The 2026 New England Writing Workshop: July 24-25, 2026

After successful previous events in New England and around the country, Writing Day Workshops is excited to announce The 2026 New England Writing Workshop — an online “How to Get Published” writing event on July 24-25, 2026. (Writers are welcome to attend virtually from everywhere and anywhere.)

This writing event is a wonderful opportunity to get intense instruction over the course of one day, pitch a literary agent or editor (optional), get your questions answered, and more. Note that there are limited online “seats” at the event (200 total). All questions about the event regarding schedule, details and registration are answered below. Thank you for your interest in the 2026 New England Writing Workshop!

(ONLINE: Writing Day Workshops plans both in-person and virtual/online conferences. The 2026 NEWW is an Online Conference, on July 24-25. Online events are easy and awesome, and the virtual events we’ve done thus far have received wonderful feedback. You do not have to be tech-savvy to do this, and understand we are keeping all aspects of a traditional in-person event, including one-on-one agent & editor pitching, which will now be done by Zoom or phone. Learn all details about what it means to have a writers conference online.)

To register, click the button above, or email Brian at WDWconference@gmail.com and tell him you’re interested in the New England event.

WHAT IS IT?

This is a special two-day “How to Get Published” writing workshop on July 24-25, 2026. In other words, it’s two days full of classes and advice designed to give you the best instruction concerning how to get your writing & books published. We’ll discuss your publishing opportunities today, how to write queries & pitches, how to market yourself and your books, what makes an agent/editor stop reading your manuscript, and more. No matter what you’re writing — fiction or nonfiction — the day’s classes will help point you in the right direction. Writers of all genres are welcome. And even though this is the “New England” Writing Workshop, make no mistake — writers from everywhere are welcome to attend virtually. Our WDW writers conferences have helped dozens of writers find literary agent representation — see our growing list of success stories here.

This event is designed to squeeze as much into two days of learning as possible. You can ask any questions you like during the online classes, and get your specific concerns addressed. We will have literary agents online to give feedback and take pitches from writers, as well. This year’s 2026 NEWW agent & editor faculty so far includes:

  • Coming soon
  • and possibly more agents to come.

By the end of the day, you will have all the tools you need to move forward on your writing journey. This independent event is organized by coordinator Brian Klems of Writing Day Workshops.

To register, click the button above, or email Brian at WDWconference@gmail.com and tell him you’re interested in the New England event.

EVENT LOCATION & DETAILS:

(ONLINE: Writing Day Workshops plans both in-person and virtual/online conferences. The 2026 NEWW is an Online Conference, on July 24-25. Online events are easy and awesome, and the virtual events we’ve done thus far have received wonderful feedback. You do not have to be tech-savvy to do this, and understand we are keeping all aspects of a traditional in-person event, including one-on-one agent & editor pitching, which will now be done by Zoom or phone. Learn all details about what it means to have a writers conference online.)

THIS YEAR’S SESSIONS & WORKSHOPS (JULY 24-25, 2026):

What you see below is a quick layout of the day’s events. See a full layout of the day’s sessions, with detailed descriptions, on the official Schedule Page here.

Agent pitches and critique consultations overlap with Saturday sessions. The schedule of presentation topics below is subject to change and updates:

FRIDAY, JULY 24, 2026

9:30 – 10:30: How to Write a Query Letter That Gets Agent Attention. If you want an agent to represent your work, it all starts with a compelling query letter.

10:45 – 11:45: Beyond the Book Deal: How to Navigate Social Media and Build an Effective Brand. This workshop will discuss the importance of an author’s platform. This class will help you understand the very basics of marketing yourself and your book(s) online, whether you’re traditionally published or self-published.

11:45 – 1:15: Break

1:15 – 2:30: Conquering the Novel. This workshop helps writers develop a plan for organizing, writing, re-writing, and finishing their novel.

2:45 – 3:45: Plotting Arcs and Compelling Narratives. A great work of fiction requires excellent pacing to move the reader past those first pages and to propel them to the very end.

4:00 – 5:00: Getting Published in Today’s World: 10 Tips to Make You the Writer Agents and Publishers Want. If you want to land an agent and a book deal in today’s market, you’re going to have to do a lot more than just write a great book (though that’s a good start).

* * * * *

SATURDAY, JULY 25, 2026

9:30 – 10:30: Lost In Revisions—How to Self-Edit Your Manuscript. This session will teach the foundations of self-editing, focusing on high level plot and and continuing down into the nitty gritty of grammar.

10:45 – 11:45: Make Your First Five Pages Amazing. You have five pages to impress an agent–make them count.

11:45 – 1:15: Break

1:15 – 2:30: “Writers Got Talent”—a Page 1 Critique Fest, with participating literary agents and editors. In the vein of “American Idol” or “America’s Got Talent,” this is a chance to get your first page read (anonymously — no bylines given) with attending agents commenting on what was liked or not liked about the submission.

2:45 – 3:45: Open Agent Q&A Panel. Several attending literary agents will open themselves up to open Q&A from NEWW attendees. Bring your questions and get them answered in this popular session.

4:00 – 5:00: Story Lessons from Hollywood. How lessons from screenwriting, acting, directing, producing, and video editing can help prose writers craft more compelling stories and keep readers turning those pages.

Agent pitches and critique consultations overlap with Saturday sessions. The schedule of presentation topics below is subject to change and updates:

(What you see here is a quick layout of the day’s events. See a full layout of the day’s sessions, with detailed descriptions, on the official Schedule Page here.)

Agent & Editor Pitching: All throughout the day.

PITCH AN AGENT OR EDITOR:

Coming soon

Coming soon

Coming soon

            More 2026 agents to be announced as they are confirmed. You can sign up for pitches at any time, or switch pitches at any time, so long as the agent in question still has appointments open. Unless otherwise specified, all agent pitches at WDW online events happen on Saturday — in this case, July 25, 2026.

These one-on-one meetings are an amazing chance to pitch your book face-to-face with an agent, and get personal, individual feedback on your pitch/concept. If the agent likes your pitch, they’ll request to see part/all of your book — sending you straight past the slush pile. It also gives you an intimate chance to meet with an agent and pick their brain with any questions on your mind.

(Please note that Agent/Editor Pitching is an add-on, separate aspect of the day, for only those who sign up. Spaces are limited for these premium meetings, and pricing/detail is explained below.)

———

PRICING:

$189 — EARLY BIRD base price for registration to the 2026 NEWW and access to all workshops, all days. (You also get 10+ additional free pre-recorded webinars on writing and publishing.) As of fall 2025, registration is now OPEN.

To register, click the button above, or email Brian at WDWconference@gmail.com and tell him you’re interested in the New England event.

Add $29 — to secure a 10-minute one-on-one meeting with any of our literary agents or editors in attendance. Use this special meeting as a chance to pitch your work and get professional feedback on your pitch. (Spaces limited.) If they wish, attendees are free to sign up for multiple 10-minute pitch sessions at $29/session — pitching multiple individuals. There is no limit. Here are quick testimonials regarding writers who have signed with literary agents after pitching them at prior Writing Day Workshops events. Our bigger, growing list of success stories can be seen here.

“I met Mai Nguyen at the Toronto Writing Workshop
and sold her manuscript to Simon & Schuster for six figures.”
– literary agent Carly Watters of P.S. Literary Agency

“I signed Sarah G. Pierce from the Seattle Writing Workshop,
and we recently sold her book to Orbit/Redhook.”

– literary agent Pam Gruber of Highline Literary Collective

“I met Amber Cowie at a Writing Day Workshops conference. We sold
her best-selling crime novel to Lake Union / Amazon.”
– literary agent Gordon Warnock of Fuse Literary

“I met my client, Dana Corbit Nussio, at the Michigan Writing Workshop.
Dana
signed a new three-book contract with Harlequin Romantic Suspense.”
– literary agent Rachel Beck of Liza Dawson Associates

“I signed Nedda Lewers from a Writing Day Workshops event. Her debut
novel from Putnam Children’s was an Indie’s Introduce Best Book of 2024.”
– literary agent Kelly Dyksterhouse of Tobias Literary Agency

Add $69 — for an in-depth, personal critique of your one-page query letter from Brian Klems, one of the workshop’s coordinators. (This rate is a special event value for New England Writing Workshop attendees only.) Registrants are encouraged to take advantage of the specially-priced critique, so they can send out their query letter with confidence following the workshop. Also, if you are meeting with an agent at the event, you’re essentially speaking your query letter aloud to them. Wouldn’t it be wise to give that query letter (i.e., your pitch) one great edit before that meeting?

Add $89 — for an in-depth personal critique of the first 10 pages of your novel. Spaces with faculty for these critiques are very limited, and participating attendees will either 1) get an in-person meeting at the workshop, if the faculty member is attending the live event, or 2) get a 15-minute phone call with the faculty member, and have notes passed along via email, if the critiquer is not attending the live event. Options:

  • All adult fiction genres and categories (except for sci-fi) (virtual critiques): Faculty member Tayler Hill, an author and publishing house assistant, will get your work in advance, critique the first 10 double-spaced pages of your book, meet with you online (Zoom, etc.) or by phone for 15 minutes sometime before the workshop to discuss her thoughts, and pass along written critique notes before or after the meeting.
  • Romance, women’s fiction, domestic suspense, and young adult fiction (virtual critiques): Faculty member Swati Hegde, an author and freelance editor, will get your work in advance, critique the first 10 double-spaced pages of your book, meet with you online (Zoom, etc.) or by phone for 15 minutes sometime before the workshop to discuss her thoughts, and pass along written critique notes before or after the meeting.
  • Memoir, as well as children’s picture books (virtual critiques): Faculty member Eve Porinchak, a published author and former agent, will get your work in advance, critique your picture book (or 10 pages if memoir), meet with you online (Zoom, etc.) or by phone for 15 minutes sometime around the workshop to discuss her thoughts, and pass along written critique notes before or after the meeting. If you submit a picture book, it must be 1,000 words or fewer (can have illustrations or not).
  • All types of adult fiction (except erotica); all types of young adult fiction and middle grade; Christian fiction; screenplays and TV scripts (virtual critiques): Faculty member Jaimie Engle, a screenwriter, will get your work in advance, critique the first 10 double-spaced pages of your book, talk with you virtually (Zoom/phone) for 15 minutes workshop to discuss her thoughts, and pass along written critique notes before or after the meeting.
  • Science fiction, fantasy, romance, horror, young adult SFF, urban fantasy (virtual critiques): Faculty member Wesley Chu, a published novelist, will get your work in advance, critique the first 10 double-spaced pages of your book, meet with you online (Zoom, etc.) or by phone for 15 minutes sometime before the workshop to discuss his thoughts, and pass along written critique notes before or after the meeting.
  • More critique options possibly forthcoming.

How to pay/register — Registration is now open.

To register, click the button above. Or reach out to workshop organizer Brian Klems via email: WDWconference@gmail.com. He will pass along registration information to you, and give instructions on how to pay by credit card, PayPal, or check. Once payment is complete, you will have a reserved seat at the event. The NEWW will send out periodic e-mail updates to all registered attendees with any & all news about the event. Because Brian plans different workshops, make sure you note that you’re inquiring about the New England workshop specifically.

REGISTRATION:

(ONLINE: Writing Day Workshops plans both in-person and virtual/online conferences. The 2026 NEWW is an Online Conference, on July 24-25. Online events are easy and awesome, and the virtual events we’ve done thus far have received wonderful feedback. You do not have to be tech-savvy to do this, and understand we are keeping all aspects of a traditional in-person event, including one-on-one agent & editor pitching, which will now be done by Zoom or phone. Learn all details about what it means to have a writers conference online.)

Are spaces still available? Yes, we still have spaces available. We will announce RIGHT HERE, at this point on this web page, when all spaces are taken. If you do not see a note right here saying how all spaces are booked, then yes, we still have room, and you are encouraged to register.

How to Register:

To register, click the button above. Or reach out to workshop organizer Brian Klems via email: WDWconference@gmail.com. He will pass along registration information to you, and give instructions on how to pay by credit card, PayPal, or check. Once payment is complete, you will have a reserved seat at the event. The NEWW will send out periodic e-mail updates to all registered attendees with any & all news about the event. Because Brian plans different workshops, make sure you note that you’re inquiring about the New England workshop specifically.

Refunds: If you sign up for the event and have to cancel for any reason at any time, you will receive 50% of your total payment back [sent by check or PayPal or CC refund]. The other 50% is nonrefundable and will not be returned, and helps the workshop ensure that only those truly interested in the limited spacing sign up for the event. (Please note that query editing payments and manuscript editing payments are completely non-refundable if the instructor has already started edited your work.)

Thank you for your interest in the 2026 New England Writing Workshop.

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