Workshops

You have a dream to publish a book. Now’s the time to realize it.

Publishing shouldn’t be so mysterious. At Lucinda Literary, we’re on a mission to demystify, educate, and bring your book idea to market through our live events and on-demand courses.

You have a great book idea. But is it what agents and publishers are looking for? Right now?

What’s the best way to manifest your idea… into a bestselling book?

In our very first FREE live Masterclass, held via Zoom, agent and president Lucinda Halpern of New York literary management firm, Lucinda Literary, will bring her 15 years of working in the publishing industry to walk writers through every step of the process.

Join the waitlist to be the first to learn more about this event, receive updates, and get notified when registration is open and available. 

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You’re on the verge of getting a book deal. Or, you’re simply curious about what rights you’re entitled to as an author—and what practices you should watch out for during contract negotiation, especially if you’ll be navigating the process on your own.

In our very first live Contracts 101 Masterclass for Writers, held via Zoom, veteran contract negotiator Deirdre Smerillo will bring her 35 years of publishing experience at Random House, Hyperion, and now president of Smerillo Associates to walk writers of all stages through the basics of book and film contracts. Leaving this session, you’ll know what to expect, what to watch for, and—most importantly—how to protect your intellectual property.

She’ll be joined in a brief discussion about negotiating contracts with Lucinda Halpern, agent and president of Lucinda Literary. There will be plenty of time to focus on your goals and questions—we’ll keep this small and interactive, with a takeaway packet to cement everything you’ve learned.

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Getting an agent today requires a brilliant book idea, sharp writing, and a solid platform, all of which need to be present in the query letter pitching your concept. In our most popular series, writers will have the opportunity to learn the art of creating a successful query letter, capture an agent’s attention, and finally craft a query destined to break out of the slush pile.

As part of this workshop, held via Zoom, you will:

• Send your letter in prior to the workshop for Lucinda’s personal review and feedback
• Gain access to sample query letters hand-selected by Lucinda’s team
• Write your first draft based on these examples, and have it critiqued during the workshop
• Learn what agents and publishers are looking for in your letter
• Unlearn all the bad publishing advice you’ve received about the query process, and learn tried and true submission strategies
• Leave with a sense of hope, clarity, and excitement about the process

Ideal for nonfiction and fiction writers. A recording will be available for those unable to attend.

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“The tips and feedback I received from Ms. Halpern’s workshop have helped me improve not only my query letter, but my novel as a whole. If you’re serious about getting an agent, you don’t want to miss this.”
—Rachel Waxman

“While it’s obvious Ms. Halpern has been a bridge carrying both novice and established writers to higher levels of success for years, what impressed me the most about her workshop was her humble approach and personalized feedback that better clarified my novel’s genre and made my query letter more compelling to readers.”
—Pamela Mshana

“This was a very helpful workshop, and I truly appreciated the follow-up consultation. I “unlearned” several bad strategies I’d been taught in the past.”
—Aliina Hopkins

Whether you’re brand new to marketing or a seasoned marketing professional, “platform” is the word of the day in the publishing realm, and a HUGE pain point for aspiring and established authors alike. It’s difficult to know where to even begin, what really matters to agents and publishers, or what makes an impact in selling books. Here’s what we know to be true: it takes a village.

That’s why we’ve launched a new workshop series focused exclusively on book marketing, to reveal the secret, proven strategies based on Lucinda’s 15+ years of experience in the industry and the bestselling authors with whom she’s worked.

In this workshop, you will learn:

• The ways in which “platform” is measured by agents and publishers
• The trusted tools and services out there that can help market your book
• The prime factors that really drive book sales (and which ones matter most)
• What kind of marketing section is needed when writing a novel
• How you can find your target audience and build your platform organically
• What benefits come from hiring an outside publicist
• Which media outlets make the most impact for publishers and readers

Plus, international bestselling author of The Productivity Project and Hyperfocus Chris Bailey will join as a special guest in this event!

All attendees will leave the event with a playbook to help you put it all together, and guide you to take the next step. You don’t want to miss out on this exclusive conversation and insider wisdom!

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Our private Letter Better Facebook group offers previous attendees of Lucinda Literary’s Letter Better Workshops, Coaching, Courses, and Consultations the opportunity to get an insider’s peek into publishing, connect with other writers in our community, watch Facebook Lives with Lucinda, and get your burning questions answered once a week. You must be enrolled in or have attended one of the above programs to join.

Disclaimer: All our programs are intended to help further the work of any fiction or nonfiction author. Participating in our programs does not guarantee an offer of representation or a later publishing deal.