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The publishing landscape can feel intimidating for many writers and questions abound on how to bring a book project into the world. Among them are: Do I need a literary agent? If so, how do I get one? Agent representation can offer writers an ally in the tricky process of navigating the publishing landscape and can assist in landing lucrative book deals with larger publishing houses. However, many writers have also found success pitching on their own to small presses and independent publishers or self-publishing either alone or with hybrid presses. Participants will dig into the following questions: What is a literary agent and what do agents do? What are some strategies for researching agents? How does one query an agent? What types of projects are best suited to agent representation? What are alternative approaches to publishing that don't involve literary agents? As a writer who has sold one book with the help of a literary agent and one without, Melanie can offer perspectives from both sides of the conversation. Nadine secured an agent for her memoir and also has experience with academic presses + hybrid presses. As a writing coach, Nadine has helped countless female authors get their books published using all approaches--agent, indie, hybrid, and self publishing.
Melanie Brooks is the author of the memoir A Hard Silence: One daughter remaps family, grief, and faith when HIV/AIDS changes it all (Vine Leaves Press, 2023) and Writing Hard Stories: Celebrated Memoirists Who Shaped Art from Trauma (Beacon Press, 2017) She teaches creative nonfiction in the M.F.A. program at Bay Path University and in the M.F.A. program at Western Connecticut State University and professional writing at Northeastern University. She holds an M.F.A. in Creative Nonfiction from the University of Southern Maine’s Stonecoast writing program and a Certificate in Narrative Medicine from Columbia University. She has had numerous interviews and essays on topics ranging from loss and grief to parenting and aging published in the The Boston Globe, HuffPost, Yankee Magazine, Psychology Today, The Washington Post, Ms. Magazine, Creative Nonfiction, and other notable publications. She lives in New Hampshire with her husband, two children (when they are home from university), and chocolate Lab.
IG: melaniejmbrookswriter
Book Links:
A Hard Silence: One Daughter Remaps Family, Grief, and Faith When HIV/AIDS Changes It All
Writing Hard Stories: Celebrated Memoirists Who Shaped Art from Trauma
Nadine Kenney Johnstone is a holistic writing coach who helps women develop and publish their stories. She is the proud founder of WriteWELL, an online community that helps women reclaim their writing time, put pen to page, and get published. The authors in her community have published countless books and hundreds of essays in places like The New York Times, Vogue, The Sun, The Boston Globe, Longreads, and more. Her infertility memoir, Of This Much I'm Sure, was named book of the year by the Chicago Writer's Association. Her latest book, Come Home to Your Heart, is an essay collection and guided journal that helps readers tap into their inner wisdom and fall back in love with themselves. Her articles and interviews have appeared in Cosmo, Authority, MindBodyGreen, Good Grit, HERE, Urban Wellness, Natural Awakenings, Chicago Magazine, and more. Pulling from her vast experience as a writing, meditation, and yoga nidra instructor, Nadine leads women’s writing and wellness workshops and retreats online and around the U.S.
Find out more at nadinekenneyjohnstone.com
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