Our January workshop will open for submissions on Saturday, January 6th at noon, EST. In addition to our wonderful permanent mentors, we have Christina June as our author mentor and Abby Saul of The Lark Group as our agent mentor! (See below for Abby's background and query preferences.)
The workshop is designed to help writers struggling to find the right opening for their novel or for those looking to perfect the all important first five pages before submitting for publication. Why the first five pages? Because if these aren't perfect, no agent, editor, or reader will continue reading to find out how great the rest of your story really is!
On Wednesday, June 3, from 8-9 pm EST we will be hosting a 1st 5 Pages twitter chat, to answer any questions and chat about those crucial first pages, under the hashtag #1st5pages. We hope you can join us!
Why is the First Five Pages Workshop a GREAT Opportunity?
How It Works
Please see the complete rules before entering the workshop, but in a nutshell, we'll take the first five Middle Grade or Young Adult entries that meet all guidelines and formatting requirements. (Double check the formatting - each month we have to disqualify entries because of formatting.) Click here to get the rules. We will post when the workshop opens and closes on Adventures in YA Publishing and on twitter (@etcashman, @MelissWritesNow, @charlotteclg ), with the hashtag #1st5pages. In addition to the rotating team of our wonderful permanent author mentors, the final entry for each workshop participant will be critiqued by our agent mentor.
Abby founded The Lark Group after a decade in publishing. A zealous reader who loves her iPad and the ebooks on it, she still can’t resist the lure of a print book. Abby’s personal library of beloved titles runs the gamut from literary newbies and classics, to cozy mysteries, to sappy women’s fiction, to dark and twisted thrillers. Find her @BookySaul on Twitter.
The workshop is designed to help writers struggling to find the right opening for their novel or for those looking to perfect the all important first five pages before submitting for publication. Why the first five pages? Because if these aren't perfect, no agent, editor, or reader will continue reading to find out how great the rest of your story really is!
On Wednesday, June 3, from 8-9 pm EST we will be hosting a 1st 5 Pages twitter chat, to answer any questions and chat about those crucial first pages, under the hashtag #1st5pages. We hope you can join us!
Why is the First Five Pages Workshop a GREAT Opportunity?
- You are mentored by at least two traditionally-published published or agented authors for the duration of the workshop. These authors have been through the trenches and know what it takes to get a book deal, solid reviews, and sales.
- In addition, you receive feedback from the four other workshop participants.
- Feedback is given not just on your initial submission, but on two subsequent opportunities to revise your manuscript based on the previous feedback so that you know you've got it right!
- The final revision will also be reviewed by a literary agent, who will also give you feedback on the pitch for your story--the one that may eventually become your query letter or cover copy.
- The best entry from among the workshop participants will receive a critique of the full first chapter or first ten pages from the mentoring agent, which may, in some cases, lead to requests for additional material.
How It Works
Please see the complete rules before entering the workshop, but in a nutshell, we'll take the first five Middle Grade or Young Adult entries that meet all guidelines and formatting requirements. (Double check the formatting - each month we have to disqualify entries because of formatting.) Click here to get the rules. We will post when the workshop opens and closes on Adventures in YA Publishing and on twitter (@etcashman, @MelissWritesNow, @charlotteclg ), with the hashtag #1st5pages. In addition to the rotating team of our wonderful permanent author mentors, the final entry for each workshop participant will be critiqued by our agent mentor.
Abby is looking for: adult literary fiction and
adult commercial fiction (including historical fiction, women’s fiction,
mysteries, and thrillers)
Click here for how to query Abby!
January Guest Author Mentor: Christina June
Christina June writes young
adult contemporary fiction when she’s not writing college recommendation
letters during her day job as a school counselor. She loves the little
moments in life that help someone discover who they’re meant to become –
whether it’s her students or her characters.
Christina is a voracious reader,
loves to travel, eats too many cupcakes, and hopes to one day be bicoastal –
the east coast of the US and the east coast of Scotland. She lives in
Virginia with her husband and daughter. Find her on Twitter @ChristinaJuneYA
Her debut novel, IT STARTED WITH GOODBYE, was released in May 2017, and a companion, EVERYWHERE YOU WANT TO BE,
will be available in 2018. She was also part of the anthology NEVER BE YOUNGER, collection of short stories based on the works of Shakespeare.
About IT STARTED WITH GOODBYE:
Sixteen-year-old Tatum Elsea is bracing for the worst summer
of her life. After being falsely accused of a crime, she’s stuck under
stepmother-imposed house arrest and her BFF’s gone ghost. Tatum fills her
newfound free time with community service by day and working at her covert
graphic design business at night (which includes trading emails with a cute
cello-playing client). When Tatum discovers she’s not the only one in the house
keeping secrets, she finds she has the chance to make amends with her family
and friends. Equipped with a new perspective, and assisted by her feisty
step-abuela-slash-fairy-godmother, Tatum is ready to start fresh and maybe even
get her happy ending along the way.
Where to Buy:
Add It on GOODREADS!
