MONDAY 7:00–8:30 p.m. (PDT)

“First Pages” Small-Group Critique in multiple genres via Zoom. $65.00

First impressions matter! Some editors and agents look no further than the first page. This is a great opportunity to learn from others. Space in each 90-minute group is limited to six participants plus the leader.

Pages for sharing should be 12-point font (Times or Times New Roman) double-spaced with one-inch margins all around. Registered participants will receive instructions on August 5 for how to share work for review before the groups meet on August 16. Critique guidelines will also be provided.

  • “Refine Your Pitch” with YA/Children’s agent Sally Apokedak. We’ll help each other sharpen our hooks so they might snag the agents, editors, and readers who read them. Share a two-sentence pitch and two- or three-paragraph pitch.
  • “Hook Your Reader on the Very First Page” (historical fiction) with award-winning author Melanie Dobson. Share the first page of your novel.
  • “Nonfiction Book First-Page Critique” with Books & Such agent Mary DeMuth. Share the first page of your book.
  • “Children’s Devotionals, Middle Grade, or YA Pitch Practice” with Tyndale Youth Editor Linda Howard. Share a two-sentence pitch and two- or three-paragraph pitch.
  • “Hook Your Romance Reader on the Very First Page” with William K Jensen literary agent and author Rachel McMillan. Share the first page of your novel.
  • “Short Story Beginnings” (fiction) with award-winning author Gina Ochsner. Share the first page of your short story (250-word limit). 
  • “Imaginative Fiction” with award-winning author David Rawlings. Share your novel’s opening page.