-5 scale). c. Read sample story. d. Group critique
and discussion.
Assignment: Bring a short story to class, with enough copies for
every student plus the instructor.
Session 2: Rewriting and Self-Editing
a.
Subjective vs. Objective. b. Murdering helper words, exposition,
backstory, and passive voice. c. Reading your own writing. d. The
double edged sword that is praise. e. Distance and scissors, less
is more. f. Student critiques.
Assignment: Schedule at home critiques, all students who were
critiqued this session must bring in the revision next class.
Session 3: Conflict, Conflict, Conflict
a. The
essence of dramatic structure. b. Opposition, stakes, resolution.
c. Torturing your protagonist. d. Answering the posed question. e.
Student critiques.
Assignment: Schedule at home critiques, all students who were
critiqued this session must bring in the revision next class.
Session 4: Marketing Intensive
a.
Everybody’s selling something. b. Finding your target; discovering
professional markets. c. Submission guidelines, standard and
specific. d. The lure of the irresistible product. e. Other market
sources. f. Student critiques.
Assignment: Schedule at home critiques, all students who were
critiqued this session must bring in the revision next class.
Session 5: Irresistible Query Letters
a.
Query ingredients (Greeting, Hook, Bio, Closing). b. Sample
queries. c. Standing out in the herd. d. The slick trick. e.
Student critiques.
Assignment: Students must devise a first draft query letter for
the story they’ve been workshopping. Schedule at home critiques,
all students who were critiqued this session must bring in the
revision next class.
Session 6: Surfing the Drowning Pool (the importance of rejection)
a.
"The Days" reading. b. Tales of woe (great author rejection
stories). c. Inevitable and necessary. d. There is no conspiracy.
e. Inevitability equation/magic number. f. Coping mechanisms. g.
Story critiques, query letter readings.
Assignment: Final polishes on short stories, all students who read
their query letters this session must bring the revision next
class.
Session 7: The Lowdown on Agents and Editors
a. One
writer’s story. b. What agents want. c. The steps to landing a
good agent. d. What editors want. e. the steps to landing a good
editor. f. Final query letter readings.
Assignment: All students who read their query letters this session
must bring the revision next class. Everyone brings in final
package (query letter, story, envelope, postage).
Session 8: Contracts, Rights, and Writing Scams
a.
Terms in a contract. b. What rights am I selling? c. Book doctors
and freelance editors. d. Vanity presses and POD. e. Fee charging
agents. f. Good and bad contests. g. Ebooks and internet sales. h.
Celebrity guest visit (a published author) and final group
discussion of goals.
