Breakout Debut Sensations (Afternoon)

with Jynne Dilling

Some books have become so ubiquitous in our culture – Where the Crawdads Sing or The Girl on the Train – that it’s easy to forget those were debut novels by writers no one had ever heard of. What makes a total unknown become a blockbuster bestseller? No question it needs to be a great book, and have lucky breaks along the way, but there are also consistent structural forces and efforts happening behind that scenes that help lift unknown writers into bestsellerdom. Come behind the scenes to see daily case studies of different breakout debut success stories: we’ll cover memoir, mystery/thriller, and literary fiction, among other genres. You’ll hear all about the behind-the-scenes publishing planning and outreach, the author’s own efforts, the shaping of the hook and messaging, the jacket art process, and all the other decisions that helped collectively tip these books into becoming long-running bestsellers. You’ll also have the opportunity to craft and refine your own pitch language, descriptive copy, and overall framing of your own project over the course of the four days, with time for class feedback and personalized attention.