Course

Prepping for Publication. Kelly Dwyer, Instructor

Ended Dec 10, 2023

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Full course description

IOWA SUMMER WRITING FESTIVAL 

 

Fall 2023–Winter 2024 

 

 

Prepping for Publication (One-Day Workshop) 

 

Kelly Dwyer, Instructor 

 

Dates/Time 

 

Saturday, December 9, 2023, on Zoom 

 

  • 11:00 am–4:00 pm Iowa/Central Time

  • 12:00–5:00 pm Eastern Time 

  • 9:00 am–2:00 pm Pacific Time 

  • 10:00 am–3:00 am Mountain Time 

 

This time frame includes a one-hour break. Class meets for a total of four hours.

 

 

Fee: $175

 

 

Course Description 

 

Publication is a natural part of the writing process. At heart, we’re all still cavepeople around the fire, wanting to tell our stories—and wanting an audience for them. Whether you’ve finished a novel, memoir, story, flash fiction, or poem, or are still working on your project(s), in this one-day workshop, Kelly Dwyer will take you through the publication process, with the goal of helping you find an audience for your writing. 

   

Through lectures, discussions, and workshops, you will:  

 

  • Learn where and how you might consider submitting shorter works.  
  • Understand what you need to do to submit your novel or memoir to a literary agent.  
  • Receive tips on how to find the right literary agent for you.  
  • Create (or revise) the materials you’ll need for submissions, including:  
    • A compelling cover letter (for short and long works).  
    • An engaging “elevator pitch.”  
    • A coherent synopsis.  
    • A query letter that will interest potential agents.*  
  • Become a member of a supportive and stimulating community of writers who share the same goals as you do.  

 

*Please note: Kelly will provide written feedback on all query letters.    

 

This one-day workshop is for writers at all stages, from those who have never submitted their work before, to published authors who are looking to fine-tune their submission process. You don’t even need a finished piece or book to take the course, as understanding the publication process and creating the materials in preparation for it will help you in your current projects. 

   

By the end of the day, you’ll be that much closer to seeing your writing in print!   

  

Instructor 

 

Kelly Dwyer is currently in the middle of the publication process for her third novel, Ghost Mother, which will be published by Union Square & Co., the imprint of Barnes & Noble, in Fall 2024. Kelly also writes flash fiction and plays, which have been produced in Boston, New York, and Glasgow. She taught in the University of Wisconsin system for fifteen years and has taught at the Iowa Summer Writing Festival for over twenty-five years. A graduate of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop and Oberlin College, Kelly grew up in San Pedro, California, and now divides her time between Madison, Wisconsin, and Los Angeles. Feel free to visit kellydwyerauthor.com or contact kelldwyer@yahoo.com. 

 

Registration & Fees 

 

The fee for this course is $175. Payment in full is required to register. 

Registrations are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. 

Class size is limited to 15.

 

Note: Your credit card payment will be processed by an external provider and will appear on your credit card statement as “UI Writing—Magid Center.” 

 

Refund & Cancellation Policy 

 

If you need to cancel your enrollment, please let us know as soon as possible. We can only offer full refunds if you cancel one week prior to the start of class. After that, before the start-date of class, we can offer a 50% refund. We cannot refund day-of cancellations, and we cannot refund or partially refund registration fees once the class has begun. 

 

Terms & Community Policy 

 

1.  The Iowa Summer Writing Festival is a program for adults. You must be at least 18 years old to enroll in Festival workshops. 

 

2.  The Iowa Summer Writing Festival is a community built on an assumption of shared enterprise, in the spirit of mutual respect. We reserve the right to a) revoke the registration of or b) dismiss from the program any person who disrupts the learning/working environment of others. Participants in the Festival are subject to all University of Iowa policies governing conduct in our community, whether online or in person. 

  

Questions? 

  

Contact the Iowa Summer Writing Festival: iswfestival@uiowa.edu. Phone: (319) 335-4160. 

  

Our small staff is out and about. If you phone and we miss you, please leave a detailed message!