PITCHING, QUERYING, AND SUBMITTING YOUR WORK by Sue Bradford Edwards
START DATE:December 2, 2024
DURATION: 4 weeks
LOCATION: Email with group. This is an asynchronous course that can be studied from anywhere, in any time zone.
FEEDBACK: Instructor critique and feedback
COURSE DESCRIPTION: Whether you write essays, short stories or novels, sending your work to an agent, editor or publisher is a daunting task. This course will teach you to assemble submission basics including a pitch and a query letter. These tools will enable you to get your work in front of industry professionals. We will also discuss how to find markets and how to manage rejection. Course materials include successful samples and tips from industry experts.
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Sue Bradford Edwards is one of the best writing instructors I’ve ever had. Sue always took time to write detailed and thought-provoking comments on each and every assignment. Because of her academic background and professional expertise, she often recognized the exact places that needed more work. Besides solid suggestions for how to improve a manuscript, Sue’s assignments on how to research potential markets, as well as how to find and use primary sources to strengthen nonfiction, proved invaluable. Without reservation, I highly recommend Sue’s course. ~ Felicia Silcox
I took Sue Edwards’ online class, Writing Nonfiction for Children, when I was first learning how to write for this audience. Not only did the class cover all the details from story ideas to research to formatting and submitting of the finished article, but also Sue provided great moral support and spot-on critiquing along the way. Her expertise was truly amazing. My “homework” article on an Australian rock formation was soon in print in FACES magazine, an esteemed Carus publication, and I was thrilled. I highly recommend Sue’s nonfiction writing course. It will be time and money well spent for any aspiring children’s author. ~ Cindy Reeg
I highly recommended Sue Bradford Edwards writing courses. I feel fortunate that I had the opportunity to participate in a non-fiction course early in my writing career. Ms. Edwards’ class was well structured, packed with examples and exercises, and provided time to discuss each assignment. Additionally, Ms. Edwards made herself available to answer questions from students. By the end of her course, I had a completed proposal for a non-fiction project and the groundwork for several others. ~ Angela Cerrito |
WEEKS AT A GLANCE:
Week One: Finding Your Markets
Before you can begin to submit your work to magazines, book publishers or sites, you have to find places that want your work. This week is all about finding markets as well as ranking them. How do you rank markets? It all depends on your goals which you will catalogue and examine.
Assignment: Create a list of 10 markets that publish the work you want to do. You will then rank this list based on your criteria.
Week Two: Pitches
A pitch is a brief summary used to hook an editor or agent and interest them in your work. In this lesson, you will learn to create both an elevator pitch (two sentences) and Twitter pitch (280 characters), what to include, what to omit, and how to make the best possible impression when crafting these shorts.
Assignment: Complete and turn in both an elevator pitch and a Twitter pitch for feedback.
Week Three: Query Letters
A query letter introduces a specific piece of your work to a publishing professional. Sometimes the letter must stand alone. Other times it accompanies sample chapters. In this case, you goal is to get a request for the full manuscript. Magazine length nonfiction is often pitched unwritten, through a query letter. This lesson will help you learn what to include and what deadly mistakes to avoid in this one page introduction.
Assignment: Create and submit a query letter for feedback.
Week Four: Bouncing Back from Rejection
None of us sell everything we write or even sell the things that are later published on the first try. This means that rejection is a big part of the writing process. Fortunately, there are things we can do to help us bounce back. This lesson will be about how to prepare for rejection and what to do when it hits you harder than expected.
Assignment: Each student will develop their own rejection defense plan including steps to take before submitting their work and steps to take when a rejection strikes.
Materials Needed: The instructor will provide instructional materials in the form of PDFs with links to additional information, but you will need the following: a computer with internet service, a word processing program, and a working e-mail account.
ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR: Sue Bradford Edwards is a nonfiction author with over 600 sales to her credit including 50 nonfiction books for young readers. Sue has also published numerous crafts, activities and how to pieces of various kinds. Her most recent books are Cancel Culture (Abdo, 2022), The Who (Abdo, 2022), Robotics in Healthcare (Brightpoint Press, 2022), Being Black in America (Brightpoint Press, 2022), The Impeachment of Donald Trump (Abdo, 2021), Coronavirus (Abdo, 2021), The Murders of Tupac and Biggie (Abdo, 2020), The Assassination of John F. Kennedy (Abdo, 2020), Stem Cells (Focus Readers, 2020), Earning, Saving, and Investing (Abdo, 2020), The Dark Web (Abdo, 2020), The Evolution of Mammals (Abdo, 2019), The Evolution of Reptiles (Abdo, 2019), Labradoodle: Labrador Retrievers Meet Poodles! (Capstone, 2019), and Puggle: Pugs Meet Beagles (Capstone, 2019). In addition, her children’s nonfiction has appeared at Education.com, in Gryphon House anthologies, in Harcourt and Houghton Mifflin testing packages and also in READ and Young Equestrian Magazine. Her nonfiction for adults has been published in Writer’s Market, Children’s Writer newsletter, WOW! Women on Writing, Writer’s Digest, The Children’s Writer’s and Illustrator’s Market, The Writer’s Guide, and Magazine Market’s for Children’s Writers. Sue is also a dedicated blogger, writing for the Muffin as well as her own personal blog, One Writer’s Journey.
COST: $90, which includes weekly assignments and feedback from the instructor.
BUY NOW: Pitching, Querying, and Submitting Your Work by Sue Bradford Edwards (4 weeks, multiple dates - select from the drop-down menu below) Limit: 10 students. Early registration is recommended.
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Notes: Upon successful completion of payment, your name and email address will be submitted to your instructor. She will contact you with a welcome message and share any details you need to know prior to starting the class.
Questions? Email Marcia & Angela at:
classroom[at]wow-womenonwriting[dot]com
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