Publishing 101: Finding Your Work a Home

“Once the work is done, it’s not yours anymore,” wrote Frank Chimero. “If the thing you make goes anywhere, it’s because other people carried it.” The choice of if, when, and how to share our work with others is a deeply personal decision, both terrifying and exhilarating. How do you make that decision? How does the manuscript in your drawer (or in your head) become a book?

This lively talk with Marisa Siegel and Megan Stielstra—senior acquisitions editors at Northwestern University Press and published authors—reframes publication as a vital and informative part of the writing practice, as opposed to rejection/acceptance roulette. They’ll discuss how to know when your writing is “ready,” the different kinds of trade publishing houses and literary magazines out there, and the benefits and drawbacks of being agented, as well demystifying the nuts-and-bolts of the submission process for both book publishing and lit mags: finding your work’s best home, writing a solid query letter, and connecting with the right editors. Ample time will be left for your specific questions.

The workshop will take place from 6:00-7:30 PM. Attendees are encouraged to come early for a pre-event Happy Hour at the MiniBar from 5:30-6:00 PM.

Marisa Siegel is the author of the chapbook (Burrow Press, 2022) and her essay “Inherited Anger” appears in the acclaimed anthology (Seal Press, 2019). She is senior acquiring editor for trade at Northwestern University Press, and editor-at-large for The Rumpus.

Megan Stielstra is the author of three collections: , , and . Her work appears in the Best American Essays, New York Times, The Believer, Poets & Writers, Tin House, and on National Public Radio. She teaches creative nonfiction at Northwestern University and is a senior acquiring editor with Northwestern University Press.

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