We realized that 95% of the pitches that received a yes ALREADY came from within the CTC community under The Writing Barn umbrella. By limiting pitches and 1:1s to those in the CTC community, no one has to wait and worry if their pitch was or wasn’t chosen to be read aloud. 

If you’d like your pitch included in the next Industry Engagement Weekend, then consider joining the Courage to Create community. You’ll also get access to Pitch and Query Clinics, exclusive Ask an Agent or Ask an Editor sessions with submission opportunities, and more.

Replays go out via email within one week of the event, and often sooner.

If it’s been a week since the event, check your spam folder, as replays sometimes wind up there by mistake (add info@thewritingbarn.com to your safe list to prevent this). 

If it’s not in your spam folder, then it could be because you unsubscribed from our emails and our email system was not able to message you. Email info@thewritingbarn.com to resubscribe to our emails and get the replay.

Yes, faculty members will open to attendees for two months following the event. Instructions will be included in the replay email and these submissions opportunities will be open for two months from the day of the event.

The editors and agents attending Industry Engagement Weekend are interested in representing or acquiring books for children and teens ranging from picture books to middle grade and young adult novels and long-form nonfiction.

To learn more about faculty, we encourage you to check out Manuscript Wish List.

Once you register for a pitch panel, you’ll receive an email link to a form where you can submit your pitch by the deadline. For the February Industry Engagement Day, you’ll receive a form and instructions in early January. All pitches are due by Tuesday, January 27, 2026 at noon CT. 

Check your email inbox for a confirmation from noreply@jotform.com. If you can’t find the confirmation email, you can resubmit it using the link you received via email. Faculty will only receive the most recent version of your pitch.

Great! As long as it’s before the deadline, you can resubmit your pitch using the link you received in your registration email. Faculty will only receive the most recent version of your pitch.

Not all writers can attend live or want to present their pitch, so Writing Barn team members read all pitches aloud. Don’t worry, they’re experienced presenters who will make your pitch shine. In several cases, their delivery has convinced faculty to request a project they’d originally declined! 

Writers are encouraged to attend live so they can participate in the chat and support fellow writers, but it’s not required. Everyone who registers will get the replays for all panels and will have the opportunity to submit to faculty. 

As far as we know, this has never happened in one of our events or classes and it would violate our code of conduct. We encourage attendees to share “aha” moments on social media, but NOT to screenshot pitches or share them with anyone. If you’re still concerned about this and are pitching something like a picture book biography, you could describe the subject and what makes them book-worthy without mentioning their full name.

For the February Industry Engagement Day, all pitches are due by Tuesday, January 27, 2026 at noon CT. We email reminders about this deadline. If you miss it, we unfortunately can’t guarantee that it’ll get shared with faculty.

Congrats! If a faculty member requests to see your manuscript based on the pitch, you should receive an email with submission instructions in the week following the event. In some cases, agents or editors create a separate submission process for manuscripts they specifically request. In others, they provide the same submission instructions for all attendees, and we encourage you to mention in the first sentence if they requested the project during Industry Engagement Weekend.

All our Industry Engagement Weekend pitch panels include a mix of editor and agent faculty, so sometimes agented authors get a yes from an agent on faculty. If you’re happy with your current agent, you can just pat yourself on the back for writing a great pitch and disregard that request.

For your first nudge AFTER AN ASK, wait 3 to 4 months. For the second nudge, shoot for between months 5 and 6. That’s ALL. And remember: Always update with any movement or news in your nudge (for instance, if you won an award), and always “reply all” to the original email thread you submitted through to provide context.

Replays go out via email within one week of the event, and often sooner. 

If it’s been more than a week since the event, check your spam folder, as replays sometimes wind up there by mistake (add info@thewritingbarn.com to your contacts to prevent this).

The editor or agent will review your manuscript in advance, taking notes about tone, pacing, character development, market suitability, or other aspects of the project. They will share feedback about elements that stand out or may need to be refined, as well as suggestions for revision or ways to position the project in the current market. 

This also is your time to ask clarifying questions about their feedback, get insights on their editing style or preferences, or learn about the publishing industry more generally. Those 20 minutes can go by quickly, but it can’t hurt to have a question or two prepared in case there’s extra time.

Out of respect for faculty members’ professional commitments, we cannot guarantee that your 1:1 appointment will be rescheduled if you miss your assigned appointment. We also cannot pass on additional questions after your 1:1. 

If you receive tough feedback, remember that this is one person’s opinion and big feelings are a sign that we care. While faculty aim to be helpful and constructive, virtually every published author has received feedback they didn’t like. Take some time to process feedback before deciding how to proceed. Sometimes the suggestions that we initially dismiss can wind up transforming a project!

Check your registration email. If you can’t find it, please email info@thewritingbarn.com and ask which faculty member(s) you’re meeting with.

Yes, you need to submit the form for each faculty member with the document you’d like shared with each one. 

For the October Industry Engagement Day, all manuscripts are due by Tuesday, January 27, 2026 at noon CT. We email reminders about this deadline. If you miss it, we unfortunately can’t guarantee that your work will get shared with faculty.

Check your email inbox for a confirmation from noreply@jotform.com. If you can’t find the confirmation email, you can resubmit using the link you received upon registration. Faculty will only receive the most recent version of your manuscript.

Instructions and schedules for 1:1 go out the week of the event. This will include a Zoom or Google Meet link (note that this NOT the same link as the conference panels).