Writing Kid Lit workshop with literary agent Rachel Orr, Sunday, March 5 ~Online

Writing for Children and for Young Adults

  ~ The world’s hottest market

With literary agent Rachel Orr 

  ~ of Prospect Literary Agency

Sunday March 5, 2023
 1:15 – 5:00 p.m.
Online via Zoom and accessible wherever there’s Internet

If you want to write the next best-selling children’s books or just want to create stories for your own kids, this workshop is for you. Learn how to write stories kids and young adults will love and find out what you need to know to sell your book. This is your chance to speak with someone within a publishing company in a small group setting and to pull back the curtain and see how it all works. Be sure to bring your questions – we'll have lots of time for interaction.

Special option: Participants are invited to submit the opening couple pages (first 500 words) of your children’s book or young adult novel (or up to 1,000 words if that gets you to the end of your picture book or to the end of your first chapter). Email your pages to me prior to our workshop. We want to do some peer critiquing for everyone, and Rachel and I will publicly critique half a dozen submissions so everyone can see what works, what doesn’t, and how to improve your story-telling. If you’re not currently working on a children’s story, don’t worry, we’ll get you started! ~Brian

Guest speaker Rachel Orr is a literary agent with Prospect Agency. Founded in 2005, this New York City agency has three agents, all open to queries. The agency handles adult fiction and nonfiction, and all types of children’s books: board books through young adult.

Rachel specializes in children’s literature, where she represents a wide range of authors and illustrators including Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen, Cathy Carr, Mike Ciccotello, Samantha M. Clark, Cori Doerrfeld, Leeza Hernandez, Susie Lee Jin and Molly Ruttan. 

Before joining Prospect in 2007, she was an editor at HarperCollins Children's Books, where she had the pleasure of working with such successful authors as Dan Gutman and Suzanne Williams. Because of her editorial background, Rachel continues to do a lot of hands-on work with her clients before sending their projects out on submission. 

Rachel is looking for short, punchy picture books (either in prose or rhyme) that are humorous and have a strong marketing hook. She is also looking for Illustrators – especially those who want to write. 

In middle grade and young adult, Rachel is interested in both literary and commercial fiction. She is mostly drawn to contemporary, realistic stories, but finds it hard to say no to a good time travel.

Workshop leader Brian Henry has been a book editor, author, and creative writing instructor for more than 25 years. He publishes Quick Brown Fox, Canada’s most popular blog for writers and is the author of a children’s version of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (Tribute Publishing Inc). But his proudest boast is that he’s has helped many of his students get published.

Read reviews of Brian’s classes and workshops here.

Fee: $45.13 + 13% hst = $51 paid in advance by mail or Interac

To reserve a spot now, email: brianhenry@sympatico.ca

See all of Brian’s upcoming weekly writing classes, one-day workshops, and weekend retreats here.