Saturdays, Jan. 11th - Feb. 15th |In this workshop you will learn all about the world of educational publishing and how to pitch yourself as a writer for hire. We will cover typical assignments and writers guidelines, and you will receive feedback on one 500-word writing sample created in class along with a cover letter so you can start pitching yourself to publishers.

This class is mostly delivered through recordings. Each week, you will receive a 30-ish minute recording discussing educational publishing terms and examples and directions for that week’s homework assignment. Once you submit your homework, you will receive written feedback. There will be 1-2 “live” online office hours TBD for questions as well as the opportunity to email me questions throughout the week. In the recordings, you will see examples of my actual writing assignments and contracts, the feedback I was given, and how the final illustrated stories turned out. We will talk about how to understand state standards, and how to write for specific grades and reading levels. You will also learn how to locate educational publishers from their websites and other sources. One highlight of this workshop is the opportunity to attend a live webinar with a guest speaker from the educational market who is open to receiving your pitches when your sample and cover letter are ready at the completion of the workshop. Note: This class will be fast and (hopefully not too) furious! Recordings will only be available for 7 days and homework MUST be submitted on time to get written feedback.

In the words of a student who took this workshop: “One of the best things is coming out with all your writing samples and cover letter ready. It was super helpful to see the stages of your assignments and how you spec different kinds of things. Many of your cheat-sheet handouts were amazing. I also loved when you went through Evelyn's site and explained how you would find and interpret job listings.” 

This is a great class for people with classroom or library experience, but it’s also a great fit for anyone who has a strong desire to write for kids.

Note: This class is asynchronous except for office hours, which are held live. 

Lisa Lerner has been writing children’s fiction and nonfiction for educational publishers such as Scholastic and McGraw Hill for over 25 years. Her most recent assignment is to write 72 stories in 4 months which might be a world’s record! She is also the author of the crossover YA novel JUST LIKE BEAUTY (New York Times Notable Book of the Year, currently in development as a movie shooting in 2025). Long ago, Lisa was a professional rubber stamp cutter, children’s party entertainer, and NYC performance artist. She is a proud member of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, a juror for the annual Scholastic Art & Writing Competition, and is currently serving as a trustee on the board of the Kingston Public Library. When she is not writing about herself in the third person, she enjoys petting rabbits and eating cake.