Elevate Your Writing and Publishing Career with In-Depth Lessons from Industry Professionals and Acclaimed Authors

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Get full access to our exclusive lecture series collection and learn from world-class authors and publishing experts. 

This special collection includes talks from bestselling novelists, authors, and industry professionals, covering a wide range of topics that will help you improve your writing skills and take your career to the next level.

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  • Literary Agent Sera Rivers on Seeking Representation for Your Work: Learn how to craft a successful query letter that stands out from the rest, how to find the right agents to query, and what to do/next steps when an agent offers representation.
  • How to Get Published and Love Doing It: Learn how to approach publishing in a way that brings you joy and new opportunities -- so you can have authentic (and meaningful) connections with readers, publishers, and the broader literary community.
  • Writing Emotions -- The Heart of the Story: New York Times bestselling author Emily Colin shows you how to evoke authentic feelings and create fierce, poignant characters that resonate long after the final page. 
  • How to Turn Your First Draft into a Polished Manuscript: During this talk, Nev March shares the "revision roadmap" she used to transform her first drafts into award-winning novels.
  • 7 More Lectures covering a wide variety of topics from world class authors.

These lectures include talks from best selling authors, industry professionals, and editors of prestigious publications.

If you want up-to-date information on publishing and writing, then this series is for you.

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The Full Collection of Lectures

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Literary Agent Sera Rivers on Seeking Representation for Your Work

With Literary Agent Sera Rivers of Speilburg Literary

During this session, you'll learn how to craft a successful query letter that stands out from the rest, how to find the right agents to query, and what to do/next steps when an agent offers representation.

This workshop includes:

  • Examples of successful queries from real clients
  • Handouts of resources for agent research
  • Publishing timeline examples from query to rep to publication

Sera Rivers is a Literary Agent at Speilburg Literary, an AALA member, and a writer. She represents books for the children’s and adult markets. She holds an MFA in writing for children from Simmons University. Prior to agenting, Sera worked as an editor in educational publishing for seven years. Sera lives in Connecticut with her partner and their island rescue pups Jett and Marty.

How to Get Published—And Love Doing It

With the Author of How to Submit: Getting Your Writing Published with Literary Magazines and Small Presses.

During this talk, Dennis will show you how to approach publishing in a way that brings you joy and new opportunities -- so you can have authentic (and meaningful) connections with readers, publishers, and the broader literary community.

You will also learn tips and resources for publishing in literary magazines and small presses, so you can get published, find community, and thrive as a writer.

Dennis James Sweeney is the author of How to Submit: Getting Your Writing Published with Literary Magazines and Small Presses. His first book, In the Antarctic Circle, won the Autumn House Rising Writer Prize and was a Debut Poetry Book of 2021 in Poets & Writers. You’re the Woods Too, his second book, was a Small Press Distribution bestseller and a finalist for the Deborah Tall Lyric Essay Prize. Most recently, The Rolodex Happenings won the Stillhouse Press Novella Prize. His fiction, nonfiction, and poetry have appeared in Ecotone, Ninth Letter, The New York Times, The Southern Review, and Witness, among others. Formerly a Small Press Editor at Entropy and Assistant Editor at Denver Quarterly, he has an MFA from Oregon State University and a PhD from the University of Denver.

Writing Emotion — The Heart of the Story

With New York Times Bestselling Authors Emily Colin

Ready to craft stories that truly captivate readers? During this talk, Emily will show you how to harness the power of emotion to create unforgettable characters, gripping plots, and deep connections with your audience.

Emily will also share techniques to evoke authentic feelings and create fierce, poignant characters that resonate long after the final page. Through engaging examples and practical tips, you’ll explore how emotional depth can elevate your writing and make your stories impossible to put down.

Emily Colin is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author whose books blend romance and the supernatural. Her debut novel, The Memory Thief, was a Target Emerging Authors Pick, and her young adult dystopian romantasy series, The Seven Sins, won the Gold Moonbeam, Silver IPPY, and North Carolina Indie Author Project Awards. This series has also been a two-time Foreword INDIES Award finalist and was shortlisted for the Manly Wade Wellman Award for Science Fiction and Fantasy. Her Slavic-inspired romantasy, Fate and Fury, is a 2024 INDIES finalist.

A former indie bookseller who spent years in the field of community arts engagement, Emily believes deeply in the power of the arts to transform lives. Today, she serves on the organizing committee of the Cape Fear Book Festival, and is an editor, Author Accelerator-certified book coach, and instructor for The Writer’s Workshop at Authors Publish. When not crafting her next novel, she can be found chasing her chaotic pets or drinking mochas by the sea.

The Revision Roadmap — How to Turn Your First Draft into a Polished Manuscript

With Nev March

During this talk, Nev will share the "revision roadmap" she uses to shape her messy first drafts into a manuscript ready for agents, publishers, and readers. You'll learn how to revise your draft for clear storytelling, so you can fix plot holes, remove filler, and tighten the story structure and pacing. You will also learn a simple trick Nev uses to save her from months of endless editing and protects her story’s original vision.

Nev March is the award winning author of 3 books published by Macmillan. Her first book, Murder in Old Bombay, won the Minotaur Books/Mystery Writers of America First Crime Novel.

The Power of Titles: Strategies for Choosing the Right Title for Your Stories & Poetry

With Emily Harstone

The right title can win over readers, help your work get in front of editors, and add depth and nuance throughout your story. Whether you’re titling a novel, a poem, or a short story, it can be daunting to choose the right title.

During this talk, you’ll get practical tools and insights for navigating the surprising complexity of titling your work.

You’ll learn about genre expectations, the needs of publishers, and get a variety of strategies you can use for creating your own titles.

Emily Harstone is the author of The 2025 Guide to Manuscript Publishers, The Authors Publish Guide to Manuscript Submissions, Submit, Publish, Repeat, and a founding editor for Authors Publish Magazine.

How to Craft an Emotional Journey For Your Readers

With Erin Swann

How do you show emotions on the page? How do you make your readers feel your character’s joy, pain, or anger?

During this lecture, Erin will show you how to write authentic emotions that resonate with your readers. You will also learn to add depth and complexity to your characters, so they don’t just live on the page, but stay with your readers long after they’ve finished the book. Erin will also give you a warm-up exercise to help you get started, and show you how (and why) third-level emotions are vital for making sure the emotions in your story remain authentic.

Erin Swann is a writing teacher and author. She's been published in a wide variety of magazines, including Flash Fiction Online, Andromeda Spaceways Magazine, and Factor Four Magazine. Erin has also been a finalist for the Page Turner Awards, and a six time honorable mention winner for the Writers of the Future Awards. She's also an instructor for Authors Publish.

How to Create Captivating Characters

With John Claude Bemis

During this talk, John Claude Bemis will show you key techniques for making your characters--in particular, your protagonist--utterly captivating for readers and publishers. 

The talk includes tips on grabbing reader attention, crafting unique characters, understanding archetypes, and more.

John Claude Bemis is a full time author with books published by Penguin Random House and Disney/Hyperion. Before becoming a full time author, John was an award winning elementary school teacher. He now regularly visits elementary schools as a guest author. As a teacher, his passion for sharing literature with his students grew into a passion for writing, and, eventually, a successful publishing career. He now lives in Hillsborough, North Carolina with his wife and daughter.

How to Write Captivating Side Characters

With Cat Rambo

Done right, side characters can elevate your story’s conflicts, win over your readers, and add depth and nuance to your protagonist's existence. During this talk, Cat Rambo will explore the potential of side-characters, and give you strategies for creating nuanced side-characters that feel authentic and human to your readers. Most importantly, you’ll learn how to seamlessly integrate these side characters into your story without having them take over the main plot.

Cat Rambo is a Nebula award winning author of science fiction and fantasy. Their sci-fi series You Sexy Thing was published by Tor Macmillan. Cat has been widely published in Asimov’s, Clarkesworld, and Tor.com, among many other places. Cat was also a two term president of the SFWA.
Cat Rambo

How to Write a Satisfying Final Act for Your Novel

With Ley Taylor Johnson

During the talk, Ley will dive into the most essential scenes in the final act of your novel, so you can keep readers engaged, ramp up the tension, resolve essential plot points, and give your readers a satisfying end to your story.

Ley Taylor Johnson is the author of the books How to Write a Dynamic Act One, How to Write a Compelling Act Two, and How to Write a Satisfying Act Three. Ley is also a writing consultant, author, and regular contributor to Authors Publish Magazine.

The Three Draft Structure: How To Transform Your Story into a Submission Ready Manuscript

With Alexandra Leggat

Starting a writing project is exciting. You're fueled by a curiosity for the story and its characters. But once the excitement wears off, how will you get to the end—the finished final draft?

In this lecture, Alexandra will give you a plan-of-action that leads you to a finished manuscript ready for submission to publishers and agents.

You will learn how to break down your first draft, one element at a time, in order to flesh out your story and get to its core (which in turn will help you get to the end). You will also learn Alexandra’s process for exercising discipline in your writing life, drawing inspiration from routines of successfully published authors.

Alexandra Leggat is an author, freelance editor, journalist, writing coach, and teaches creative writing for the University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies Creative Writing program. Her books include a collection of poetry and three short story collections and a novel. Her books of short stories, Animal, was short listed for the Trillium Book Award along side Margaret Atwood and Alice Munro. She is currently completing a novel entitled We Are Not The Fischers.

Practical Tools to Help You Write Layered Stories, Not Stereotypes

With Ángela Álvarez Vélez

Diversity in fiction isn’t a trend—it’s a responsibility. But writing outside your lived experience can be risky, even with the best intentions. In this honest and thought-provoking session, Colombian author and journalist Ángela Álvarez Vélez unpacks what it really means to write for, about, and as marginalized characters.

Blending craft, cultural insight, and practical tools, she introduces a powerful framework—including the “FOR/ABOUT/AS” lens, the Narrative Impact Matrix, and the Four Pillars of Responsible Representation. You’ll leave with a sharper eye, a fuller heart, and concrete strategies to make your writing more ethical, empathetic, and unforgettable.

Whether you're a seasoned author, an emerging writer, or just trying to do better by your characters—this talk will challenge you, equip you, and leave you with something to think about long after the last slide.

Ángela Álvarez Vélez is a Colombian journalist, writer, educator, and podcast host with over 25 years of experience in storytelling, communication, and cultural education. Her work spans newspapers, classrooms, international media, and community spaces. Through her workshops, editorial work, and bilingual podcast When Home is a Foreign Word, she helps people find, craft, and share better stories to build a better world, one story at a time.

Cat Rambo

Showing & Telling — How to Create and Maintain Authentic Connections with Your Readers

With Erin Swann

During this talk, Erin will show you how and (when) to "show" and "tell" your story -- so you can create an authentic connection with your readers, keep them engaged throughout your story, and build real trust that maintains their connection with the narrator, your story, and the characters living in it.

Erin Swann is a writing teacher and author. She's been published in a wide variety of magazines, including Flash Fiction Online, Andromeda Spaceways Magazine, and Factor Four Magazine. Erin has also been a finalist for the Page Turner Awards, and a six time honorable mention winner for the Writers of the Future Awards. She's also an instructor for Authors Publish.

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