With a new year comes the perfect opportunity to make progress on your writing goals. Whether you’re gearing up to query a manuscript or looking for support as you sit down to write a first draft, there are a wide variety of writing courses out there that can make 2026 your best writing year yet. From author-led courses to literary agent expertise, connect with the people in publishing who have been there and can show you the way.

Even Better Co. Pitch Pro Course

Created by Camille Pagán, a bestselling author with a background in journalism and a master certified coach, this 6-week interactive course equips you with all the tools you need to pitch your manuscript. You’ll learn how to craft the perfect elevator pitch and query letter, find meaningful comp titles, work on building your online presence, and even create a multi-year plan for your writing career. If you’ve been wanting to become a career author but need some assistance in bridging that gap, Camille Pagan has helped 1000s of authors and can help you too.

The next session of the course begins February 2026, so be sure to check it out today. If you’re finding this after 2026, the course is held multiple times throughout the year!

Deep Dive Virtual Retreat: Building a Bridge Between You and Publishing’s Gatekeepers

The Shit No One Tells You About Writing, a well-known podcast that provides an insider look into publishing, offers this virtual retreat to aspiring and published authors alike in order to provide a closer look at how to find the right place for your manuscript in the publishing world. Those who attend this course will attend a variety of virtual panels from 13 speakers, most of whom are literary agents or authors (or both). These panels discuss a wide variety of topics, such as the basics of querying, how to market genre-bending fiction, navigating submission of manuscripts to publishers, and staying on top of market trends.

The 2026 retreat takes place on January 31 and February 1, 2026 from 10am-5pm ET.

New Year, New Query with Eric Smith

Literary agent Eric Smith regularly offers courses that help writers gain an insider understanding of the querying process (and other must-know aspects of publishing). As both an author and an agent, he’s been on both sides of the process. The course will be broken up into three sessions:

  • Query letter basics
  • Opening pages
  • Ask Me Anything

The first session starts on January 12th, so sign up quickly! And always keep an eye on Eric’s Instagram because he typically hosts a number of webinars throughout the year.

The Novelry

The Novelry is the only novel writing course with direct ties to literary agents from well-known literary agencies. Multiple different courses are available to support authors in all stages of their writing journey with the option for invite-only submission to the organization’s network of literary agents. You can choose from the Novel Kickstarter course, which focuses on crafting a story idea and writing a first draft, the Novel Development course, which helps you polish your manuscript, and the Finished Novel Course, which includes an in-depth evaluation of your novel by an in-house editor in preparation for querying agents.

Another aspect that sets this program apart is the fact that all of the editors have experience working at a Big Five publisher and bring a wealth of expertise to each manuscript.

Each course is priced and paced differently, but all are flexible to fit busy lifestyles. Enrollling in any of the courses also opens up access to a supportive community of writers who can cheer you on in your writing journey.

AI For Publishing Bootcamp

Keith Riegert, president of the Stable Book Group, and Publishers Weekly are partnering to run this bootcamp aimed at publishing professionals of all levels who want to leverage AI in their workflows. The bootcamp will include courses on how to implement AI into workflows across publishing to boost efficiency, with an emphasis on automating data collection and marketing optimization. This course does not teach AI writing and content replacement.

Attendees will tune in for monthly 60-90 minute sessions starting February 11th.

Granta Workshops

Granta, a British literary magazine and indie publisher whose titles are distributed and promoted by Penguin, is currently offering graduate-level courses intended for intermediate and advanced writers. The programs offered are long-form journalism, novel writing, short fiction, memoir writing, and nature writing. Each program is asynchronous except for video calls with a designated tutor and workshop sessions. Students are supported by their tutors and workshop moderators. Upon graduation, students gain access to the Granta alumni community, which provides a rigorous and encouraging environment for all.

Each program has a different duration, tuition, and application deadline, so be sure to check their website for details.

Gotham Writers Workshop

Established in 1993, Gotham Writers Workshop was founded to make creative writing workshops and advice from industry experts more accessible. They offer a wide variety of workshops for all skill levels and genres of interest, such as fiction, nonfiction, poetry, screenwriting, songwriting, and video game writing.

If you’re looking to get advice on publishing your manuscript, Gotham Writers Workshop has classes tailored to this need led by those who knows the industry best.

Classes are taught in person in NYC, as well as on Zoom and asynchronously online. New classes start almost every week, making it easy to jump into whatever classes you find most interesting.

Rates vary depending on the length and modality of the class, so check their website for details.