The Young Adult Market

March 26

The Business of Writing and Publishing Books for Teens

This live webinar explores the business side of writing books for teens. Literary agent Maria Vicente will analyze current trends in the category, the tropes and themes that YA readers love, and the expectations agents and editors have when considering YA submissions. You’ll learn what defines a standout YA manuscript, how to navigate current market trends, and what you should include in a pitch to make your book stand out in a crowded category.

Mastering Character Inner Life

April 2

In this live webinar, using plenty of published and real-world examples, we’ll explore guidelines and principles for letting readers be privy to the inner workings of your characters’ lives without bogging your story down in interiority, and bringing readers more deeply into their direct experience no matter what point of view the story is told in.

Marketing Your Book Without Social Media

April 9

This 90-minute live webinar, taught by Jane Friedman, helps authors first focus on the foundation of any book marketing campaign: your current strengths, assets, and abilities. Most book marketing isn’t about having a big bank roll or social media following, but having sufficient time and energy to capitalize on what you have in hand or what represents a good stretch goal. Few authors truly lack marketing opportunities; most lack sufficient focus and patience to pursue those opportunities, or feel overwhelmed by the task and end up doing nothing at all.

The Hero's Journey for Storytellers

March 26 - June 4

This course is about identifying the story you want to write, deciding whether you want to approach your story through fiction or nonfiction, and then having the courage to say yes to the “call to adventure” and move into the “special world” of The Hero’s Journey.

The Novel Opening

March 26 - May 7

While a sharp query goes a long way to inviting in the agent and editor, even that won’t pique their curiosity if they skip ahead to the novel start and the pages don’t deliver. How can you produce an infallible story opening? Action, voice, an immediate interest in the characters, and a hook that pulls in the reader and which is designed around your particular genre.

Writing and Producing the Short Film

March 26 - April 23

With successful short film examples to watch and study, as well as real-world advice from the low-budget filmmaking trenches, this 4-week class will lead you through the process of writing a short film you can produce on a budget, as well as touch on the pre-production, production, and post-production process.