PUBLISHING INTENSIVE | The Secrets to Finding the Right Path to Publication for Your Book

REGISTER NOW $175  (early bird) | $225

LIVE ON ZOOM | Sundays, Jan 19 & 26 | 12:30 pm -3 pm Eastern

This is your year to focus on your publishing goals! Make meaningful strides toward achieving them in this two-day intensive, tailored for writers aiming to publish traditionally with Big Five, literary, or university presses.

This two-day event includes focused teaching sessions, plus industry guests discussing the publishing landscape and taking your questions. Your host Peter Mountford will teach the dos and don’ts of writing query letters, with a focus on how they differ by genre, covering common publishing pitfalls and clarifying important questions, such as the necessity of having a platform, what that truly means, and much more!

In addition to these key lessons, Literary Agent Anjali Singh, Tin House Editorial Director Masie Cochran and FSG Executive Editor Jenna Johnson will join us to share the topics currently on publishers’ minds. Our time also includes networking, pitch practice, and a rich resource packet to spark–and sustain–your publishing journey. 

Guests include: 

• Anjali Singh – Founder of her own literary agency (est. 2024) and former agent at Ayesha Pande Literary, Anjali represents literary fiction, memoir, narrative nonfiction, and graphic novels.
• Masie Cochran – Editorial Director and Interim Publisher at Tin House Books, where she has edited numerous award-winning and bestselling works since joining in 2011.
• Jenna Johnson – Executive Editor at Farrar, Straus and Giroux, working across fiction and nonfiction with a focus on cultural history and overlooked stories from around the world.

On day two, you’ll be able to join early and participate in breakout rooms to practice your pitch with fellow writers.

During this intensive, you will:

• LEARN to write an effective query letter: Understand the structure, tone, and content of a compelling query tailored to your genre.
• DEVELOP a targeted list of publishers to pursue: Identify the right publishers for your work based on genre, style, and market fit.
• DISCOVER essential resources for finding the right agent: Gain insights into the agent search process and learn to find agents who align with your goals.
• ENGAGE in meaningful discussions with industry professionals who will share their insights and address your specific questions.
• REFINE and PRACTICE your elevator pitch: Participate in breakout sessions designed to help you craft and polish a succinct, impactful pitch (sometimes called a “jacket copy“) that showcases your book.

All participants will receive the slides and an extensive resource packet to support their publishing journey.

This intensive is best for writers who:

• Want to cut through the noise to work efficiently toward their publishing goals
• Have little to intermediate knowledge of the publishing industry and are looking for more practical guidance on navigating the submission process
• Are considering seeking an agent and/or publisher for their book
• Desire a clearer understanding of the publishing landscape, including current trends and expectations from publishers
• Are weighing whether traditional publishing is the right path for them

Closed captioning is available (except for breakout rooms). ✔
Think you might miss part of the intensive? No worries, a replay will be available. ✔

Your host:

PETER MOUNTFORD is a popular writing coach and teacher with twenty years of experience. The author of the novels A Young Man’s Guide to Late Capitalism (Washington State Book Award), and The Dismal Science (NYT editor’s choice), as well as the forthcoming collection of short stories, Detonator. His work has appeared or is forthcoming in the New York Times (Modern Love), Paris Review, Ploughshares, The Atlantic, Guernica, The Sun, Granta, and Missouri Review He lives in Seattle, and teaches at the University of Nevada, Reno at Lake Tahoe’s MFA.

Featured Guests

MASIE COCHRAN is Editorial Director (and Interm Publisher) of Tin House Books, where she has worked since 2011. Before coming to Tin House, she worked at InkWell Management Literary Agency in New York, NY. She has edited many award-winning and bestselling titles, including the intricately plotted novels of Claire Fuller; an Obama Best Book of the Year pick (Cory Taylor’s Dying: A Memoir); E. J. Koh’s family saga The Magical Language of Others; Annie Hartnett’s darkly funny Rabbit Cake.

JENNA JOHNSON is an Executive Editor at Farrar, Straus and Giroux working in both fiction and nonfiction, with particular interest in overlooked stories from around the world, religion, cultural history and biography, natural history and ecology, and food. Among her titles are Samantha Hunt’s “The Dark Dark” and “Mr. Splitfoot,” National Book Award Finalist “The Turner House” by Angela Flournoy, national bestseller and NBF 5 Under 35 honoree “We the Animals” by Justin Torres, Booker shortlisted “Pigeon English” by Stephen Kelman, Man Asian Prize Winner “Three Sisters” by Bi Feiyu, National Jewish Book Award winner “The Lion Seeker” by Kenneth Bonert, and James Beard Winner “Save the Deli” by David Sax. Before FSG, she worked at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and in advertising and public relations. She holds a B.A. in History from Columbia and an M.A. in Religious Studies from NYU.

ANJALI SINGH founded her agency in 2024. Most recently, she was an agent at Ayesha Pande Literary for nine years; she has also worked as an editor at Vintage Books, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Simon + Schuster and as Editorial Director of Other Press. She is best known for having championed Marjane Satrapi’s Persepolis after stumbling across it on a visit to Paris. She has always been drawn to the thrill of discovering new writers and among the literary novelists whose careers she helped launch are Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Samantha Hunt, Saleem Haddad and Nawaaz Ahmed. She focuses on literary fiction, memoir, and narrative nonfiction as well as representing graphic novel writers and illustrators across all age ranges.

THE FINE PRINT

We understand that life can get in the way of your plans. We want you to be able to get the most out of your course, and our refund policy is designed to balance your need for flexibility with our deadlines and obligations to our teachers.

Before the class, you may request a refund (less a $25 processing fee).

Please keep in mind that no refunds or credits will be issued after class begins.

Questions? Please email Info@craft-talks.com