Traditional Publishing for Authors
A Four Week Workshop with Leila Sales
ENROLLMENT CLOSED. COURSE FULL.
Leila Sales is leading a four week workshop for writers interested in publishing a book. Get feedback, training, and support from a successful author who was also a long-time editor at Penguin Random House.
4 weeks of in-depth training covering the business of getting your book published, and making it successful.
Detailed feedback from Leila Sales on the first 3,000 words of your manuscript.
Detailed feedback on your query letter and synopsis from Leila Sales, so you can submit it with confidence.
Detailed guidance and personal feedback on a marketing plan for your book.
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
Writing a book is a huge accomplishment. Writing a good book is an even bigger accomplishment. Unfortunately, no matter how skilled a writer you are, publishing success requires a completely different skillset. This is especially true if you want to land a traditional publishing contract with a major publisher.
This course systematically teaches you the fundamental skills you’ll need to succeed in the world of traditional publishing. This is a hands-on course with a lot of direct feedback. By the end of this course, not only will you be armed with a realistic understanding of the publishing industry, you’ll also have a polished submission packet ready to send to publishers and agents.
Your instructor, Leila Sales, has edited many books that went on to become award winners and New York Times bestsellers. Her own books have been published by major publishers including Abrams, Simon & Schuster, and MacMillan. She has a deep understanding of the traditional publishing world both as an author, and as an insider. She worked for many years at Penguin, managing some of their most famous brands.
In this course, Leila is providing in-depth feedback and support to a small group of students. She’ll help you polish the opening pages of your manuscript. She’ll help you craft your query letter, and synopsis. She’ll also help you develop an effective marketing plan, which can set you apart when approaching publishers.
The course is scheduled for November 16th to December 11th. It will be held on our digital learning platform, with daily lessons you can complete on your own time. Enrollment is strictly limited to 20 students.
Please note that our courses tend to sell out very quickly. If you are interested, I encourage you to enroll right now.
This course demystifies the entire publishing process, including submitting to agents, negotiating your contract, and developing a successful marketing plan. By the end of this course, you'll know how to prepare your manuscript for submission, find the right editors and agents, compose compelling query letters, and successfully market your book post-publication.
Get personal feedback on your query letter, synopsis, and opening pages.
Create a marketing plan that can launch a successful book.
Learn the "insider" perspective on how editors judge manuscripts.
In addition to the 4 weeks of training, Leila Sales is offering in-depth feedback on the first 3,000 words of your manuscript, as well as your query letter, synopsis, and marketing plan. The feedback will be focused on preparing your book for successful publication, based on Leila's extensive experience as an editor for Penguin Random House, as well as a successful author in her own right.
The course starts on Monday, November 16th and ends on December 11th. The course comes with daily lessons you can study on your own time, and daily interaction with Leila Sales. Everything is provided online, through the digital learning platform hosted by Thinkific.
Note that you will have up to six months after the course starts to submit your work for feedback.
Daily lessons, available to study any time on our online learning platform.
Personal feedback on every lesson via email, our online discussion platform, or our private Facebook Group.
When you are ready, Leila will provide feedback on your opening pages, query letter, synopsis, and marketing plan.
Leila Sales has edited award-winning and bestselling fiction and nonfiction books for readers of all ages. Her authors have included award-winning actors Viola Davis and Bob Balaban; New York Times bestselling authors Gayle Forman, Max Brallier, and Ame Dyckman; National Book Award Finalist Elizabeth Partridge; MacArthur Fellow Xu Bing; and many more. Leila has also managed classic children’s publishing properties including Corduroy, Angelina Ballerina, Ferdinand, The Snowy Day, and others.
Leila is the author of seven critically acclaimed novels for children and young adults, including This Song Will Save Your Life and Once Was a Time. Her books have been optioned for stage and screen, selected for many state award lists, translated into a dozen languages, and received numerous starred reviews.
Leila was born in Boston, Massachusetts; received her degree from the University of Chicago; and worked at Penguin Random House in New York City. She is now based in Austin, Texas.
The course starts on Monday, November 16th and ends on December 11th. The course comes with daily lessons you can study on your own time, and personal feedback on your assignments from Leila Sales.
Everything is held online, via the digital learning platform hosted by Thinkific.
Note that you will have up to six months after the course starts to submit your work for feedback.
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 Leila will be scheduled to best work for the entire class.
Yes! If you've finished your novel, this course will guide you through the steps required to land a traditional publishing contract, and then successfully market the book. Note that a complete manuscript is not required to do this course, but you should have made at least some progress on a manuscript, so that you'll be able to submit the first 3,000 words, as well as write the synopsis.
One of Leila's specialties is children's publishing, particularly for picture books, early readers, and middle grade books. If your book is in any of those categories, then this course is an excellent fit.
Because of the personal feedback Leila is providing, the workshop is strictly limited to 20 students. Once we reach that number we will immediately close enrollment.
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...
Read MoreI 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.
Read LessThis 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...
Read MoreThis 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.
Read LessThis 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.
Read LessManuscript 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...
Read MoreManuscript 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.
Read LessThis 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 ...
Read MoreThis 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.
Read LessAs 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 ...
Read MoreAs 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.
Read LessThank you Ella. Thank you Ella. Your workshop has been exceedingly helpful, for my pursuit to be published. Very few writers/consultants actually put their hands, red ink and input, directly on the student writers work. You have done this wi...
Read MoreThank you Ella. Thank you Ella. Your workshop has been exceedingly helpful, for my pursuit to be published. Very few writers/consultants actually put their hands, red ink and input, directly on the student writers work. You have done this with experience and insight, actually enhancing my prose.
Read LessI 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...
Read MoreI 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.
Read LessThis course was as important as writing the manuscript!
This course was as important as writing the manuscript!
Read LessElla Peary is a masterful instructor. I learned so much about the genre of flash fiction from her and find it one of the best avenues now for my fiction writing. Ella's course is clear, concise and provides many options and prompts to try your han...
Read MoreElla Peary is a masterful instructor. I learned so much about the genre of flash fiction from her and find it one of the best avenues now for my fiction writing. Ella's course is clear, concise and provides many options and prompts to try your hand at writing short, powerful pieces. This course has also helped my fiction writing overall, be it short story or poetry. Her "office hours" are also helpful, with live question and answer periods and reviews of stories. I highly recommend this workshop.
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