"Ready to Be Published: A Real-World Workshop"
November 1 & 2, 2007
Camden Public Library, Picker Room

The Maine Literary Festival is expanding its highly acclaimed weekend festival to include a writers' workshop that both published and aspiring writers will want to attend. The workshop faculty features editorial expert Sara Nelson, book editor Alexis Gargagliano, and award-winning literary agent Wendy Weil. Magazine expert Judith Daniels is facilitator.

The two-day program covers preparing your materials; seeking the right outlet; demystifying the magazine masthead; approaching agents; what editors want, what editors dread; identifying the right pitch; crafting the persuasive cover letter; getting magazine assignments; networking and keeping up contacts. Group discussions and personal consultations will occur and attendees will be asked to provide in advance of their arrival a short story, a sample chapter from a book or a non-fiction article for the faculty to critique.

Return to Maine Literary Festival website.

Sara Nelson

Sara Nelson has been the editor in chief of Publishers Weekly since January 2005, and writes a widely read column in each issue. During her tenure at the magazine, PW has been completely overhauled. Six months after she re-launched the magazine, it won the prestigious Eddie Award for editorial excellence. Nelson was previously the publishing columnist for the New York Post; before that she wrote a column on the book business for the New York Observer. A journalist for twenty-five years, Nelson reviewed for publications from Glamour magazine to the Chicago Tribune. She was one of the founding editors of Inside.com. Her freelance pieces have appeared in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal and many national magazines.

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