Why does it take forever for our most anticipated books to hit shelves? What happens between acquisition and publication? If getting published is the end goal, why does it take so long?! Publishing is an industry based on precision, care, and accuracy--and the more authors understand about the process going into it, the better everyone will understand each other! We'll discuss how acquisition works (and the many teams involved), what happens during editing (and how you can make the process easier on everyone), how your cover gets chosen (and who gets an opinion), and when you'll finally get paid (not as soon as you think!). This class will give you an understanding of how publishing works and why--how to talk about it like a well-informed writer--and what you can do NOW to increase your chances.

This class is appropriate for all genres and age groups, and is taught by Melissa Warten, an editor at Macmillan.

I am on the editorial team at Farrar Straus Giroux Books for Young Readers. Across the board, in fiction, I am relationship-driven! Fierce platonic friendships, flirty and funny love stories, cool siblings or cousins, dynamic parent/child interactions—I want the characters behind the wheel.

A convincing thriller. Recent favorite: In Her Skin, Kim Savage
Setting-based stories (partial to New York City, Boston, or isolated nature settings like beaches or mountains)
Nearly-sympathetic bad guys
Sports stories, preferably with female leads
On-the-way-to-happy endings
Light touches of magic or magical realism

How Publishing Works with Melissa Warten