2026 Nuts & Bolts | Essentials in the Craft & Business of Writing

Lunchtime ONLINE Series

Weekly | 11:30 am – 12:30 pm Eastern

Classes available as a money-saving package deal, or a la carte!

JRW is excited to bring back this series that strives to provide “nuts and bolts” information to help writers fine tune essential skills. This year, we are providing two series taught by our talented and experienced James River Writers staff. Grab your lunch and join us for these hour-long classes that will provide you with practical and actionable items to develop your writing skills and business savvy. These online programs will be recorded, so if you’re unable to attend all classes in a series, or want to rewatch anything, you can view the content on your own schedule.

 

 

2026 JANUARY/FEBRUARY NUTS & BOLTS SERIES 5 Parts,

plus a One-on-One Agent Meeting Option

ESSENTIALS FOR LANDING A LITERARY AGENT with Katharine Herndon

BEST BUY: PACKAGE OF 5 CLASSES, plus AGENT MEETING:  $159 for Members | $229 for Non-members 

A LA CARTE CLASSES: $20 each for Members | $29 each for Non-Members

ALL FIVE CLASSES ONLY: $85 for Members | $125 for Non-Members

AGENT MEETING ONLY: $99 Members | $129 Non-Members

AGENT MEETINGS ARE NOW AT CAPACITY, BUT YOU CAN STILL REGISTER FOR THE CLASSES

This special five-part Nuts and Bolts series will provide everything you need to help land a literary agent for your novel or memoir. Some components, such as Comp Titles and Pitching, can also be useful for indie authors looking for information on how to best talk about or position their books in the marketplace. These lunch-time classes, spaced over five weeks from January 21 to February 18, will culminate in an opportunity to meet privately with a literary agent for your work. Take everything you’ve learned, apply it to your work, and prepare to pitch your book!

Note that, if you are an All-Inclusive Member, the 5 classes are included in the cost of your Membership, but the Agent Meeting must be purchased separately to ensure we have enough slots.

NUTS & BOLTS SCHEDULE:

Wednesdays 11:30 am – 12:30 pm

Each class in this series includes: a one-hour online workshop, access to the recording, the Powerpoint used during the class, and additional resources. 

JANUARY 21 | Part 1: Comparable Titles/Who is Your Audience?

In this session, we’ll drill down on your genre and audience, an essential step in finding the best agent or reader for your work. You’ll learn how to find “comp titles” that you can use as shorthand to snag an agent’s attention and position your book effectively in the marketplace.

JANUARY 28 | Part 2: Synopsis

Many writers dread writing a synopsis more than writing the book itself. Get a quick overview on writing a compelling synopsis that captures the essential elements of your story while showcasing your voice and writing abilities. You’ll learn strategies for distilling your narrative’s core conflict, character arcs, and resolution into a clear, engaging summary.

FEBRUARY 4 | Part 3: Finding an Agent

In this session, you’ll get tips on how to research agents effectively, identify the best matches for your work, and understand what agents are actively seeking. We’ll share resources to help you build a targeted submission list aligned with your book’s genre and style.

FEBRUARY 11 | Part 4: Query Letters

Once you’ve identified your target agents, you want to write a query letter that grabs their attention and compels them to request your manuscript. We’ll walk through the essential components of a successful query, including the hook, brief summary, and your author bio. Learn common pitfalls to avoid and tips for making your letter stand out (in a good way!). Please note that we will not be covering non-fiction book proposals in this class.

FEBRUARY 18 | Part 5: Pitching

Develop and refine your verbal pitch to confidently present your book in face-to-face or virtual meetings with agents. Get techniques for summarizing your story in two compelling minutes. This session will help you prepare for common agent questions as well as engaging in productive conversation about your writing.

BONUS! Saturday AGENT ONE-ON-ONE MEETING (AGENT MEETINGS ARE NOW AT CAPACITY)

FEBRUARY 28, 10:00 am – 12:00 Noon | FINALE: AGENT ONE-ON-ONE MEETINGS

Meet privately, online, with a literary agent. Take what you’ve learned in the 5-part series, and apply it to make the most out of your meeting time. Meetings will be 10 minutes long, and will take place on the Zoom platform, in breakout rooms.

When you register, you will be asked about your work to enable us to pair you with the agent that is the best match.

You can view the profiles of our five esteemed agents, representing a wide breadth of genres and audiences, HERE.

Registrants will be emailed the Zoom links, and further details, the morning of each corresponding class for which they’ve registered. Agent meeting details, including your specific meeting time, will be sent to registrants separately.

About Your Instructor

JRW’s Executive Director, Katharine Herndon, returns as your instructor for this five-part series. With her first book, Katharine garnered fourteen full manuscript requests, two R&Rs (requests to Revise & Resubmit), and one offer of representation . . . and over one hundred rejections! She’s attended more than two dozen writing conferences and has learned a thing or two from the many agents she’s met over the years. Katharine has taught business English at Lockheed Martin, a teacher workshop at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, and literary arts to sixth graders through community college students. In addition, she gave a coffee talk for CultureWorks on planning conferences and has taught classes on “Writing Your Author Bio” and 2023’s Nuts & Bolts on craft. Her short stories have appeared in several indie-published anthologies, she has a chapter in the publication Launch Pad: Countdown to Marketing Your Book, and a craft piece in the Wellspring Literary Journal on beating imposter syndrome.

REGISTER NOW!

AUGUST 2026 NUTS & BOLTS SERIES | BUSINESS FOCUS

THE PARTNERSHIP PATH: GETTING YOUR WORK INTO READERS’ HANDS

with Brynn Markham

BEST BUY: PACKAGE OF 3 CLASSES  $50 for Members | $75 for Non-members 

A LA CARTE CLASSES: $20 each for Members | $29 each for Non-Members

Wednesdays 11:30 am – 12:30 pm | August 12, 19, & 26

Writing is your passion, and working toward a finished product is a feat in and of itself. But, what happens when you’re done writing, and you want to get your work into the hands of potential readers? This series will cover the three core partnerships writers must forge in order to get their books out into the world. We will cover libraries, bookstores, and community partners. Learn who you should be talking with, how to form authentic relationships that render positive results for all involved, and how to get them to care enough to offer your books to their customers and possibly even become your biggest cheerleader!

Each class in this series includes: a one-hour online workshop, access to the recording, the Powerpoint used during the class, and additional resources. 

AUGUST 12 | Part 1: Working with Libraries

Brynn will walk you through:

  • The basics of getting your book onto library shelves/their online catalogs
  • Participating in library events to garner interest with library visitors
  • Developing relationships with library staff
  • When applicable, how to work with school libraries

AUGUST 19 | Part 2: Working with Bookstores

Brynn will walk you through:

  • What bookstores are looking for/how to get on their shelves
  • Forging meaningful relationships beyond bookstore owners
  • Do’s and Dont’s of working with Bookstores

AUGUST 26 | Part 3: Working with Community Partners

Brynn will walk you through:

  • Identifying the themes and elements of your work that can relate to community partners
  • Identifying potential partnerships with fellow authors
  • Identifying relevant voices to share your work with others

About Your Instructor

Brynn Markham is passionate about connecting people and organizations in ways that strengthen communities and amplify the strengths and talents of everyone involved. Prior to joining James River Writers as Director of Programs and Communications, she spearheaded nationally recognized and award-winning marketing campaigns and events in her communications and outreach role at VPM, Richmond’s PBS and NPR affiliate. Projects she’s especially proud of include: The Great American Read; Ken Burns’ The Vietnam War; Great Performances’ Hamilton’s America; PBS KIDS Summer Challenge; and the nation’s largest screening events for series premieres of Downton Abbey two years in a row. Currently, she loves working with writers to help connect them to resources and people to help them reach their goals. To that end, Brynn has organized six James River Writers Annual Conferences, has taught classes on author marketing and promotion via James River Writers Master Classes and previous Nuts & Bolts Series, and has spoken on the importance of community for writers. More about Brynn on her website HERE.

This programming is supported [in part] by the Virginia Commission for the Arts, which receives support from the Virginia General Assembly.