How to Get Published is a 4-week class, which includes a mixture of lectures and query letter assignments. It’s for beginners or anyone who wants a refresher. Farther down, you can view a syllabus for this course.
You’ve spent months, or years, sweating and swearing over a book and now you’re ready to draw the interest of agents and/or publishing houses. Or perhaps you’re in the midst of writing a book and you want to know the publishing challenges up ahead. The question looms: how do you get a book published?
Here you will learn how to navigate the ins-and-outs of the publishing business and you’ll write (and refine) the most important selling tool for your book—the query letter. All under the guidance of an established literary agent.
You won’t be told it’s impossible, or that it’s easy. You will, however, gain a realistic understanding of how the process works and how you can maximize your chances for success.
Notes
- This course deals with all kinds of books—novels, children’s books, and all types of nonfiction books. If you’re working on a nonfiction book, then you may want to start with Nonfiction Book Proposal.
- Though self-publishing is touched on, the focus is on getting published with a traditional publisher.
This course shows you the process of getting your book published, and helps you craft a winning query letter. Course components:
- Lectures
- Writing and receiving feedback on a query letter for your book (each student presenting work two times)
Course Syllabus:
- Week 1
- A Book is a Product: Defining your book (product). Types of fiction, nonfiction, and children’s books. Hooks and angles. Titles. Nonfiction book proposals. The physical manuscript/proposal. Query letters. Novel synopsis. (Samples are provided for query letters, nonfiction book proposals, and novel synopses.)
- Week 2
- The Publishing World: Understanding publishing houses, editors, and agents. How readers are accessed. The promotional role of today's author. Self-publishing.
- Week 3
- Zeroing In, Sending Out: Should you approach agents or editors first? Criteria to consider for agents and editors. Number of targets to choose. Researching the right agents and editors for your book. What to send, how to send it.
- Week 4
- Acceptance and Rejection: The slush pile. Deciphering responses. Keeping track of submissions. Dealing with rejection. What to do when an agent or editor says yes. Contracts. The preparation process. The writing community. Other writing outlets. Sharpening skills. Attitude.
Content may vary among individual classes.
About
- The Online classes bring students from all over the globe to Gotham—New York City’s most famous writing school.
- The Online classes happen asynchronously—not in “real time.” You can participate in class any time, day or night, but the classes advance week-by-week, and certain things should be accomplished within that week-long session.
- You can take an Online writing class from anywhere, as long as you have an internet connection. The majority of our Online students are located in the U.S. but we also draw students from practically every country in the world.
- Tech support will be available.
- Aside from the convenience of time and location, you have a record of everything that transpires in class, which you can print out and keep for future reference. (The material is text and image, not video.)
