September 19: Spalding’s Business of Writing Seminars

Students, faculty, and alums welcome!

The fall 2026 edition of Spalding’s virtual Business of Writing Seminars takes place 11:00 a.m. – 4:45 p.m. EDT Saturday, September 19, for students, faculty, and alumni of the Naslund-Mann Graduate School of Writing at Spalding University. Four virtual sessions offer extracurricular instruction in the world of publishing and ways to seek production for plays and screenplays. You can attend any or all of these sessions depending on your interests. There will be time for Q&A at the end of each session.

The seminars are free to School of Writing students and faculty. The sessions are recorded and the recordings are available on Canvas for students after the event.

Alums register by paying what they can at www.spalding.edu/mfa-payments. (On the payment page, use the email address where you want the Zoom links sent.) The registration deadline for alumni is Friday, September 18. Your payment helps make possible these educational events for our community. Recordings are available to registered alums for thirty days after the event.

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Saturday, September 19, 2026

 “Should You Hybrid Publish or Self-Publish?” 

with Jane Friedman

11:00 a.m. –  12:30 p.m. EDT / 10:00 – 11:30 a.m. CDT / 9:00 – 10:30 a.m. MDT /

8:00 – 9:30 a.m. PDT

Once an author steps away from the traditional publishing path (whether by choice or necessity), a whole new decision tree comes into play. Do you want to undertake the self-publishing process? Do you want to pay a company to assist you? Or would it be better to consider hybrid publishers?

What makes this decision all the more fraught is that the investment you make can be substantial. Whether you self-publish or hybrid publish, you're often paying well into the four figures and—more often than not—in the five figures. Especially if you're watching your budget, it's natural to feel a lot of pressure over this choice.

This session covers everything you need to know about the self-publishing, hybrid publishing, and paid publishing services landscape, in plain English. You'll come away with a clear picture of how these companies work, how they differ from each other, and how it all compares to what professional, self-publishing authors do (as well as what traditional publishers do!).

We'll cover the best practices of hybrid publishers, e.g., they conduct some level of gatekeeping and offer value that the author would have a hard time securing independently. We'll also talk a lot about the financials of these arrangements, because once you pay thousands of dollars to publish, it reduces the likelihood you’ll make a profit on book sales. Every author should go in with eyes wide open and spend only what they can truly afford.

By the end of this class, you'll be able to assess if you are well-suited to self-publishing your work, either as a complete independent (by setting up your own publishing company) or with the help of a service—or if you would benefit from what a hybrid publisher offers. There will be time for Q&A at the end.

Jane Friedman has spent her entire career in the book publishing industry, with a focus on author education and trend reporting. She is the editor of The Bottom Line, the essential publishing industry newsletter for authors, and was named Publishing Commentator of the Year by Digital Book World in 2023. Her latest book is The Business of Being a Writer, Second Edition (University of Chicago Press), which received a starred review from Library Journal. In addition to serving on grant panels for the National Endowment for the Arts and the Creative Work Fund, she works with organizations such as The Authors Guild to bring transparency to the business of publishing. Learn more at JaneFriedman.com.

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“The Inside Scoop on How Authors Get Book Deals” 

with Amy Collins, literary agent

1:00 – 2:30 p.m. EDT / noon – 1:30 p.m. CDT / 11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. MDT /

10:00 – 11:30 a.m. PDT

In this ninety-minute class, Amy Collins pulls back the veil on how authors and books move from manuscript to bookshelf. This class explains the real-world decision-making process behind book deals, including what agents, editors, publishers, sales teams, and marketing departments are looking for . . . and why a strong book is only one piece of the equation. We will walk through the path a book takes from query or pitch to acquisition meeting, contract offer, editorial development, sales positioning, and publication strategy. You will learn what makes a project attractive to agents and publishers, what can quietly stop a deal from happening, and how authors can better prepare themselves and their books for professional opportunities. A Q&A follows.

With over thirty years in publishing, Amy Collins is an agent at Talcott Notch Literary Services, representing authors across the fantasy, romance, horror, thriller, pop-culture, cookbook and lifestyle genres. Formerly a book buyer, publisher, and sales director, Amy pairs deep market insights with dedication to her clients. A USA Today bestselling author herself, her works include It’s the Little Things (Simon & Schuster). She’s often featured in classes and articles by Writer’s Digest and speaks globally at conferences.  To give back to the writing community, Amy manages AgentsHelpingAuthors.com, supporting writers with scholarships. She can be found at amysadvice.com and on social media @bookcrone.

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Two Sessions for Writing for TV, Screen & Stage

“Finding Producers from Your Own Laptop”

with Katie Williams (Screenwriting ’22)

3:00 – 3:45 p.m. EDT / 2:00 – 2:45 p.m. CDT /1:00 – 1:45 p.m. MDT /

noon – 12:45 p.m. PDT 

You don't need an agent or a Hollywood address to begin building meaningful industry relationships. In this session, you'll learn the practical research strategies and “wormholes” that working writers use to identify producers who are actively making films in their genre, uncover who they’re connected to, and find legitimate paths to getting your work in front of decision-makers. We’ll discuss how to research production companies, follow credits, leverage industry databases, and build a targeted outreach list that dramatically improves your chances of getting a “yes.” These are the same methods I used to connect with producers and ultimately get my own feature film, The Christmas Writer, made. Whether you’re just starting out or ready to pitch your next script, you’ll leave with actionable tools you can use from your own laptop. Q&A.

Katie Williams is a Louisville, Kentucky–based screenwriter who, when she isn’t writing new scripts, serves as an elementary school principal and a devoted soccer mom, often found cheering on her two teenage sons from the sidelines. Her work is rooted in stories about queer women and the emotional risks we take for love. She is especially passionate about lesbian Christmas romances—stories that center joy, longing, and the possibility of connection during a season defined by hope. More recently, she has expanded into the thriller genre, bringing that same emotional intensity into darker, high-stakes narratives that explore power, secrecy, and moral courage. Katie holds an MFA in Writing from Spalding University. She is an adjunct professor of screenwriting at the University of Louisville and has served as a guest lecturer at the Carnegie Center for Literacy and Learning in Lexington, where she shares her passion for storytelling with emerging writers.

“The Rights Stuff: Strategies for Acquiring Rights to Books for Adaptation” 

with John Maclay (Playwriting ’22)

4:00 – 4:45 p.m. EDT / 3:00 – 3:45 p.m. CDT /2:00 – 2:45 p.m. MDT /

1:45 – 1:45 p.m. PDT 

Every successful adaptation of a work protected by copyright begins long before the first draft. It begins with . . . permission. Internationally produced playwright and theatrical adaptor John Maclay (Goosebumps The Musical, Arthur & Friends Make a Musical, Nate the Great, Nancy Drew and Her Biggest Case Ever, Geronimo Stilton) demystifies the process of acquiring literary rights for stage adaptations. Drawing on his adaptation experience, this session aspires to offer practical advice on identifying rights holders, approaching authors and agents, negotiating option agreements, and avoiding common legal and professional pitfalls. Whatever you are hoping to adapt, this session provides strategies and tools to move from inspiration to authorization. Participants will leave with roadmaps for turning a favorite book into a stage or screen production—legally, ethically, and (fingers crossed) successfully. Q&A.

John Maclay is a playwright, adaptor, and lyricist whose plays and musicals (twenty pieces to date) have been seen at theaters across North America, including Pasadena Playhouse, South Coast Repertory, Walnut Street Theatre, and over 150 more, with international productions slated for next season in England and China. In addition to these works currently being produced, John has three new pieces currently in development: BatCat the Musical, The Ballad of King Penguin, and a screenplay for an animated feature entering production this Fall, titled Bounty Hunt.

Save the date for the next Business of Writing Seminars: Saturday, March 6, 2027!