All Panhandle Creek Press Writer-in-Residence Series events are free and open to the public. Join us for a fun and informative reading and workshop with special guest Nicole Diamond Austin.
How to Get a Literary Agent
Friday, September 4th, 4:30-6pm at Red Feather Library, 71 Firehouse Lane
When you’re looking for a literary agent, you need to put your best foot forward, pinpoint your best prospects, and know the process for getting a deal inked. For better or for worse, literary agents are the gatekeepers of the traditional publishing world, and finding a good one can make all the difference in your career as an author. The good news is that there are scores of agents out there, and landing one is nowhere near as hard as it seems – even if you have no publishing connections. In this workshop, you’ll learn how to find the perfect agent, how to know when your book is ready
to send out, and how to write a professional query letter. We’ll also discuss the do’s and don’ts for dealing with agents, and what you can realistically expect when you sell a book.
In this workshop, you will learn:
- What you need to know before approaching an agent
- How to send an initial query
- How to determine the right people to approach
- What to do (and not do) once an agent shows interest
- What questions to ask before choosing representation
- What you can expect from the process every step of the way
Nicole Diamond Austin is a lifelong lover of books and storytelling. After graduating from Yale, she spent six years working in the publishing industry before shifting careers, receiving an MBA from UCLA Anderson. Nicole worked in entertainment marketing for over a decade before leaving the corporate world to pursue writing in earnest. In her fiction, she is passionate about examining untold or misunderstood voices from the past. Her first novel is a work of historical fiction called The Gospel of Caiaphas, and tells the story of Jewish high priest Joseph Caiaphas, the man history holds responsible for the trial and execution of Jesus of Nazareth, pulling back the curtain on the motivations, loyalties, and passions that drove this complicated and controversial historical figure. Her in-progress memoir, Desirous of Everything, explores her own search for health and wholeness along three separate trajectories of her life: her precocious adolescence, her spiritual awakening, and her ongoing battle with invisible illness. In December 2024, Nicole was selected as part of the Emerging Voices Workshop LA Cohort for Nonfiction, and in January 2025, The Gospel of Caiaphas advanced to the Quarterfinalist round of the ScreenCraft Cinematic Prose Competition. Author Website: https://www.nicolediamondaustin.com/
Save the Date: Friday, September 11th
Looking ahead: Mark your calendar for our next Panhandle Creek Press Writer-in-Residence workshop.
Novelist Karina Berenson, On Venturing into the Wild
Friday, September 11th, 4:30-6pm at Red Feather Library, 71 Firehouse Lane
Explore and reimagine the adventure narrative from a perspective that challenges the Eurocentric and patriarchal concept of “human versus nature.” In this workshop, we will examine classic adventure stories that uphold traditional ideals of conquest and exploration, contrasting them with modern narratives where themes of migration, metamorphosis, and transformation emerge. More details soon!