Query Camp 2024
Join New York Times bestselling author Adrienne Young, critically acclaimed author Kristin Dwyer, guest agents, guest speakers, and so much more for this once-in-a-lifetime Query Camp open exclusively to Writing With the Soul alumni.
Coming Next Summer - Dates & Guest Speaker Information TBD
Check out our 2023 info below
Camp Directors
Adrienne Young | NYT & Internationally Bestselling Author, The Unmaking of June Farrow, Spells for Forgetting, The Sky & Sea Duology, The Fable Series
Kristin Dwyer | Critically Acclaimed Author, The Atlas of Us, Some Mistakes Were Made
The Agents
Patrice Caldwell | New Leaf Literary
Melanie Figueroa | Root Literary
Sarah Landis | Sterling Lord Literistic
Barbara Poelle | Word One Literary
Paige Terlip | Andrea Brown Literary Agency
DongWon Song | Howard Morhain Literary Agency
Joanna Volpe | New Leaf Literary
Guest Speakers
DJ DeSmyter | Marketing Director, Avon Books (Harper Collins)
Adalyn Grace | NYT Bestselling Author, Belladonna, All the Stars & Teeth Duology
Gretchen Schreiber | Manager of Books, Hello Sunshine Official, Debut Author
Emily Varga | Debut Author, For She is Wrath
The Details
Query Camp is a weekend-long virtual event exclusively for Writing With the Soul Alumni.
Join us for two jam-packed days of teaching sessions, panels, and group discussions about the harrowing world of querying. We’re going to dive deep into every facet of landing and working with literary agents, and we’ll hear directly from some of the industry’s most successful and up-and-coming agents on what querying looks like today, what they’re looking for, and how to stand out in the slush pile. Participants will also get the invaluable opportunity to submit their polished queries to the Query Camp Shopping Book, which will go directly to our agent faculty after the event so they can “shop” alumni pitches in an exclusive submission.
Cabins & Camp Counselors
Each participant will be assigned to a cabin with 15-20 other writers. Every cabin is led by a Camp Counselor who are WWTS alumni who are now agented and/or have sold their first books. The Camp Counselors are there to share their personal experiences, answer questions about the process, & lead discussion each day in the group. You will also have the opportunity to use your group to workshop your query, if you have one.
2023 itinerary
Day 1
- Coffee Chat
- Cabin Meetings
- Session 1: The Query
- Agent Panel: Market Analysis
- Arts & Crafts
- Session 2: Diversity, Inclusivity, & Querying as a marginalized author
- Live Critiques
- Session 3: The Synopsis & Pitch
- Agent Panel: Queries that Stand Out
- Campfire Q&A
Day 2
- Coffee Chat
- Cabin Meetings
- Session 4: The First Ten Pages
- Agent Panel: The Author/Agent Relationship
- Arts & Crafts
- Session 5: Researching Agents, Building a List & Query Strategy
- Live Critiques
- Session 6: Author Platform, Presence, & Self Promo
- Agent Panel: The Long Game
- Campfire Q&A
Registration
Registration is now closed. Please check back for information about future Query Camps.
Query Camp Details
Do I need to have a finished book that’s ready to query in order to participate?
Do I need to have a finished book that’s ready to query in order to participate?
No! Writers at any stage of the writing process who want to learn more about querying and the publishing industry are welcome to join.
Do I need to have a finished manuscript in order to submit my query to the shopping book?
Do I need to have a finished manuscript in order to submit my query to the shopping book?
Yes. If you plan to query the agents and the shopping book you do need to have a finished, polished manuscript. You will submit that finished/revised query one week after Query Camp.
I can’t afford the registration fee. Will there be scholarships?
I can’t afford the registration fee. Will there be scholarships?
Yes, we are offering 10 full scholarships. 5 of these scholarships will be available to BIPOC writers and 5 available to any writer with a financial barrier. Scholarship applications will open on the same day as registration and those awarded will be notified afterward.
Is the event open to non-WWTS writers?
Is the event open to non-WWTS writers?
No. This is an event specifically designed for and open to Writing With the Soul alumni.
What kind of interaction will I get with agents?
What kind of interaction will I get with agents?
All participants will attend four different live agent panels, all of which will have open Q&A. After Query Camp, if you submit a finalized query to the Shopping Book, your query will go directly to the faculty of agents in an exclusive submission.
Will I get to workshop my query?
Will I get to workshop my query?
Yes. All participants will be placed in a “cabin” with a “camp counselor”. This is the space designated for group discussion and sharing pages. Each group will decide their own approach to trading and critiquing queries.