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Surveillance: What is It, How to Write It

April 15, 2026
You’re writing a mystery or maybe a thriller, and your protagonist needs to surveil a suspected villain to confirm if they really are as bad as alleged. Or, perhaps your character is the one being hunted, his or her every move watched, tracked, and listened to. This is surveillance. If you want to learn about the reality of surveillance so you can write more compelling fiction, tune in to this event to hear from Adam Sikes, a former CIA Officer and expert in physical and technical surveillance.

Book Pipeline

Book Pipeline connects writers to publishers, agents, and the film industry through competitions and workshops, providing hands-on support to bridge the gap between emerging authors and the industry since 2014.

Script Pipeline

Script Pipeline connects writers with producers, agents, and managers, facilitating over $8 million in sales through competitions and ongoing industry support, helping launch major films and secure high-profile representation since 1999.

Film Pipeline

Film Pipeline connects filmmakers and writers with agencies and executives, focusing on diverse storytelling and playing an active role in developing and promoting projects, reviewing thousands of submissions annually since its launch in 2018.

Beyond the Query: The First 50 Pages

Recorded

July 23, 2025

Duration

2 Hours

Cost

$35

Subject

Publishing

Topics

Business, Craft

Chantelle Aimée Osman, senior editor at Simon & Schuster's newest imprint, Simon Maverick, joins us for a new Symposium event.

Query letters and synopses are important steps in your publishing journey, but what really lands an agent, editor, or in the end, a reader, are the first 50 pages of your manuscript.

This workshop will not only give you the tools you need to perfect your query and synopsis, but will also discuss common pitfalls in the first 50 pages, and what to do to make them shine.

[Enjoy Chantelle as a guest on "The Story Will Save You" podcast.]

What attendees have said ...

Being Chantelle is part acquisitions editor, it was refreshing to hear that she exercises flexibility rather than following hard and fast rules. I also appreciated her empathy and ability to simultaneously see things from multiple perspectives; she clearly knows the industry, the angst of writers and reader expectations. I was stunned to learn that the Simon Maverick imprint accepts unagented submissions—all I can say is, BRAVO!

Chantelle was a fun and knowledgable presenter. I found her query letter guidance and 50 page polish tips helpful and different from other advice I've received.

I love Chantelle's conversational approach and level of detail in approaching the first 50 pages.  She also added the query process and two handouts, which are extremely helpful.  She also discussed some social media platforms that are useful for promoting books. Developing characters and crafting a thesis statement were also added benefits.

She was knowledgable, very engaging, and encouraging while still being realistic.

Host

Chantelle Aimée Osman
Chantelle Aimée Osman (she/her) is senior editor at Simon & Schuster's newest imprint, Simon Maverick. Prior to joining Simon & Schuster, Chantelle Aimée Osman was an acquiring editor at Amazon Publishing, where she worked with bestselling authors such as Robert Dugoni, Mark Sullivan, Suzanne Redfearn, Megan Chance, Victoria Helen Stone, and Simon Tolkien. Previously, she […]

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Upcoming Events

Surveillance: What is It, How to Write It

April 15, 2026
You’re writing a mystery or maybe a thriller, and your protagonist needs to surveil a suspected villain to confirm if they really are as bad as alleged. Or, perhaps your character is the one being hunted, his or her every move watched, tracked, and listened to. This is surveillance. If you want to learn about the reality of surveillance so you can write more compelling fiction, tune in to this event to hear from Adam Sikes, a former CIA Officer and expert in physical and technical surveillance.

Deconstructing Books for Craft and Marketability: Read Like a Writer

April 22, 2026
Learn how to turn every book you read into a craft lesson. We’ll analyze openings, character construction, themes, and endings to uncover the mechanics beneath the magic. Instead of guessing what works, you’ll learn directly from stories that have already earned their place on the shelf: how authors hook readers, build momentum, and deliver satisfying endings that helped them secure publication in the first place.

Building a Powerful Query Letter

April 29, 2026
In this practical session, author Angela Douglas will show you how to take the key elements of a strong pitch: your logline, comparable titles and bio and turn them into a clear, engaging query letter that stands out in a crowded inbox.

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10 Questions to Figure Out What Your Memoir is REALLY About

March 11, 2026
Memoir is a deeply challenging genre for any writer seeking to parlay real-life events into a story that connects with total strangers. One big challenge at the outset is figuring out the “container” for your book: Where to begin, where to end, what to include, what to exclude, and how to tell a compelling story about your transformational journey.

Symposium, presented by Pipeline Artists, is a year-round virtual conference empowering creatives with honest, no-nonsense guidance across the arts. Through seminars, industry panels, and Town Hall discussions on screenwriting, filmmaking, publishing, and career-building, Symposium offers grounded advice from working professionals to help you forge your own unique path.

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