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| Built by Jay Crownover, represented by the Donaghy Agency |
How to Get Published
An editor & an agent
tell all
Saturday, Oct 22, 2016
10:o0 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Note: This workshop is also being offered Saturday, Oct 15, in Burlington (see here) and Saturday, Oct 29, at the Bolton Library in Caledon (see here).
If you've ever dreamed of becoming a
published author, this
workshop is for you. We’ll cover everything from getting started to getting an
agent, from getting your short pieces published to finding a book publisher,
from writing a query letter to writing what the publishers want. Bring your
questions. Come and get ready to be published!
Special Option: Participants are invited to bring a draft of
a query letter you might use to interest an agent or publisher in your book.
You don’t need to bring anything, but if you do, three copies could be helpful.
Workshop leader Brian Henry has
been a book editor and creative writing instructor for more than 25 years. He
publishes Quick Brown Fox, Canada’s most popular blog for
writers, teaches creative writing at Ryerson University and has led workshops
everywhere from Boston to Buffalo and from Sarnia to Saint John. But his
proudest boast is that he has helped many of his students get their first
book published and launch their careers as authors.
Guest speaker Stacey Donaghy is the lead agent with the Donaghy
Literary Group, which is based in Canada, with a team of three agents to
choose from: Stacey Donaghy, Valerie Noble, and Sue Miller. Representing
NY Times, USA Today and Amazon bestselling authors, they’re focused on commercial fiction and are always interested in new and upcoming talented writers.
Stacey Donaghy began her career with an agency in New
York, then in 2013 opened her own agency in Canada. Asked what manuscripts
she’d like to get right now, Stacey said, “I would love to see
more diverse stories that are highly commercial. LGBTQ stories that focus
on the characters and story development and less on the "issues"
related to coming out or being out. It
would be exciting to receive a LGBTQ in adult or YA that is story driven,
such as a romance or thriller in Adult and in YA a Mean Girls, Duff, even a
thriller that highlights diversity but where the story leads the way.”
More generally, Stacey is seeking
Adult, New Adult, Young Adult, and Middle Grade fiction. Specifically,
she’s looking for: Romantic Suspense, LGBTQ Stories, standalone or series, Diverse
books, Contemporary romance, Romance with varying heat levels, New Adult,
Thrillers, Middle Grade (quirky not cute), and Young Adult
What people have to say about Brian
Henry and his How to Get Published workshop:
“Brian’s the real deal. He isn't just an inspiring teacher – he's
plugged into the publishing world! He got me an agent who sold my first novel,
to publishers around the world. My 13th novel, The Awakening, hit
number 1 on the New York Times bestsellers list. To date I’ve
published 28 books. Thirteen of them have been turned into a TV show with the
same name as my first novel, Bitten.”
~ Kelley Armstrong, Aylmer, Ontario
“Hello, Brian. I’m writing to thank you for your help and advice
in crafting the query letter for my novel, The Name’s George. After
attending your “How to Get Published” workshop with Martha Webb of the McDermid
Agency, I’ve had four requests for the full manuscript as well as one partial.
I'm thrilled and hopeful that I can write you again with news that I’ve
secured representation. Thanks again and all the best.”
~ Shauna Clinning, Oakville, Ontario
~ Shauna Clinning, Oakville, Ontario
Fee: 43.36 + 13% hst = 49 paid in
advance by mail or Interac
or 46.90 + 13% hst = 53 if
you wait to pay at the door
To reserve a spot now, email: brianhenry@sympatico.ca
Don't ever miss a post on Quick Brown Fox. Fill in your email in the box to the right under my bio, and get each post delivered to your Inbox. Also, if you’re not yet on my newsletter, send me an email, including your locale, to: brianhenry@sympatico.ca ~ Brian
See Brian’s full schedule here, including writing workshops
and creative writing courses in Algonquin Park, Bolton, Barrie,
Brampton, Burlington, Caledon, Georgetown, Guelph, Hamilton, Ingersoll,
Kingston, Kitchener, London, Midland, Mississauga, Newmarket, Orillia, Oakville,
Ottawa, Peterborough, St. Catharines, St. John, NB, Sudbury, Thessalon,
Toronto, Windsor, Halton, Ingersoll, Kitchener-Waterloo, Muskoka, Peel, Simcoe,
York, the GTA, Ontario and beyond.
As a storyteller who lives in the countryside, loves seclusion, and now has online forums to advertise, I figure it this way. I love what I do. If anyone else loves what I do I have conquered one obstacle, whether it is a handful of readers or a massive group, I have shared my vision with (someone) out there. I began telling tall stories on paper with a pencil, then my mother picked up an old typewriter from a garage sale, and so I spent countless hours learning the keys, making a ton of errors, and wasting a lot of paper. (LOL) mother said I needed to start using both sides of the paper. I would trek my way to the post office on foot, which by the way was a mile to and from, so I did get some exercise. I never got a bite. The waiting for a response from publishing houses was grueling, yet did not deter me. I kept writing, typing, editing, and even set up an office inside of our big red barn. I felt secluded and comfortable there. I was young and foolish and left my work in the barn, which unfortunately caught fire one night. So it all went up in a blaze of glory. We had one massive barn burning which anyone who lived in a fifty mile radius could see because it happened around midnight and lit up the entire eastern-northern skies. I set writing aside and moved on in life and became lost for a time. I dealt with a lot heartaches as most do (relationships that didn't pan out/my mother was diagnosed with cancer and passed away/I lost my husband to another woman a couple of years later. So I threw myself back into my stories and became lost somewhere between what was and what wasn't. The internet was on the rise. An entire strange new era having a different perspective on life was in the making. Like one of those Sci-Fi Saturday afternoon movies back when TV was in black and white then changed over to color...it was so great! However, you still had to snail-mail manuscripts regardless (the internet was in its infant stage) and it still took forever to get those responses from any PH. Wow has it evolved. We have a flood of authors/writers/storytellers, whatever you feel comfortable as a label. I'm still a bit shocked at the mass media frenzy out there. BUT if you are a writer, you know there are no easy answers to any of it. So I say to do what you do in the way you do it. It takes a lot of hard work, faith, and a bit of Lady Luck, but any reward, great or small, should fulfill you if you truly are doing what it is you love. I love telling stories. I may not be a great writer in the way we think of great writers, but I am one hell of a storyteller, only without the flair everything is going to be hunky dory, because life is if anything, no fairytale. I survived Tuberculosis in the 50s and Polio in the 60s, broke my leg and both wrists, and survived the deaths of those I've held dearly in my heart. I am healthy and strong at 63 and written three novels. No gore or SEX-licit, but some terror to keep you highly engaged. My tales follow along a Hitchcock style storytelling with perhaps a few other varied artists of the pen. In the mix you may find a sprinkle of King, a dab of Koontz, and a splash of Christie. If ever you get a moment away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life, stop by and visit www.vlzbooks.com Happy trails until we meet again, and may you prosper in all you desire to do in this life. VLZ
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