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12-Week Writer Coaching Program for Marginalized Voices
Led by Literary Agent Beth Marshea
Next program begins on September 20, 2022. 6 writers only!
This 12-week writer coaching program aims to support authors of marginalized backgrounds in their quest to create compelling stories, navigate publishing, and become the best advocate for their own work.
Write a Page-Turner that Agents (and Readers) Can't Resist
This program is designed to hold space first and foremost for underrepresented voices. Do you identify with a marginalized community and have an idea for a book, but no idea what to do next? Are you struggling to shape your thoughts into a full blown story that not only makes sense, but people are dying to read?
Or, do you have a rough manuscript, but know that it's in need of polishing?
In this 12-week program, you will learn what makes a story great, how to decipher the best market to appeal to, and how to refine your work to reflect that. At the end of this program, you’ll have not only a story that you love, but one that the world loves and needs.
Receive Feedback from a Supportive Peer Group
There is no better motivation for writers than getting instant feedback on their work. In this program, you will share your work (up to 20 pages double-spaced each week) and receive helpful feedback and guidance from literary agent Beth Marshea and other writers in the program.
Consider this a kind of “Writer Boot Camp” that will build you into a better writer, help you finish your book faster, find the right literary agent for you, and create the best, most polished, marketable product at the end of the 12 weeks.
How will this program kick-start my writing career?
From our experience helping hundreds of writers with their books (and being writers ourselves), we know that writers improve fastest when they share their writing, get feedback, then incorporate that information into their work.
The best kind of feedback is from an expert in the field, someone who has helped publish many authors as a literary agent—someone like Beth Marshea, who will lead this coaching program.
Because this program is limited to 6 writers, everyone will have a chance to share their work each week and receive critical feedback to revise and improve their manuscript, both from Beth, and their peers.
At the end of the 12-week program, you will know how to find the right agent for you, have part or all of a book written, and you will be well-positioned to publish, either traditionally or by self-publishing.
About Literary Agent Beth Marshea
Beth is the owner and Lead Agent at Ladderbird Literary Agency. She has a BA in Literature and a Masters in Business Administration and is always looking for new and exciting ways to bring more diversity into publishing and beyond.
In addition to agenting, Beth presents at conferences across the United States including Writers Day Conferences, Atlanta Writers Groups, Metro West Writers Group, Futurescapes and many more.
She teaches regular classes at her local community center and is always looking for ways to reach out and uplift writers. She is passionate about all writing but has a soft spot for mysteries and thrillers in all age categories.
Books Published by Beth's Clients
Beth has had the pleasure of representing many clients, including:
- V Castro (Aliens: Vasquez, The Haunting of Alejandra)
- Catherine Adel West (Saving Ruby King, The Two Lives of Sara)
- M Shelly Conner (Everyman)
- Cody Luff (Ration)
- Nneka Okona (Self-Care for Grief, The Little Book of Self-Care)
- Loretta Brady (Technology Touchpoints)
- Harshita Jerath (Eva's Sweet Recipe, The Leaping Laddoo)
- BL Radley (Strictly No Heroics)
Beth on Twitter
Tweets by busybethmWho is this program for?
- "The Novice": Writers who have an idea.
- “The Dabbler”: Writers who have some chapters written.
- “The Finisher”: Writers who have a completed manuscript.
- Writers that identify as marginalized or underrepresented voices
- Fiction or non-fiction writers who are willing to write & revise up to 20 pages weekly to share for weekly feedback.
- Writers who want to accelerate their progress toward publishing in a 12-week, intensive coaching program, under the guidance of an experienced literary agent.
- Self-published authors who were not happy with the success of their previous book(s).
- Writers who know their goal(s) for their writing and are open to making changes in order to achieve that.
Who is this program NOT for?
We have designed a program that’s meant to support writers who are at many stages in the writing process, but this is not for everyone. The format and approach will likely not suit the following writers:
- Writers with a completed manuscript who are unwilling to make potentially major changes to their book.
- Writers who don't understand that traditional publishing is a business and that their story is the product.
- Writers with a polished manuscript who are primarily interested in learning how to land a publishing deal.
- Traditionally published authors who are already familiar with writing process challenges including finishing multiple drafts, seeking peer feedback, working with an editor, querying an agent, and landing a book deal.
- Writers who are unwilling to write and submit new work weekly.
Results You Can Count On
Picture holding the first printed copy of your book in your hands. Picture seeing it on store shelves around the world. Picture pulling it up on Amazon and seeing thousands of five-star reviews.
This 12-week intensive mentorship will help you get there. Go from writing as a hobby to writing intentionally, for professional publication.
This program is led by Beth Marshea, a literary agent with years of experience in the industry. She knows great writing and what publishers—and readers—are looking for.
Stop Stressing Over Your Book
Look, you've spent enough time trying to finesse your book on your own.
You've read article after article about how to improve your story arc, make your characters more relatable, and improve your words economy.
You've tried on famous authors' writing routines in the hopes of keeping yourself on track long enough to finish your manuscript.
You've trudged through the query trenches for what feels like ages to little or no avail.
You could stay in this place, confused about the path to publication.
You could continue trading pages with novice writers you met on Twitter, scrolling through blogs, wasting time on YouTube.
You could enrol in yet another writing course with no new information.
...But we'd rather help you leave a legacy for the world in the pages of your book!
Your Transformation
In this program you will go from unsure how to appeal to your target market to clear on how to refine your story so that your readers are hooked from page one...
From writing a story that you alone love to writing a story that the world loves...
From overwhelmed by the querying process to clear on the exact steps needed to find the right agent for you...
From writing inconsistently to producing 10 or 20 quality pages per week...
From unsure if your writing is any good to confident that readers, agents, and publishers will compete to get your book...
From writing alone in a vacuum, to writing in a supportive, enlightening, motivating, and fun community with talented peers and curated resources, under the guidance of an experienced industry insider and a team of experts.
Register Now
Program Format
- Duration: 12 weeks. Next program begins on September 20, 2022.
- Meetings: Tuesdays from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM, Eastern Time (Toronto/NYC) weekly.
- Share your work and post questions at any time on our private Slack channel for feedback and discussion.
- (Video: How does Slack work?)
- Weekly: Slack check-ins from Literary Agent Beth Marshea, who will provide feedback on your writing and guidance on your project.
- Most Weeks: 90-minute, live group video chat sessions with Beth and your peers.
Program Schedule, September-December 2022
(Dates subject to change.)
| September 20: Introductory video chat and first sharing and feedback session |
| September 27: Video session |
| October 4: Slack session |
| October 11: Video session |
| October 18: Writing catch-up week |
| October 25: Slack session |
| November 1: Video session |
| November 8: Slack session |
| November 15: Video session |
| November 22: Writing catch-up week |
| November 29: Slack session |
| December 6: Video session |
| December 13: Slack session |
| December 20: Video session |
Pricing
In this program you will receive weekly feedback that will help you improve your writing, find accountability and motivation, and join a fun, supportive community so that you can produce your best short story and get published faster—all under the guidance of an established literary agent.
The cost for 12 sessions and ongoing engagement via Slack is USD$1,495 USD $1,795.
Register Now
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$ 1,495.00 USD$ 1,795.00 USD
Registration closes in:
Not sure if this program is a fit for you?
Our consultants (who are also writers) will meet with you to discuss your project, goals, and suitability for the program.
Or email us with your questions. We try to accomodate all special requests.
Type: Group Coaching
Category: Author, Editor, Fiction, Literary Agent, Marginalized Voices, Non-fiction & Memoir
What Writers Are Saying About Beth Marshea
"A talented agent and editor who made observations that other people missed. I hope to follow her recommendations. I grew to respect her greatly for her help."
— David Woodard
"Beth is the agent I always wanted: an eager, no-nonsense advocate of my work. I feel lucky to have her support."
— Jamie Yourdon, author of Froelich's Ladderand The Space Between Two Deaths
"Beth offers many helpful insights and always does thorough work. Her help was much appreciated."
— Terri Fitzsimmons
"First off, I got to say WOW!! I NEVER give 5 star reviews but I would give this collaboration 6 stars if I could. Working with Beth was more than ideal. My first experience and she hit it out of the park. She helped me get my query letter to where I loved it, and now it's out there working for me. Thank you, Beth! I heartily recommend you to all folks searching for excellent precise and insightful editing."
— Gabrielle Reynolds
"Beth Marshea is like the best of stories. She is curious, given to the profound, hungry for the superb, and cheerfully tireless. As an agent she has discovered the mystical balance business acumen and tireless respect for the creative. She reads deeply, believes strongly, and carries good writing through this world like a torch."
— Cody Luff, author ofRation
"Beth takes on work that she is passionate about and then makes sh*t happen. She is driven, intense, smart, funny, and about as loyal a human as you’ll ever find."
— Tammy Lynne Stoner, author of Sugar Land
Our Guarantee, and Refunds
We stand by our services with a 100% satisfaction guarantee if you are unhappy with the program. We also realize that life happens. If you are happy but still need to withdraw from the program early, here are our refund policies:
• 50% refund before session 4
• No refunds after session 4
Final decisions about refunds are at the discretion of So You Want to Write? Inc.
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