Perfect Your Pitch: Panel and Workshops

In the world of magazine journalism, crafting a pitch that’s succinct, relevant and compelling is necessary for getting your story idea out of your head and onto the page. Over 90 minutes, you’ll obtain personalized, in-depth feedback on your pitch from Maisonneuve Magazine editor Nour Abi-Nakhoul. Participants will learn about proper pitch structure, finding the right publication, email etiquette and how to effectively showcase your writing ability. Participants will be asked to submit a draft pitch prior to the workshop in order to receive feedback. Pitches should be around 3-4 paragraphs long; no more than 500 words.

Nour Abi-Nakhoul is a Montreal-based writer and editor. She’s written for a variety of Canadian and American publications, and is currently the associate editor of Maisonneuve Magazine. Her debut novel, Supplication, is coming out next spring from Penguin Random House. (Photo credit: Olivia Gough)

A solid proposal is essential when it comes to pitching book-length non-fiction projects to traditional publishing houses. On the one hand, it’s great: you don’t have to write a whole book before you begin submitting! On the other, you can’t rely on a stellar manuscript to win over agents and editors. This 90-minute workshop with Assembly Press publisher Leigh Nash will help you pull together the pieces you need to craft a full book proposal that’s tailored to your publishing goals. Participants will be asked to prepare a 300-word synopsis of one non-fiction project and a 200-word bio and submit them in advance; these will be used as the basis for in-workshop exercises.

Leigh Nash is the publisher at Assembly Press. Prior to that, she was publisher at House of Anansi Press and Invisible Publishing, where she expanded the publishing program and shaped an editorial identity that has been met with significant critical acclaim and major literary award nominations. She has also worked for Coach House Books, served on the boards of eBOUND Canada and the Association of Canadian Publishers, and has taught book publishing courses at Humber College and York University. She has an MFA in Creative Writing and has published one poetry collection, Goodbye, Ukulele.