"Getting your novel published will take the same sort of creative problem solving, the same determination and persistence; the same refusal to quit that you brought to writing the book."
—Blythe Camenson & Marshall J. Cook,
Your Novel Proposal from Creation to Contract
Read what students are saying about this class.
Congratulations! For months, maybe years, you've worked diligently to craft well-rounded characters, map out every plot point and intricate sub-plot. You've researched your setting and made sure every detail is accurate. You've written and revised and revised some more and now—finally—your novel is finished. After you've taken a well-deserved break and toasted your accomplishment, it's time to find a home for your masterpiece. But just how, exactly, do you go about finding an agent or editor, and—even more important—getting one of them to say "yes"? If your goal is commercial publication, you need to know how to approach the market the way successful novelists do—with a professionally presented novel proposal.
At the conclusion of this workshop you will have developed a proposal package to submit to agents or editors—including query/cover letter and synopsis. You will also revise and polish the opening chapters of your novel (up to 12,000 words) with your instructor's feedback. In addition, you'll identify appropriate potential editors and agents to send your proposal when you're finished.
This workshop will consist of seven two-week sessions. Each session will include online lectures and associated textbook reading assignments, along with a writing assignment specifically related to your novel, which will be submitted to the instructor for private review at the end of the first week of the session. During the second week of each session, work will be posted for group critique. Throughout the workshop you will be able to participate in asynchronous lecture discussion and group critique sessions, and encouraged to take advantage of ongoing informal discussions and posted self-directed writing exercises. (2.8 CEUs)
Please note: This workshop is ONLY for students with completed novel manuscripts; it is specifically intended to help you market your finished novel with the goal of commercial publication. If you need help marketing your nonfiction book, see our Writing the Nonfiction Book Proposal Workshop. If you are writing a memoir or personal history, please see our Focus on the Personal/Family Memoir Workshop. If you’re just starting out with a novel idea and want help developing it, see our Focus on the Novel Workshop.
| Workshop length: |
Fourteen Weeks |
| Textbook(s) to purchase: |
Give 'Em What They Want: The Right Way to Pitch Your Novel to Editors and Agents (by Blythe Camenson & Marshall J. Cook, Writer's Digest Books);Novel & Short Story Writer's Market, current edition (Writer's Digest Books)
|
| Course Developer: |
Don Prues |
| Tuition: |
$425.00 |
Workshop Outline
Session One: The Publishing Path, Step by Step
How the publishing process works; The novel proposal at a glance
Writing Assignment: A narrative summary of your novel idea that includes the genre, a working title and a one- to two-paragraph description (maximum 500 words); Determine whether your novel is more suitable for a commercial publisher or small press, and use the Novel & Short Story Writer's Market to pick two to three appropriate publishers and explain your decisions (250 words or less).
Session Two: Seeking and Selecting a Literary Agent
What literary agents do; Finding the right agent for you and your novel; The question of fees
Writing Assignment: Using the Novel & Short Story Writer's Market, identify up to five agents who are suitable to represent your work and explain how you made your decisions (maximum 500 words); A "pitch" for your novel (250 words or less).
Session Three: Querying Your Way to Publication
The components of a successful query letter; Examples of query letters that work—and those that don't; Query letter advice from published novelists
Writing Assignment: Two query letters—one targeted to a publisher on your list from Session One, and one to an agent on your list from Session Two (maximum 500 words each).
Session Four: The Synopsis and the Outline
The difference between a synopsis and an outline, and when to use each
Writing Assignment: A synopsis of your novel (maximum 1,500 words).
Session Five: Other Elements of the Novel Proposal Package
Cover letters; Table of contents; Author biography; Endorsements; Acknowledgements; Dedication; Epigraph; Foreword; Preface; Proper manuscript format
Writing Assignment: Two cover letters—one for an unsolicited proposal and one for a requested proposal (maximum 250 words each); Table of contents for your proposal (maximum 250 words), plus the opening chapters of your novel(maximum 3,000 words).
Session Six: Securing Publication
What to do if you are offered representation by an agent; What to know before you sign a contract; What to expect once you become the client of a literary agent; What to do if things don't work out
Writing Assignment: The next 3,000 words of your novel, or a revision of the chapters you submitted for Session Five.
Session Seven: Keep Writing
Workshop wrap-up
Writing Assignment: Additional sample chapters from your novel, either picking up where you left off with the Session Six assignment, or starting from the beginning and incorporating revisions (maximum 6,000 words total).