CW 28 W — From Writer to Author: Navigating the Twisty Path to Publication
Quarter: Summer
Instructor(s): Malena Watrous
Date(s): Jul 9—Aug 6
Class Recording Available: Yes
Class Meeting Day: Thursdays
Grade Restriction: No letter grade
Class Meeting Time: 12:00—1:15 pm (PT)
Tuition: $410
Refund Deadline: Jul 11
Unit(s): 1
Status: Registration opens May 18, 8:30 am (PT)
Quarter: Summer
Day: Thursdays
Duration: 5 weeks
Time: 12:00—1:15 pm (PT)
Date(s): Jul 9—Aug 6
Unit(s): 1
Tuition: $410
Refund Deadline: Jul 11
Instructor(s): Malena Watrous
Grade Restriction: No letter grade
Recording Available: Yes
Status: Registration opens May 18, 8:30 am (PT)
COURSE DESCRIPTION
Many writers dream of becoming published authors, but the path to publication is seldom straightforward. How do you know when a manuscript is ready to submit to agents? Do you even need an agent? If you don't land a major commercial publisher, should you give up? When might self-publishing become a viable option, and how do you help a published book reach the right readers?
This course demystifies the publishing process by offering firsthand insight into the various routes writers may take. Each week, a visiting author will answer student questions and reflect on the choices they made from first draft to printed book. In addition to visiting authors, at least one agent, editor, and publicist will join the class during the quarter to speak about their roles and collaboration. The only homework is to read each author’s book ahead of their visit, allowing students to understand how creative, thematic, and structural choices make a work publication-ready.
SCHEDULE
Session 1: Thursday, July 9, 12:00 - 1:15 pm (PT)
Self-Publishing (Literary Thriller)
Author/Developmental Editor
Cynthia Swanson, New York Times best-selling author, self-published author of Anyone But Her, and 2025 Indie Author of the Year
Shana Kelly, Developmental editor
Session 2: Thursday, July 16, 12:00 - 1:15 pm (PT)
Agent/Author
Stephanie Reents, Author of We Loved to Run
Emily Forland, Agent at Brandt & Hochman
Session 3: Thursday, July 23, 12:00 - 1:15 pm (PT)
Author/Publisher
Martha Conway, Author of We Meet Apart
Jaynie Royal, Publisher at Regal House Publishing
Session 4: Thursday, July 30, 12:00 - 1:15 pm (PT)
Author
Jayson Greene, Author of Once More We Saw Stars: A Memoir of Life and Love After Unimaginable Loss
Session 5: Thursday, August 6, 12:00 - 1:15 pm (PT)
Author/Publicist
Clare Frank, Author of Just One More Game: A Pickleball Quest
Taryn Roeder, Publicist at Abrams Press
Please note: Speakers and schedule may be subject to change.
Many writers dream of becoming published authors, but the path to publication is seldom straightforward. How do you know when a manuscript is ready to submit to agents? Do you even need an agent? If you don't land a major commercial publisher, should you give up? When might self-publishing become a viable option, and how do you help a published book reach the right readers?
This course demystifies the publishing process by offering firsthand insight into the various routes writers may take. Each week, a visiting author will answer student questions and reflect on the choices they made from first draft to printed book. In addition to visiting authors, at least one agent, editor, and publicist will join the class during the quarter to speak about their roles and collaboration. The only homework is to read each author’s book ahead of their visit, allowing students to understand how creative, thematic, and structural choices make a work publication-ready.
SCHEDULE
Session 1: Thursday, July 9, 12:00 - 1:15 pm (PT)
Self-Publishing (Literary Thriller)
Author/Developmental Editor
Cynthia Swanson, New York Times best-selling author, self-published author of Anyone But Her, and 2025 Indie Author of the Year
Shana Kelly, Developmental editor
Session 2: Thursday, July 16, 12:00 - 1:15 pm (PT)
Agent/Author
Stephanie Reents, Author of We Loved to Run
Emily Forland, Agent at Brandt & Hochman
Session 3: Thursday, July 23, 12:00 - 1:15 pm (PT)
Author/Publisher
Martha Conway, Author of We Meet Apart
Jaynie Royal, Publisher at Regal House Publishing
Session 4: Thursday, July 30, 12:00 - 1:15 pm (PT)
Author
Jayson Greene, Author of Once More We Saw Stars: A Memoir of Life and Love After Unimaginable Loss
Session 5: Thursday, August 6, 12:00 - 1:15 pm (PT)
Author/Publicist
Clare Frank, Author of Just One More Game: A Pickleball Quest
Taryn Roeder, Publicist at Abrams Press
Please note: Speakers and schedule may be subject to change.
For students who have previously taken this course, the structure is the same but the books and guests are new. Students will have access to supplemental discussion threads to discuss the books and the course. There will be no writing assignments.
MALENA WATROUS
Writing Certificate Lead and Creative Writing Coordinator, Stanford Continuing Studies
Malena Watrous is the author of the novel If You Follow Me and co-author of the novel Sparked and the cookbooks My Mexico City Kitchen and Scandinavian from Scratch. She has contributed to The New York Times and the San Francisco Chronicle, among other publications. Watrous was a Stegner Fellow at Stanford and received an MFA from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, where she was a Truman Capote Fellow. Textbooks for this course:
(Required) Cynthia Swanson, Anyone But Her (ISBN 979-8990807426)
(Required) Stephanie Reents, We Loved to Run (ISBN 978-0593448069)
(Required) Martha Conway, We Meet Apart (ISBN 978-1646037025)
(Required) Jayson Greene, Once More We Saw Stars: A Memoir of Life and Love After Unimaginable Loss (ISBN 978-0525435341)
(Required) Claire Frank, Just One More Game: A Pickleball Quest (ISBN 978-1419782862)
(Required) Stephanie Reents, We Loved to Run (ISBN 978-0593448069)
(Required) Martha Conway, We Meet Apart (ISBN 978-1646037025)
(Required) Jayson Greene, Once More We Saw Stars: A Memoir of Life and Love After Unimaginable Loss (ISBN 978-0525435341)
(Required) Claire Frank, Just One More Game: A Pickleball Quest (ISBN 978-1419782862)