CWC-Sacramento Meeting

Saturday, May 17th, from 1:00 pm to 3:30 pm at

The Unitarian Church, 2425 Sierra Blvd, Room 7/8 (Park in the Rear) Sacramento

Former Big Five editor Heather Lazare pulls back the curtain on what really happens when you book goes out on submission to a publisher. When your literary agent submits your proposal or manuscript, there are dozens of decisions made before an editor is allowed to make an offer—what are those and who’s involved? We’ll talk about all of this and more, and leave plenty of time for questions!

What you will learn from Heather

• What “comp titles” are and what role they play on the financial side of publishing.
• What to ask when you get a chance to meet with an editor.
• What does a publisher mean by “platform” and what role it plays in the acquisition process.
• Don’t quit your day job—even if you get a six-figure book deal.
• What is an advance and how does an author earn out their advance.

Heather Lazare is a developmental editor and publishing consultant who specializes in editing adult fiction. She worked at the Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency and both Random House and Simon & Schuster before starting her own business in 2013. She teaches courses on publishing for Stanford Continuing Studies and is the director and founder of the Northern California Writers’ Retreat. Visit her online at heatherlazare.com and norcalwritersretreat.com.

Plus: Micro-Workshop Query Work with Michael Larsen

We have to pay for this room, so we have to charge an admission fee of $15. You can pay on the day or get your ticket below.

Book online here

CWC-Sacramento Meeting

Saturday, April 19th, from 1:00 pm to 3:30 pm at

The Unitarian Church, 2425 Sierra Blvd, Room 7/8 (Park in the Rear) Sacramento

A short story versus the novel or novelette. What’s involved? How to get published in a magazine or journal. The SS as a major marketing tool.

What you will learn from Michael

• How to write a short story: the Art
• How short is short? The Craft.
• Genres: Does it matter?
• Who decides if it is ready for publication?
• Finding a publisher?
• Driving readers to your website.

Michael Barrington,  MA., M.Ed., Ph.D., is from England, has a Diploma in Marketing from Harvard, written twelve books, published two collections and more than 60 short stories in the US, UK and Europe. He has taught workshops on the craft of the Short Story, and Marketing. He is an assistant editor for The Brussels Review, and blogs on his website www.mbwriter.net. He is the VP of CWC Mt Diablo.

Plus: Micro-Workshop “Your Author Platform” by Christina Brabham and Query Work with Michael Larsen

Members who sign up by Friday, April 18, will receive a copy of Agent Michael Larsen’s Superpower 2. Based on this article, please come ready to share literary and publishing goals. These goals will determine how and whether a letter and a proposal are needed.

We have to pay for this room, so we have to charge an admission fee of $15. You can pay on the day or get your ticket below.

Book online here

CWC-Sacramento Meeting

Saturday, March 15th, from 12:00 pm to 2:30 pm at

The Spaghetti Factory, 1625 Watt Ave, Sacramento, CA 95864 Open to the Public!

Writing Coach and MFA faculty member, Sierra Nevada College

Imprudent, impulsive, poorly planned, wildly exciting—writing a short story is, as Lorrie Moore once pointed out, like having a brief intense love affair. Whereas a novel is a marriage. Marriages are fine and well, but if you’re writing and reading for fun, you might want to play the field a bit—fall in and out of love a few times, maybe get your heart broken without destroying your life. In this talk, we’ll focus on the craft (and process) considerations specific to this most exhilarating of literary forms.

A streetcar named desire?

What you will learn from Peter

• Short stories require play and improvisation. They resist planning.
• The ingredients and basic approach that ensures the play goes well.
• Short means move fast – the crucial role of information management.
• The key craft difference between shorter short stories, and longer short stories.
• How to get end a short story? The role of theme and a surprisingly early narrative climax.

Popular writing coach and instructor Peter Mountford is the author of the award-winning novels A Young Man’s Guide to Late Capitalism, and The Dismal Science. His work has appeared in the Paris Review, Ploughshares, The Atlantic, New York Times (Modern Love), The Sun, Granta, Guernica, and elsewhere. He teaches at UNR’s low-residency MFA at Lake Tahoe. His collection of stories Detonator, will be out in fall, 2025. Learn more: mountfordwriting.com

Tickets are available here

Tickets are $30 if you buy 3 days before the event. Menu selection must be chosen at time of purchase. The buffet includes salad, bread, ice cream, and coffee. Walk-ins and late purchases will be $35.

CWC-Sacramento Meeting

Saturday, February 15th, from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm at

Arden Dimick Library, 891 Watt Ave, Sacramento, CA 95821 Open to the Public!

Publisher, Pretty Road Companies, LLC

Ted Witt is the publisher behind Pretty Road Press, an independent publishing company in Folsom, California, where he specializes in content syndication and trade books. He is a previous vice president of CWC’s Sacramento Writers, where he emphasizes that marketing skills are as important for today’s authors as writing skills.

He is a former newspaper reporter from San Diego County and California’s Central Coast. He later transitioned to public relations and lobbying in the education arena in Sacramento before taking jobs as the executive director of the California Association of School Business Officials and then as the vice president of a private Bay Area firm specializing in software and consulting for schools.

He is the author of the business book, No One Ever Told Me That. His bylines top scores of newspaper, magazine, and website articles. Read some of his writing and publishing tips at one of his Pretty Road Press websites.

Join on Zoom

Meeting ID: 831 1220 0475

Passcode: 568644

CWC-Sacramento Meeting

Saturday, January 18th, from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm at

Arden Dimick Library, 891 Watt Ave, Sacramento, CA 95821 Open to the Public!

CHUCK SAMBUCHINO is an author, a freelance editor, and a former editor for Writer’s Digest Books. During his time with WD Books, he edited the GUIDE TO LITERARY AGENTS. He has presented to writers at conferences all over the country. His published books include the best-selling humor book, HOW TO SURVIVE A GARDEN GNOME ATTACK; the author promotion guide CREATE YOUR WRITER PLATFORM; the tear-off daily calendar ULTIMATE PICKLEBALL; and more. He is a proud father of a 12-year-old daughter (and her assistant girl scout troop leader).

In 2018, Chuck became executive director of Writing Day Workshops, which holds conferences all over the country (and online). On Friday, April 11, 2025, Chuck will return to Sacramento to host The 2025 Sacramento Writing Workshop — a full-day in-person “How to Get Published” writing event. This event is a unique opportunity to get intense instruction over the course of one day. On the conference website, you will find the agents and editors expected to be in attendance. Seating is limited to 125 total, resulting in a event truly personalized with so many experts in the house. We, the California Writers Club Sacramento, are proud to be the local partner of this event. See you there!

Join on Zoom

Meeting ID: 831 1220 0475

Passcode: 568644