AS BOTH A CREATIVE WRITER and long-time editor on the staff of The Chicago Manual of Style, I’ve read thousands of queries and manuscripts submitted by writers of everything from picture books to scholarly monographs.
My conference and retreat sessions are geared toward helping writers give their work a final polish before they submit.
♦ What Writers Don’t Need to Know about The Chicago Manual of Style
For generations, “Chicago style” has been the style most preferred by publishers. But The Chicago Manual of Style is nearly 1,200 pages long! What does that mean for the writer? Aren’t creative writers allowed to break all the rules?
This introduction to CMOS by one of its editors covers the essentials — including what you can ignore and what you need to know before you break the rules.
(60–90 minutes)
♦ Acts of Submission: Working with Editors
Each year readers submit thousands of grammar and style questions to the Q&A page at The Chicago Manual of Style Online. To me, the number of questions beginning “My editor insists . . .” began to present a theme: that in editorial battles, the reader is the one who loses.
My book The Subversive Copy Editor is all about win-win strategies. This session presents the advice behind the book, which Publishers Weekly called “practical, relentlessly supportive and full of ed-head laughs.”
(60 minutes)
♦ From Yourself to the Shelf: How a Book Gets Published
Knowing in advance what happens in copyediting and proofreading helps writers understand their responsibilities, manage expectations, and work well with editors.
This introduction to the publishing process from submission to printed (or digital) product will prepare you to work capably alongside the pros in delivering your work to readers.
(60–90 minutes)
♦ 10 Very Last Things: Your Submission Checklist
You’re done writing and ready to submit. Ten last-minute double checks will put your manuscript into top form before you click Attach. Learn what’s important and what’s not in formatting and styling a manuscript or cover letter for submission.
Learn basic Chicago styles that make you look like a pro, and feel confident that your agent or editor will focus on your content and not be distracted by flaws in presentation.
(60–90 minutes)
♦ [Your Topic Here]
Let me know what you need! We’ll work together to tailor a session for your event.
