The September 2017 Workshop is now over, but that doesn't mean its learning opportunities have concluded! The First Five Pages Workshop is never just for the writers who have submitted manuscripts. For any writer, seeing how the manuscripts evolve over three weeks with the help of our mentoring authors and literary agent can be an unparalleled learning experience in how publishing really works and how professionals and readers read.
Follow along with the finished workshop! Use the links below and read the comments and transformations on each manuscript to see what worked, what didn't work, and why.
The October 2017 Workshop opens for submissions at NOON on 10/7/17. See here for details!
September 2017 Workshop
Guest Mentors
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Assigned Permanent Mentors
Holly Bodger is the author of 5 to 1 (Knopf, May 2015). She was a finalist in the YA category of the 2013 RWA Golden Heart and has been the logline guru for Miss Snark’s First Victim for several years. She owns too many hats, eats too much cheese and spends too much time complaining about the Canadian weather. She is represented by Lauren MacLeod of The Strothman Agency.
Martina Boone, the workshop founder, loves reading and writing romantic books set in magical places for adults and young adults. She is the award-winning author of COMPULSION and the Southern Gothic HEIRS OF WATSON ISLAND trilogy for young adult readers from Simon and Schuster/Simon Pulse, and the Celtic Legends Collection for adult readers, including LAKE OF DESTINY and BELL OF ETERNITY. She is also the principal blogger at our sister site, AdventuresinYAPublishing.com, a three-time Writer's Digest 101 Best Websites for Writers site, and the founder of YASeriesInsiders.com.
Martina Boone, the workshop founder, loves reading and writing romantic books set in magical places for adults and young adults. She is the award-winning author of COMPULSION and the Southern Gothic HEIRS OF WATSON ISLAND trilogy for young adult readers from Simon and Schuster/Simon Pulse, and the Celtic Legends Collection for adult readers, including LAKE OF DESTINY and BELL OF ETERNITY. She is also the principal blogger at our sister site, AdventuresinYAPublishing.com, a three-time Writer's Digest 101 Best Websites for Writers site, and the founder of YASeriesInsiders.com.
Melanie Conklin is a writer, reader, and all-around lover of words and those who create them. Her debut novel for middle grade readers, COUNTING THYME, was published by Putnam & Sons in April, 2016. She lives in South Orange, New Jersey with her husband and two small maniacs.
Pintip Dunn is a New York Times bestselling author of YA fiction. Her first novel, FORGET TOMORROW, won the RWA RITA® award for Best First Book. In addition to the FORGET TOMORROW series, her other books include THE DARKEST LIE and GIRL ON THE VERGE. The paperback of her novel REMEMBER YESTERDAYreleases September 5th. Her next novel, SEIZE TODAY (Forget Tomorrow, #3) released October 3rd, 2017.
Lisa Gail Green, workshop co-founder, writes paranormal and fantasy. She is the author of THE BINDING STONE, the first novel in her DJINN series, and SOUL CROSSED, the first book in the OF DEMONS AND ANGELS series. She would most definitely have a werewolf for a pet if she weren't allergic.
Stasia Ward Kehoe is the author of YA novels THE SOUND OF LETTING GO and AUDITION, both published by Viking. She grew up performing at theaters along the eastern seaboard, then shifted from stage to page and has been writing fiction, marketing copy and educational materials for almost two decades! She holds a BA in English from Georgetown University and MA in Performance Studies from New York University, is represented by Catherine Drayton of Inkwell Management, and still enjoys choreographing the occasional musical.
Sheri Larsen is a writer, reader, and Maine-iac ice hockey fan, who has watched more hockey games than she could ever count. She loves books that open up secret passageways and hidden worlds to inspire and challenge the heart. Her debut novel for middle grade readers, MOTLEY EDUCATION (Leap Books) is now available, and her debut young adult novel, MARKED BEAUTY, is set for release October, 2017; both are written under S.A. Larsen.
Ron Smith is the author of the Middle-Grade novel HOODOO, awarded the Coretta Scott King - John Steptoe New Talent Award, and THE MESMERIST, both from Clarion Books.
Wendy Spinale is the author of EVERLAND and UMBERLAND, both from Scholastic. She's a published professional journalist with the AOL/Patch Media’s Pleasanton Patch and an active member of both the California Writers’ Club and the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. A former Disneyland Cast Member, she is familiar with the world of "make believe".
Rob Vlock is an author trapped in the body of a struggling jazz musician who, in turn, is trapped in the body of another, somewhat shorter author. (It’s complicated. And kinda crowded.) Rob’s debut middle-grade action/comedy series kicks off with SVEN CARTER AND THE TRASHMOUTH PROTOCOL, which comes out on October 3rd. (Simon & Schuster/Aladdin). When he’s not writing, Rob can be found somewhere in the greater Boston area trying to make his trumpet sound like something other than a dying goose. It’s a work in progress.
Learn more about our permanent workshop mentors here.
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Workshop Entries
Genre: Young Adult Dark Fantasy
Mentors: Kate Brauning, Pintip Dunn, Lisa Gail Green
Original Submission with Comments
First Revision with Comments
Final Revision with Comments
Agent Comments
The Witch's Way by Nora Politano
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Mentors: Kate Brauning, Wendy Spinale, Rob Vlock
Original Submission with Comments
First Revision with Comments
Final Revision with Comments
Agent's Comments
Crowborn by Lisa Schunemann
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Mentors: Kate Brauning, Martina Boone, Sheri Larsen
Original Submission with Comments
First Revision with Comments
Final Revision with Comments
Agent's Comments
Finding North by Abigail Singrey
Genre: Middle Grade Historical Fiction
Mentors: Kate Brauning, Melanie Conklin, Rob Smith
Original Submission with Comments
First Revision with Comments
Final Revision with Comments
Agent's Comments
The Witch and the Demon by Katherine Toran
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Mentors: Kate Brauning, Holly Bodger, Stasia Kehoe
Original Submission with Comments
First Revision with Comments
Final Revision with Comments
Agent Comments
Previous Workshops
- July 2017 Workshop with Lit Agent Gabrielle Piraino and Author Laura Williams McCaffrey
- June 2017 Workshop with Lit Agent Connor Eck and Author Becky Wallace
- May 2017 Workshop with Lit Agent Hillary Jacobson and Author Kit Allow
- April 2017 Workshop with Lit Agent Justin Wells and Author Jennifer Longo
- March 2017 Workshop with Lit Agent Wendi Gu and Author Catrina Burgess
- February 2017 Workshop with Lit Agent Kristy Hunter and Author Kelly Barson
- January 2017 Workshop with Lit Agent Lauren Spieller and Author Shea Berkley
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