Your First Draft is Done ... Now What? from Pipeline Artists - Symposium on Vimeo.

Congratulations! The first draft of your manuscript is finally done. A sense of self-satisfaction along with a well-deserved day of cloud floating should be the only thing on your to-do list as you proudly stare at that completed work for the unique piece of art it is.

But … when you start to feel a gentle tug, that's the next item on your list pulling your feet back to the ground asking, "What are you going to do with it?"

Editor and literary agent Latoya Smith might be the next step along your way to publication, and lucky for us, this editor/agent super-combo is here to share her wealth of knowledge and plant helpful guideposts for authors who are ready to get their manuscript out into the world, rather than let it sit on their desktop. Art is meant to be shared, after all!

In this course, Latoya will cover:

• Types of editors: which one will you need?
• Polishing the first draft
• Common first-time author mistakes
• Self-publishing vs. traditional publishing: which path is right for you?
• The importance of building a strong network
• Publishing is a business—important things to keep in mind

[Recorded Wednesday, June 8, 2022]

Latoya C. Smith started her editorial career as an administrative assistant to New York Times bestselling author Teri Woods at Teri Woods Publishing while pursuing her Bachelor’s Degree at Temple University. She graduated Cum Laude from Temple in August of 2005. She then attained a full-time position at Kensington Publishing in March of 2006. In October 2006, Latoya joined Grand Central Publishing, an imprint at Hachette Book Group. For the span of her eight years there, Latoya acquired a variety of titles from Hardcover fiction and non-fiction, to digital romance and erotica. She was featured in Publishers Weekly, Forbes and USA Today, as well as on various author, book conference, and book blogger websites. In early 2014, she appeared on CSpan2 where she contributed to a panel discussing the state of book publishing. From August 2014 to February 2016, Latoya was Executive Editor at Samhain Publishing where she acquired short and long-form romance and erotic fiction. She is the winner of the 2012 RWA Golden Apple for Editor of the Year, 2017 Golden Apple for Agent of the Year, and the 2017 and 2021 Literary Jewels Award for Editor of the Year.  Latoya provides editorial services through her company, LCS Literary Services. She is an agent with ArtHouse Literary Agency, where she is also Co-Founder.

Facebook | Twitter | IG | Editorial Site | YouTube | ArtHouse Literary Agency