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Manuscript Publishing for Novelists

Emily Harstone and Jennifer Givhan are leading a 4 week publishing workshop for writers interested in publishing a novel. Get direct feedback, training, and support from the author of The 2021 Guide to Manuscript Publishers, and The Authors Publish Guide to Manuscript Submissions. Plus, for the first time ever, learn from critically acclaimed author Jennifer Givhan.

  • 4 weeks of in-depth training covering every aspect of the manuscript submissions process.

  • Detailed feedback on the first 20 pages of your manuscript, so you can maximize your chances of success.

  • Detailed feedback on your query letter and synopsis, so you can submit it with confidence.

  • Publisher vetting from Emily Harstone, so you can be confident you're submitting to quality publishers.

  • Access to live office hours, available exclusively to students of Authors Publish, even after the course is finished.

  • Full access to our private community of writers, so you can network with your fellow students

You Have a Manuscript, But Don't Know What to Do With It

As soon as a writer starts down the path towards publication, there are many questions and obstacles.

Many authors submit their book to one or two publishers, wait months to barely get a response, and then give up. Or they make easily avoidable mistakes that ruin their chances.

This course presents an alternative: Clear answers to the many questions writers face when starting the journey to publication.

By the end of this course, you’ll know:

  • Why certain query letters are ignored while others get a positive response.
  • Whether to aim for a major publisher, an agent, or a small press.
  • How to tell if a publisher will market your book effectively.
  • How to know when your manuscript is ready for submission.
  • Why some publishers take months to respond, while others respond within weeks.
  • What to do before you sign a contract.
  • Much, much, more.

The goal is to give you a complete view of the world of publishing, so you can make the right choices for you and your book.

You won’t be making those choices alone. For the first time ever, this course is being co-taught by two publishing professionals -- Emily Harstone and Jennifer Givhan.  As part of the course, they will recommend publishers, edit your query letter, and provide feedback on the first 20 pages of your manuscript.

As the author of The 2021 Guide to Manuscript Publishers and The Authors Publish Guide to Manuscript Submissions, Emily Harstone is an ideal guide to the world of book publishing. As part of her work at Authors Publish Magazine she has reviewed hundreds of publishers, worked directly with agents and editors, and helped many writers find the right publisher for their books.

We are so excited that Jennifer Givhan is co-teaching this course. As a published author, Jennifer's books have found critical success -- and wide audiences. Plus, she's very experienced at coaching writers through the publication process.

The course is scheduled for January 31st to Febrauary 25th, 2022. It will be held on our digital learning platform, with daily lessons you can complete on your own time. Enrollment is strictly limited to 28 students. Students get a full six months to complete all coursework.

This course is the only way to get this level of feedback, guidance, and support from Emily Harstone. If you are interested, I encourage you to enroll right now.

Approach Publishers & Agents with Confidence

This course demystifies the entire publishing process, so you can give your book the best chance of getting the right publishing contract. By the end of this course, you'll know exactly how to prepare your manuscript for publication, find the right editors and agents, and compose compelling query letters that give you the highest chance of success.

  • Learn how to revise, format, and prepare your manuscript, so you can confidently submit your work to agents and editors.

  • Learn the "backdoor" methods of connecting with agents and editors.

  • Learn how to write a query letter that wins editorial attention.

Personal Feedback on Your Writing

In addition to the 4 weeks of in-depth training, Emily Harstone is generously offering feedback on student writing. She will give you detailed feedback on the first 20 pages of your manuscript, help you polish your query letter, provide feedback on your synopsis, and assist you in finding agents and publishers for your book.


The Course is Limited to 22 Students
Because of the personal feedback Emily is providing, the course is strictly limited to 22 students. Once we reach that number we will close enrollment.

Workshop Schedule

The course starts on Monday, January 31st and ends on Friday, February 25th. The course comes with daily lessons you can study on your own time, and daily interaction with Emily Harstone. Everything is provided online, through the digital learning platform hosted by Thinkific.

Note that you will have up to six months after the course finishes to submit your writing for feedback.

  • Daily lessons, available to study any time on our digital learning platform.

  • Class discussions on our online discussion platform, or our private Facebook Group.

  • When you are ready, Emily will provide feedback on your query letter, 20 manuscript pages, and suggest publishers and agents appropriate for your book.

About Emily Harstone

Emily Harstone is the author of many popular books, including The Authors Publish Guide to Manuscript Submissions, The 2021 Guide to Manuscript Publishers, and The Authors Publish Guide to Children’s and Young Adult Publishing. Through these books, she has helped many writers connect with quality publishers for their books.

She got her start as a writer when she wrote her first novel at twelve years old. 

Since then, she has graduated with an MFA in Creative Writing from Sarah Lawrence College, worked as a creative writing professor at Berkeley College in New York, as well as Seattle Pacific University. 


About Jennifer Givhan

Jennifer Givhan is the author of Trinity Sight and Jubilee, both published by Blackstone Publishing. She's also the recipient of fellowships from The National Endowment for the Arts, and PEN/Rosenthal emerging voices.

She is represented by Laura Blake Petersen of the Curtis Brown Agency.

In addition to her novels, she's a widely published poet, with books out from University of Arizona Press and Wesleyan University Press. 

Her writing has appeared in numerous publications, including The Rumpus, Salon, The New Republic, POETRY, and The Boston Review.

She has two books forthcoming this year.



Enroll Now

Please note, this workshop is strictly limited to 28 participants.
Early bird tuition available until January 17th.

FAQ

  • What is the course schedule?

    The course starts on Monday, January 31st and ends on Friday, February 25th. The course comes with daily lessons you can study on your own time, and feedback on your assignments from Emily Harstone.

    Note that you will have up to six months after the course ends to submit your work for feedback.

  • How much time will the course require?

    Expect to spend around 30 minutes a day on the course. Some days will require less work, some days will require more. Daily lessons can be done on your own time. The meetings with Emily will be scheduled to best work for the entire class.

  • How many students will be allowed to enroll?

    Because of the personal feedback Emily is providing, the workshop is strictly limited to 23 students. Once we reach that number we will immediately close enrollment.

5 star rating

Register now. I wish I hadn't waited.

Lori McIntyre

I put myself on the waiting list for this course twice, and upon completion of it, I kicked myself for delaying. Manuscript Publishing for Novelists thoughtfully provided me with an overview of the writing and publishing process. Each lesson is bu...

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I put myself on the waiting list for this course twice, and upon completion of it, I kicked myself for delaying. Manuscript Publishing for Novelists thoughtfully provided me with an overview of the writing and publishing process. Each lesson is built upon the next, giving the writer required tools to meet success both personally, and on a potential publishing level. The information is current and vitally important in an industry that is competitive and transformative. Feedback on assignments is immediate and tailored to the student's genre. Good writing needs more than just compelling characters and plot arcs. Knowledge in terms of submissions, agents, publishers, and marketing is as important as a well crafted manuscript. All of that is waiting for you.

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5 star rating

Extensive and personal feedback

Julie Christiansen

As I neared the end of the four-week seminar with Emily Harstone on how to submit a manuscript to a publisher or an agent, I realized that I had learned more in just four weeks of daily lessons than I had in almost ten years of trial and error in ...

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As I neared the end of the four-week seminar with Emily Harstone on how to submit a manuscript to a publisher or an agent, I realized that I had learned more in just four weeks of daily lessons than I had in almost ten years of trial and error in getting my manuscripts published. What makes the course offered by Emily and Authors Publish so unique is the extensive and personal feedback which she gives each student in the class. Through Emily's professional critique, I was able to turn a ho-hum manuscript into an eye-catching, attention-getting excerpt. Armed with that and a tightly crafted query letter and synopsis, I am confident now that I will be able to find the right publisher for my manuscript.

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5 star rating

It motivated me to start writing again!

Susan Payne

This course broadened my abilities to get my manuscript out in the hands of the right publishers and agents. It renewed my interest in writing. Emily is very knowledgeable about editing and submitting. I would encourage anyone considering submi...

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This course broadened my abilities to get my manuscript out in the hands of the right publishers and agents. It renewed my interest in writing. Emily is very knowledgeable about editing and submitting. I would encourage anyone considering submission of a manuscript to enroll in this workshop.

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5 star rating

Worth Every Penny!

YVONNE BORGOGNI

This was a fantastic class from beginning to end: well-structured, organized, and informative. Each section gave me a better understanding of how publishing works. I would highly recommend this class.

This was a fantastic class from beginning to end: well-structured, organized, and informative. Each section gave me a better understanding of how publishing works. I would highly recommend this class.

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5 star rating

High Praise for Manuscript Publishing for Novelists

Michael Hood

Manuscript Publishing for Novelists provided an excellent overview of what is involved in this process. The organization of the course followed each step of the process from proper formatting of the manuscript, to preparing a query letter, to vet...

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Manuscript Publishing for Novelists provided an excellent overview of what is involved in this process. The organization of the course followed each step of the process from proper formatting of the manuscript, to preparing a query letter, to vetting a publisher and agent, and to reviewing a checklist before submitting the manuscript. Along the way, during each segment of the course, there were helpful recommendations of what to do and not to do. Emily is not only an expert in this field, but also a genuine person. Every aspect of the course was conducted in a professional manner, and I would recommend Manuscript Publishing for Novelists to anyone interested in publishing their first novel.

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5 star rating

Most Helpful Course on Publishing

Vicki Biggs

This was the most helpful course on publishing! It covered aspects of preparing your query letter and synopsis for a publisher that books on the subject had not managed. And it provided clarity on how to look out for the kinds of publishers and ...

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This was the most helpful course on publishing! It covered aspects of preparing your query letter and synopsis for a publisher that books on the subject had not managed. And it provided clarity on how to look out for the kinds of publishers and how they can impact your future publishing efforts. In a world of ebooks, publishing has changed, though not as much as you might think and this course addressed this nicely.

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5 star rating

Great Course!

Susan Hynds

I enjoyed "Manuscript Publishing for Novelists" a great deal. Emily is both kind and thorough in reading and responding to submitted assignments. Her knowledge of the publishing industry is impressive, and she freely shares this knowledge in her v...

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I enjoyed "Manuscript Publishing for Novelists" a great deal. Emily is both kind and thorough in reading and responding to submitted assignments. Her knowledge of the publishing industry is impressive, and she freely shares this knowledge in her virtual office hours and her individual comments on submitted work. I took this course, because the "Author's Publish" website is such a valuable resource for seasoned and novice writers alike. Emily's insightful reviews of publishing venues, her articles on the publishing industry, and her lists of journals and publishing houses currently accepting submissions are probably the most valuable resources I've found anywhere. I had hoped that she would bring that extensive knowledge and those valuable insights to this course, and I was not disappointed. Great Class!

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5 star rating

Excellent course!

Linda Simser

I am so pleased to have taken this course from Emily...she provided so much valuable information it would have taken a newbie like me months to find/figure out! All the practical advice an emerging author needs to feel confident enough to jump in...

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I am so pleased to have taken this course from Emily...she provided so much valuable information it would have taken a newbie like me months to find/figure out! All the practical advice an emerging author needs to feel confident enough to jump into the publishing world with helpful caveats/links on what to avoid/watch out for. And overarching all is Emily's truly insightful commentary that helps make any writer better and feel more prepared in tackling the first/next draft. Accompany this with a warm, encouraging approach to fragile egos, and this course is outstanding! Thanks, Emily; I truly enjoyed it and will highly recommend it to others looking for a thorough and practical overview of publishing.

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5 star rating

A valuable course for every author considering publication

nandhini natarajan

This course was as important as writing the manuscript!

This course was as important as writing the manuscript!

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