My developmental editor is offering a seminar. Below is the information. I know her from another site (Bookkus Publishing) where I was impressed with her judgement. I believe that she has a masters in Creative writing from Columbia University, but you can ask her. I am not enrolling myself because all I can afford right now is her charge for the edit of my book, that I will be reporting on in about a week.

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Melissa had been an editor at Bookkus. She is no longer there. She was, this is my impression from our private conversations, too literary-minded for their material. Which is a good thing, in my view.

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The Thinking Writer is now offering a course on how to submit to literary agencies and independent presses! Students choose their level of involvement in this online course that includes Q&A’s with a top literary agent and a debut novelist.  

How to Submit to Literary Agents and Indie Presses is a two-week online course, running from May 12-23, that will provide an in-depth look at how to structure a query letter, research literary agents and presses, build up your writing credentials, and get the most out of any rejections you might receive.

The course is ideal for writers in any genre who have either completed work on a manuscript or have a book-length project in mind. The process for drafting a query letter and submitting to agents is the same for fiction of all genres as well as memoir.

View the full course description here. 

Students who choose to post drafts of their query letter will receive individualized feedback on their work. At the conclusion of the course, students will be given access to a database of 75+ literary agents currently open to submissions, which will include contact information and submission guidelines. Students will also be invited to join a private Facebook group of Thinking Writer alumni which provides a supportive forum for working writers to share information, good news, and questions. Upon completion of the course, students will also be eligible for a 50% discount on any future Thinking Writer courses. 

Students who enroll in the course prior to May 1 will be given the opportunity to submit questions via e-mail to literary agent Betsy Amster and debut novelist Julia Fierro. Betsy is the president of Betsy Amster Literary Enterprises, and was an editor at Pantheon and Vintage. Julia is the author of Cutting Teeth (St. Martin’s Press, May 2013) and the founder of the Sackett St. Writers’ Workshop. She is represented by Marie Massie, of Lippincott Massie McQuilkin. Betsy’s and Julia’s responses will be made available to all students during the class.

Class enrollment is limited to 12 students, and there are currently 6 spots remaining. Feel free to forward this email to anyone you know who might be interested.

View the full course description here. 

Email the instructor, Melissa Duclos at editor@melissa-duclos.com with questions. 

Course fee: $200

Individual option: $400

Literary Agent Database: $100 (Writers who wish to purchase the database without registering for the course should contact Melissa Duclos for more information.) 

About the instructor: As a freelance editor, Melissa Duclos has successfully helped clients navigate the process of submitting work to literary agents. She is also an aspiring novelist, whose own first book is currently under consideration at several top literary agencies. She is a contributing writer for the online magazine BookTrib, where she writes book reviews and lifestyle articles, and her work has appeared in Cleaver Magazine and Scéal literary journal. She has an MFA in Creative Writing from Columbia University, and has taught creative and academic writing at Columbia, the University of Pennsylvania, and Brandman University. You can learn more about her work at www.melissa-duclos.com. 

--edited by Mimi Speike on 4/22/2014, 11:22 AM--