Query Bootcomp: A Roadmap to Traditional Publication

Agents. Query Letters. Submissions. Oh my! 
You have a book (finished or in-progress) that you’d like to get traditionally published – now what? Over the course of three sessions, we will explore what it takes to go from writer to published author, from researching agents to crafting an effective query letter to finding your market niche. Through lecture, large-group discussion, and personal writing exercises, students will get hands-on practice pitching their book in a variety of formats and will leave with a clearer understanding of how and when to seek representation in the traditional publishing industry, as well as what working with an agent actually looks like and what comes next on the journey to authordom.
Instructor: Ari Koontz. Ari Koontz (they/he) is a queer trans writer and artist with an MFA from Northern Michigan University, where they taught composition and served as an editor for the journal Passages North. Ari’s debut middle-grade novel is Just Ask Elsie (Feiwel & Friends, 2026), and their essays & short stories have been published in Hayden’s Ferry, Storm Cellar, Under the Gum Tree, and elsewhere.In the classroom and on the page, Ari is dedicated to fostering creativity, curiosity, and bravery, as well as uplifting diverse voices and stories so that we may all see ourselves represented and celebrated.
Location: upstairs at OlyPages Studio. See event link for more details.
Three Tuesdays, September 29,
October 6,
and October 13