2024 Nuts & Bolts | Essentials in the Craft & Business of Writing
3-Part Lunchtime ONLINE Series
Thursdays | 11:30 am – 12:30 pm Eastern
BEST BUY: PACKAGE OF 3 CLASSES $50 for Members | $65 for Non-members
A LA CARTE CLASSES: $18 each for Members | $23 each for Non-Members
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 three-part 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 three classes, or want to rewatch anything, you can view the content on your own schedule.
Each series includes: Three one-hour online workshops; access to the recordings; an action-items worksheet with additional links and resources.
FEBRUARY 2024 NUTS & BOLTS SERIES | BUSINESS FOCUS
Choose one, two, or all three (BEST BUY!) classes in the series.
SUBMITTING YOUR WORK TO AN AGENT with Katharine Herndon
The process of finding a suitable agent for your work and then submitting your work for consideration can be both daunting and intimidating. In this three-part series, we will break down the essentials, including how and where to find your ideal agent, identifying comps and genre, managing the submission process, and more. Whether you’re ready to submit, or you’re just starting out, we’ll give you the tools you need to be prepared when the time comes.
Thursdays 11:30 am – 12:30 pm | February 8, 15, 22
Each class in this series includes: a one-hour online workshop, access to the recording, and an action-items worksheet with additional links and resources.
FEBRUARY 8 | Part 1: Prepping for Success
Katharine will walk you through:
- Identifying Your Genre and the Best Type of Agent
- Finding Comp Titles for Your Work
- Making a Plan of Attack
FEBRUARY 15 | Part 2: Research & Market Tools
Katharine will walk you through:
- Publishers Marketplace
- MSWL (Manuscript Wish List)
- Query Tracker
FEBRUARY 22 | Part 3: Submitting & Managing the Process
Katharine will walk you through:
- A Sample Submission
- Example Spreadsheets
- Online Management
**Be sure to check out our QueryPalooza series in July. This includes a Master Class followed by a one-on-one meeting with a query expert to help you craft the perfect query letter. Details HERE.
About Your Instructor
JRW’s Executive Director, Katharine Herndon, returns as your instructor for this three-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 recently 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 recent publication Launch Pad: Countdown to Marketing Your Book, and a forthcoming craft piece in the Wellspring Literary Journal on beating imposter syndrome.
Each class in this series includes: a one-hour online workshop, access to the recording, and an action-items worksheet with additional links and resources.
AUGUST 2024 NUTS & BOLTS SERIES | WRITING CRAFT FOCUS
WORLD BUILDING with Katharine Herndon
Thursdays 11:30 am – 12:30 pm | August 8, 15, & 22
Details Coming Soon…
Each class in this series includes: a one-hour online workshop, access to the recording, and an action-items worksheet with additional links and resources.
AUGUST 8 | Part 1
AUGUST 15 | Part 2
AUGUST 22 | Part 3
This programming is supported [in part] by the Virginia Commission for the Arts, which receives support from the Virginia General Assembly and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency.