Every month, Jane offers a free session on the business of writing or publishing. These take a few forms:
- Jane or a guest expert presents on a focused topic. These are informally called Business Sermons. These sessions launched in 2020 and were commonly held on Sunday afternoons, but now they take place any time.
- Jane helps a writer with a business conundrum. These are called Business Clinics. Jane helps writers determine next steps based on their goals and experience, complemented by her insight into current market conditions. Anyone can apply and be considered for Clinic. It’s free.
- Jane hosts industry discussions: Jane sometimes hosts conversations with authors or colleagues on both timely topics and evergreen challenges.
Watch past classes
Upcoming sessions
October 23: Transforming Your Memoir Into a Novel
It’s increasingly challenging in today’s market to sell a memoir without being a celebrity or having a platform, so what if you decide to turn your real-life story into a work of fiction?
Author Yara Zgheib is the author of two novels so far (third on the way), both published by Big Five houses in good deals. Her first novel, The Girls at 17 Swann Street, was her journal when she was in an in-patient treatment center for eating disorders. The second, No Land to Light On, was also her journal when she and her husband were physically separated, lost their US immigrant visas, and had to leave the country due to an executive order.
When Zgheib wrote both books, she was told she would never get an agent or publisher because she wasn’t famous, didn’t have a platform, and all the other reasons memoirs don’t sell. So she turned them into novels because what mattered was the story and the message behind both books. It wasn’t about her, but about an experience that many people were going through or could relate to.
In this free session, Jane Friedman and Yara Zgheib will be in conversation about the process of transforming these books into the novels they became, and how to separate yourself from the personal story in order to write it as fiction. She will also share the practical steps: from writing the first draft of the first novel, to finding an agent, to submitting to editors who were (or weren’t) interested, all leading to final publication.
So these classes are free?
Yes! No strings attached. You will not be pitched or sold anything.
Will you or the guest answer questions?
For those who attend live via Zoom, yes. We will look at and answer questions as time allows.
Do I have to register?
Only if you want to participate live, ask questions, or interact with other attendees during the session. If you can’t attend live, you can watch it afterward at my YouTube channel.
I’d like to recommend a topic for a future session.
That would be wonderful. Contact me.