After many successful Minnesota events, Writing Day Workshops is excited to announce The 2026 Online Minnesota Writing Workshop — a two-day online “How to Get Published” writing event September 11-12, 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 two days, 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 Online Minnesota Writing Workshop!
(ONLINE: Writing Day Workshops plans both in-person and virtual/online conferences. The 2026 PWW is an Online Conference, May 8-9, 2026. 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 Minnesota event.
WHAT IS IT?
This is a special two-day “How to Get Published” writing workshop, September 11-12, 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 “Minnesota” 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 MWW agent & editor faculty so far includes:
- literary agent Bethany Jett (MacGregor & Luedeke)
- literary agent Jane Chun (Transatlantic Agency)
- literary agent Renee Runge (Spencerhill Associates)
- literary agent Ritu Anand (D4E0 Literary)
- literary agent Nephele Tempest (The Knight Agency)
- literary agent Kat Kerr (Donald Maass Literary)
- literary agent Gordon Warnock (Fuse Literary)
- literary agent Geffen Semach (Westwood Creative Artists)
- literary agent Alex Land (Mad Woman Literary)
- literary agent Jeanne De Vita (Martin Literary)
- literary agent Erica Bauman (Aevitas Creative Management)
- literary agent Stephanie Katz (GiraffeLight Media Agency)
- literary agent Tali Shammas (Storm Literary)
- literary agent Tara Kimberly (D4E0 Literary)
- literary agent Megan Frayser (Creative Media Agency)
- literary agent Danielle Marshall (Jane Rotrosen Agency)
- literary agent Des Salazar (Metamorphosis Literary)
- literary agent Diego Harrison (SBR Media)
- literary agent Mindi St Peter (BAM Management)
- literary agent Rachel Estep (D4E0 Literary)
- literary agent Paul Levine (Paul Levine Literary)
- literary agent Nicole Payne (Confluence Literary)
- literary agent Sheila Madonia Mayberry (BAM Management)
- literary agent Frannie Dove
(Caldwell Agency)
- literary agent Shannon Lechon (Azantian Literary)
- literary agent Rebecca Love (Booker Albert Literary)
- literary agent Jacqui Lipton (Raven Quill Literary)
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 coordinators Brian Klems and 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 Minnesota event.
EVENT LOCATION & DETAILS:
(ONLINE: Writing Day Workshops plans both in-person and virtual/online conferences. The 2026 PWW is an Online Conference, May 8-9, 2026. 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 (SEPT. 11-12, 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, MAY 8, 2026
9:30 – 10:30: Launching & Promoting Your Book. Once you have a release date from your publisher, your work isn’t finished. In fact, your work might just be starting! Here you’ll learn tried and true strategies to sell more books, build your community, and have fun while doing it.
10:45 – 11:45: How to Write Great Characters: Character 365 Workshop. In this class, you’ll learn to identify a character’s core thread—the non-negotiable drive or value that persists no matter the genre—and then watch how that thread expresses differently from world to world.
11:45 – 1:15: Break
1:15 – 2:30: The Question Every Agent Asks Concerning Your Project: Why THIS Book? Why should your book get plucked out of an agent’s slush pile? What makes your story compelling enough for an agent to want to read it? To represent it?
2:45 – 3:45: How to Compose an Amazing Query Letter. What goes into a great query letter, and how can you be expected to pitch yourself (and your book) in one page?
4:00 – 5:00: Think Outside the Cover: Your Publishing Options in 2026 Explained. Agent Laurie McLean will examine how your book is not simply a book, but a story that can be released and told through different iterations. Also, what’s the best option for you in 2026? Traditional presses? Hybrid? Self-publishing?
SATURDAY, MAY 9, 2026
9:30 – 10:30: Think Like a Screenwriter: Lessons from Hollywood for Fiction Writers. This workshop will go behind the scenes of Hollywood to uncover tools and tips that screenwriters use to make their writing energetic, efficient, and entertaining.
10:45 – 11:45: 15 Reasons Why Your Book is Getting Rejected. At this workshop, you’ll hear fifteen of the most common reasons an agent rejects your book, from length to audience to query letters that don’t do what they need to.
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 MWW attendees. Bring your questions and get them answered in this popular session.
4:00 – 5:00: Sharpen Your Story. Take advantage of an editor’s perspective with these simple strategies to keep your novel enticing, engaging, and on point.
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
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:
$189 — EARLY BIRD base price for registration to the 2026 MWW and access to all workshops, all days. (You also get 10+ additional free pre-recorded webinars on writing and publishing.) As of Summer 2026, registration for 2026 is now OPEN.
To register, click the button above, or email Brian at WDWconference@gmail.com and tell him you’re interested in the Minnesota 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 Chuck Sambuchino, one of the workshop’s former instructors. (This rate is a special event value for Minnesota 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 types & genres of fiction for adults, young adults, and middle grade readers (virtual critiques): Faculty member Lorin Oberweger, 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.
- Horror, fantasy, sci-fi, urban fantasy (virtual critiques): Faculty member Bob McGough, 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.
- General fiction, contemporary, suspense, thriller, horror, romance, fantasy, young adult, cross-genre (e.g. horror romance or young adult fantasy), and memoir (virtual critiques): Faculty member Aimee Hardy, an author and 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.
- Women’s, mainstream, science fiction, fantasy, romance, crime, thriller, mystery (virtual critiques): Faculty member Michelle McGill-Vargas, 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).
- More critique options possibly forthcoming.
REGISTRATION:
(ONLINE: Writing Day Workshops plans both in-person and virtual/online conferences. The 2026 PWW is an Online Conference, May 8-9, 2026. 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 MWW 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 Minnesota 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 Online Minnesota Writing Workshop.