Our September workshop will open for submissions on Saturday, September 1st at noon, EST. In addition to our wonderful permanent mentors, we have Lynn Carthage as our author mentor!
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!
We will also be hosting a twitter chat on Wednesday, August 29th, from 8-9 pm EST - please join us with your questions using the hashtag #1st5pages!
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.
Kate Brauning is an author of YA romance and thrillers, including How We Fall (Simon Pulse). She's an industry editor (previously for Entangled Publishing), and copy editor for Carolrhoda Lab. She's also the creator of the Breakthrough Writers' Boot Camp, a professional development program for established writers. Kate loves baking, dark chocolate, everything about autumn, bright colors, red maple trees, superstitions, ghost stories, anything Harry Potter, night skies, pie, and talking about books. More about her books and her freelance services can be found at https://www.katebrauning.com/ or on Twitter at @KateBrauning.
Lynn Carthage is a novelist living in Sacramento, California, near where the Gold Rush launched. Under her real name, she was a Bram Stoker Award finalist. Born in Vermont, Lynn has lived in Maine, Ireland, and Arizona. She reads voraciously, loves anything French, gets “itchy feet” to travel on a regular basis, and finds peace in the woods, in meadows, in nature.
She has always been fascinated by how history allows us to imagine how people of the past lived and breathed and felt. HAUNTED is the first book in the Arnaud Legacy trilogy. The second is BETRAYED, and the third is AVENGED .
About AVENGED :
Long ago I was a servant girl at the great manor house in the quiet English village of Grenshire. My mistress, Madame Arnaud, proved cruel, and many died at her hands. To stop her, I tried to kill her.
I failed. And I lost everything.
But that was then. Now, Phoebe Irving’s family has moved into the Arnaud Manor. Phoebe, her friend Miles, and I crossed paths and discovered a powerful connection. Together we might be strong enough to untangle an ancient prophecy hanging over this troubled place where old, deep magic mingles with greed and revenge. We might save Phoebe’s baby sister and other innocents.
We might even save ourselves.
Where to Buy:
Barnes & Noble Amazon IndieBound
Add it on GOODREADS!
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!
We will also be hosting a twitter chat on Wednesday, August 29th, from 8-9 pm EST - please join us with your questions using the hashtag #1st5pages!
Why is the First Five Pages Workshop a GREAT Opportunity?
- You are mentored by at the guest author as well as least one and usually two traditionally-published published or agented authors from among our permanent mentors 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.
September Guest Publishing Mentor: Kate Brauning
Kate Brauning is an author of YA romance and thrillers, including How We Fall (Simon Pulse). She's an industry editor (previously for Entangled Publishing), and copy editor for Carolrhoda Lab. She's also the creator of the Breakthrough Writers' Boot Camp, a professional development program for established writers. Kate loves baking, dark chocolate, everything about autumn, bright colors, red maple trees, superstitions, ghost stories, anything Harry Potter, night skies, pie, and talking about books. More about her books and her freelance services can be found at https://www.katebrauning.com/ or on Twitter at @KateBrauning.
She has always been fascinated by how history allows us to imagine how people of the past lived and breathed and felt. HAUNTED is the first book in the Arnaud Legacy trilogy. The second is BETRAYED, and the third is AVENGED .
About AVENGED :
I failed. And I lost everything.
But that was then. Now, Phoebe Irving’s family has moved into the Arnaud Manor. Phoebe, her friend Miles, and I crossed paths and discovered a powerful connection. Together we might be strong enough to untangle an ancient prophecy hanging over this troubled place where old, deep magic mingles with greed and revenge. We might save Phoebe’s baby sister and other innocents.
We might even save ourselves.
Where to Buy:
Barnes & Noble Amazon IndieBound
Add it on GOODREADS!
