After many successful past events in Chicago, Writing Day Workshops is excited to announce The 2026 Writing Workshop of Chicago — a one-day in-person “How to Get Published” writing event in Chicago, IL on June 20, 2026.
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 seats at the event (225 total). All questions about the event regarding schedule, details and registration are answered below. Thank you for your interest in the 2026 Writing Workshop of Chicago! We are very proud of our many success stories where attendees sign with agents following events — see our growing list of success stories here.
(Please note that this is an in-person event. We at Writing Day Workshops plan both online/virtual as well as in-person events. This next WWOC is an in-person event happening in Chicago on June 20, 2026. See you there.)
To register, click the button above, or email Brian at WDWconference@gmail.com and tell him you’re interested in the Chicago event.
WHAT IS IT?
This is a special one-day “How to Get Published” writing workshop on Saturday, June 20, 2026, at the Congress Plaza Hotel. In other words, it’s one day 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.
This event is designed to squeeze as much into one day of learning as possible. You can ask any questions you like during the classes, and get your specific concerns addressed. We will have literary agents onsite to give feedback and take pitches from writers, as well. This year’s agent and editor faculty so far includes:
- literary agent Sorche Fairbank (Fairbank Literary)
- literary agent Des Salazar (Metamorphosis Literary)
- literary agent Tommy Dean (Rosecliff Literary)
- literary agent Rachel Estep (D4E0 Literary)
- literary agent Marcy Posner (Folio Literary)
- literary agent Jenna Satterthwaite (Storm Literary)
- literary scout Chelsea Moyer (The Tobias Agency)
- literary agent Kara Rota (Thompson Literary)
- literary agent Hailey Stephens (Rosecliff Literary)
- literary agent Tess Callero (Europa Content)
- literary agent Vicky Weber (Creative Media Agency)
- literary agent Christine Goss (FinePrint Literary Management)
- literary agent Miriam Cortinovis (The Ki Agency)
- literary agent Kara Grajkowski (3 Seas Literary)
- and possibly more 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 & Chuck Sambuchino 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 Chicago event.
EVENT LOCATION & DETAILS:
9:30 a.m. – 5 p.m., Saturday, June 20, 2026 — at the Congress Plaza Hotel.
(Please note that this is an in-person event. We at Writing Day Workshops plan both online/virtual as well as in-person events. This next WWOC is an in-person event happening in Chicago on June 20, 2026. See you there.)
THIS YEAR’S SESSIONS & WORKSHOPS (JUNE 20, 2026):
What you see below is a quick layout of the day’s events. The topics below are mostly set, but subject to change. You can see a more detailed layout of the day’s classes on the Schedule Page here.
Please Note: There will be 2-3 classes/workshops going at all times during the day, so you will have your choice of what class you attend at any time. The final schedule of topics is subject to change, but here is the current layout:
8:30 – 9:30: Check-in and registration at the event location.
BLOCK ONE: 9:30 – 10:30
1.How to Pitch a Literary Agent. This session is a comprehensive workshop on how to pitch a literary agent, covering the pitch itself in regards to structure, effectiveness, and delivery. It will also discuss questions agents might ask (aka what information you should have ready for them) as well as questions you might want to ask too. Finally, we will workshop participant pitches in order to fine tune yours and leave you feeling prepared and confident to sit down for those valuable ten minutes of facetime with someone in the industry.
2. 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.
BLOCK TWO: 10:45 – 11:50
1. Conquering the Novel. This workshop helps writers develop a plan for organizing, writing, re-writing, and finishing their novel.
2. The Deep Outlining Method: How to Write a Great Book Faster. While there are many different ways to write a book, laying the groundwork through outlining can allow you to avoid writer’s block and focus on the task at hand–completing that book! In this session, writer and editor Victoria Griffin will teach you the Deep Outlining Method and how to use it to write faster and better drafts.
(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.)
LUNCH ON YOUR OWN: 11:50 – 1:15
Lunch is on your own during these 85 minutes.
BLOCK THREE: 1:15 – 2:30
1. “Writers Got Talent”—a Page 1 Critique Fest (room). 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. How to Sell a Nonfiction Book Proposal. This session focuses on effective strategies for writing a nonfiction book proposal on any subject.
BLOCK FOUR: 2:45 – 3:45
1. Open Agent Q&A Panel. Several attending literary agents will open themselves up to open Q&A from WWOC attendees. Bring your questions and get them answered in this popular session.
2. Character-First Storytelling. Great books have compelling characters and captivating plots. Learn the differences between character vs. plot driven stories, how to make your manuscript stronger no matter which path you choose, and also how to build character-driven plots during your writing and revision process.
(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.)
BLOCK FIVE: 4:00 – 5:00
1. Make Your First Five Pages Amazing. You have five pages to impress an agent–make them count.
2. 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.
SESSIONS END: 5:00
At 5 p.m., the day is done. Speakers will make themselves available by the workshop’s bookstore for a short while to sign any books for attendees.
Agent & Editor Pitching: All throughout the day.
PITCH AN AGENT OR EDITOR:
Kara Grajkowski is a literary agent with 3 Seas Literary Agency. “As an elementary classroom teacher turned elementary behavioral interventionist, I am always looking to expand my classroom library with high-interest, low-readability books. If I can see my students and their interests in the project, it is a good fit for my classroom and a better fit for my query box. Please send me #OwnVoices stories!” She seeks all types of middle grade and young adult books (with the exception of fantasy and time travel). She represents picture books, especially funny titles or those that highlight the beauty in diversity, community, and childhood. “I (very selectively) take new adult rom coms. Fresh takes on traditional narratives are a plus for me, but I really look for sharp, witty storytelling. In nonfiction, I would love any nonfiction about education/issues in schools or mental health/trauma. No memoirs, please!” Learn more about Kara here.
Kara Rota is a literary agent with Thompson Literary. Kara is excited to represent nonfiction authors including activists, artists, witches, and revolutionaries; cookbooks about more than food, parenting books that see care work as central to social change, illustrated projects that inspire delight, and other nonfiction books that seek to change the world. Previously, Kara worked at Macmillan, acquiring and editing cookbooks, mind/body/spirit projects and other nonfiction for multiple Macmillan imprints including Flatiron and St. Martin’s Press. She also served as director of recipe website and Macmillan portfolio company Cookstr.com. Learn more about Kara here.
Rachel Estep is a literary agent with D4EO Literary Agency. She is seeking: literary fiction; mainstream fiction; all types of middle grade and young adult (especially that centers underrepresented voices); voicey, high-stakes psychological thrillers; stories that mess with your head in the best way; gothic fiction that blends deep senses of foreboding with modern themes; true crime projects that dig deeper than the headlines and center empathy alongside the horror; queer romcoms that bring the banter, the swoon, the spice, and a whole lot of heart; historical fiction driven by complex, unforgettable women in the style of Marie Benedict. Learn more about Rachel here.
Sorche Fairbank is a literary agent and the founder of Fairbank Literary. Our tastes tend toward literary and international fiction; voice-y novels with a strong sense of place; big memoir that goes beyond the me-moir; topical or narrative nonfiction with a strong interest in women’s voices, global perspectives, and class and race issues; children’s picture books & middle grade from illustrator/artists only; quality lifestyle books (food, wine, and design); pop culture; craft; and gift and humor books. We are most likely to pick up works that are of social or cultural significance, newsworthy, or that cause us to take great delight in the words, images, or ideas on the page. Lately we have been doing extremely well in the humor/gift/pop culture category, international fiction, and children’s picture books by illustrator artists, and we’d love to take on more projects in those categories. Above all, we look for a fresh voice, approach, story, or idea. Learn more about Sorche here.
Jenna Satterthwaite is a literary agent with Storm Literary Agency. In adult fiction, she seeks psychological and domestic suspense full of twists; murder mystery, cozy or traditional, contemporary or historical, serious or humorous, hijinks welcome and big family drama very welcome.; fantasy – cozy with low stakes, high/epic, portal and romantasy; rom-coms and romance – in particular I’m interested in POC voices in romance, body-positive romance, LGBTQ+ romance, and adventure romance; women’s fiction / beach reads; science fiction with a human connection; speculative stories rooted in the present that has that one, addictive speculative twist; upmarket and book club fiction. In nonfiction, she seeks voicey memoir (platform a plus); the next big ex-evangelical voice, and both feminist and LGBTQ+ voices in the Christian context; spiritual deconstruction / reconstruction; self-help from an “expert” millennial or Gen Z voice; and books highlighting alternative approaches to death (living funerals, death doulas, at-home body care, etc.). In young adult, she likes fantasy, sci-fi, thriller, mystery, suspense, speculative, and horror. In middle grade, she reps graphic novels, fantasy with series potential, contemporary stories that explore the multicultural / multilingual experience; and horror. In picture books, she’s only looking for author-illustrators and is very select. Learn more about Jenna here.
Tess Callero is a literary agent with Europa Content. Tess joined the agency in 2019 after spending four years at Curtis Brown. She is a highly editorial agent who specializes in building platform-driven proposals from the ground up with clients across the nonfiction space, from self-development and business, to mind/body/spirit, health/wellness, and more. Tess also represents mystery, thriller, suspense and romance authors in the adult fiction space. She is on the Board of the AALA and is the Chair of the Media and Digital Innovations Committee. Learn more about Tess here.
Chelsea Moyer is a literary scout with The Tobias Agency. She is taking pitches on behalf of Tobias agent Jacqui Lipton. Jacqui’s tastes are broad and eclectic. She loved (and still does) everything from a good murder mystery to space opera to contemporary romance and everything in between. She also loves nonfiction projects with a compelling narrative voice. Jacqui represents authors of fiction and nonfiction from middle grade through to adult, as well as selected projects for younger readers (picture books, chapter books etc.) She is currently focusing on developing her adult fiction and nonfiction lists and particularly enjoys mystery/crime, romance, how-to books, and compelling contemporary novels. She is not currently seeking high fantasy, and considers science fiction selectively. Learn more about Chelsea here.
Marcy Posner is a literary agent with Folio Literary. She is “looking for distinctive voices in the commercial space, but I am really not interested in genre or super literary fiction.” She seeks: thrillers, psychological suspense, historical fiction, women’s fiction, mystery, YA (contemporary, historical, romance, mystery), middle grade (contemporary, sci-fi, fantasy, historical, mystery), narrative nonfiction, cultural/social issues. journalism, nature and ecology, psychology, and women’s issues. Learn more about Marcy here.
Hailey Stephens is a literary agent with Rosecliff Literary. In general, Hailey is only looking for Adult novels, but she will selectively take on Middle Grade books if the manuscript will inspire a passion for reading. She would also love to champion authors from rural areas, especially authors from BIPOC, LGBTQ+, neurodivergent, and/or any other community that tends to be overlooked in rural areas. (This doesn’t mean the manuscript itself has to be based in a rural setting, although she always appreciates a good rural horror.) For Literary, Upmarket, and Contemporary fiction, Hailey wants vivid stories that pull the reader in right away, immersing them in the work the author has created. For thriller and horror, she wants stories that linger in the corners of the mind, with characters that feel like they’re in the room with the reader (for better or worse). Hailey will also selectively take on Adult Romance, and is hopeful there are still love story tropes out there that can be discovered or re-explored in a way that redefines the genre. In nonfiction, she is looking for both trade and literary proposals. She is especially interested in memoirs that play with the concept of time and structure. Learn more about Hailey here.
Miriam Cortinovis is a literary agent with The Ki Agency. In general, Miriam is eagerly looking for everything and anything speculative (fantasy and science fiction) across most age ranges — adult, young adult, and middle grade. Similarly—for horror, thriller, gothic, and historical, they would love to champion manuscripts that utilize the speculative to challenge, endanger, and transform the psyche anew. Miriam takes an interest in young adult contemporary novels that draw on their fascination with American high school from immigrant perspectives and with summer camps/adventures. Miriam is also on the lookout for selective works of literary fiction and creative nonfiction. For everything listed above, they’re also highly interested in novellas. Learn more about Miriam here.
Vicky Weber is a literary agent with Creative Media Agency. In adult and young adult fiction, she seeks: horror, psychological suspense, thrillers, commercial, upmarket, historical, women’s fiction, romance, fantasy (dark/high/epic), magical realism, speculative, and paranormal/supernatural. In middle grade and picture books, she seeks highly giftable, commercial fiction with a strong voice—stories that feel like they always should have been on the shelf. Learn more about Vicky here.
Christine Goss is a literary agent with FinePrint Literary Management. Christine is drawn to stories with high stakes and tension. The first pages must draw her in with action and curiosity. Lyrical writing, along with emotionality, physicality, and interiority, are all key components Christine looks for in a manuscript. Christine is generally interested in romance, historical fiction, book club fiction, upmarket, dystopian, graphic novel, and fantasy. Nonfiction and graphic novels covering a specific range of topics are also of interest. She is also open to most young adult. Championing marginalized voices is important to Christine as she seeks to include BIPOC, LGTBQ+, and neurodivergent (and more) authors on her list. “I am looking to uplift, support, and highlight marginalized voices.” Learn more about Christine here.
Des Salazar is a literary agent with Metamorphosis Literary. They seek: Romance, Fantasy, Horror, LGBTQ+, Literary Fiction, Thriller, Mystery, New Adult, Science Fiction, and Young Adult. A graduate of Columbia College Chicago, Des Salazar holds an MFA in Fiction having completed a thesis containing translations of stories and poems from an archived journal and reflection essays. Learn more about Des here.
Tommy Dean is an agent with Rosecliff Literary. In fiction, he seeks psychological thrillers, full-throttled suspense, mysteries with active and motivated main characters, and novels of crime with anti-hero main characters. He is interested in books with clear stakes and inevitable but surprising endings. He’s interested in stories that make him forget the outside world, that are super-charged with sensory experiences, with characters fighting to understand their pasts. Give him your characters with secrets, past loves, past crimes, and past mistakes that lead to unique stories. Learn more about Tommy here.
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ADDED ONLINE PITCHING: To ensure that writers have a robust and diverse lineup of agents & editors to pitch, 2026 Writing Workshop of Chicago attendees will have the ability to also pitch literary agents at a specific Writing Day Workshops *online* event that follows the 2026 WWOC on our calendar.
That event is the 2026 (Online) Chesapeake Writing Workshop, August 14-15, 2026, which will have 30-40 agents taking one-on-one Zoom virtual pitches. This means that 2026 WWOC attendees can have access to pitching all those online Chesapeake WW agents — pitches still at $29 each — without being a formal registrant for the online August 14-15, 2026 event.
(That said, if you want to formally register for the August online Chesapeake Writing Workshop and have access to all classes and panels, let us know, as there is a discount for confirmed Chicago attendees.)
If you are interested in this added pitching opportunity, the first step is to get formally registered for Chicago. Following the conference on June 20, 2026, we will be in touch with all Chicago attendees and ask them if they want to partake in pitching online agents at the 2026 online CWW (August 14-15, 2026). At that time, you can communicate your pitch requests and purchase meeting time.
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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.
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.)
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PRICING:
$199 — EARLY BIRD base price for registration to the 2026 WWOC and access to all workshops, all day. 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 Chicago 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, or securing 20 minutes to pitch one person rather than the usual 10. Here are four 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 an 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 day’s instructors. (This rate is a special event value for Writing Workshop of Chicago 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 10-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 types of middle grade; all types of young adult; and adult fantasy, sci-fi, and historical fiction (no horror or thriller) (virtual critiques): Faculty member Jillian Boehme, a writing coach and author, 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.
- Fantasy, historical fiction, horror, literary fiction, magical realism, mystery, romance, sci-fi, thriller, upmarket, women’s fiction, memoir, and young adult (virtual critiques): Faculty member Victoria Griffin, a writing coach and author, 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.
- Children’s picture books (virtual critiques): Faculty member Rosie Pova, a published author, will get your work in advance, critique your book, 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).
- 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.
- More 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 WWOC 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 Chicago workshop specifically.
REGISTRATION:
Because of limited space at the venue (Congress Plaza Hotel), the workshop can only allow 225 registrants, unless spacing issues change. For this reason, we encourage you to book sooner rather than later.
(Please note that this is an in-person event. We at Writing Day Workshops plan both online/virtual as well as in-person events. This next WWOC is an in-person event happening in Chicago on June 20, 2026. See you there.)
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 WWOC 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 Chicago 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]. 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 edited your work.)
Thank you for your interest in the 2026 Writing Workshop of Chicago.
