Starting in May, Tom Doherty Associates—the parent company of Tor, Forge, Tor Teen, Starscape, Nightfire, and Tordotcom Publishing—will present Tor EDU, a free virtual event series designed to familiarize people with the publishing industry in general and with the specifics of working in genre fiction.
Tor EDU will act as a virtual primer on what every facet of the industry entails. Every three months, a new panel of experts will discuss a different aspect of the business and answer audience questions with an eye towards making involvement in the literary ecosystem more accessible to all.
As a press release explains, “Tom Doherty Associates is committed to publishing and recruiting diversely, and feels strongly that part of that commitment should take the form of education. Debut authors and new employees—particularly those from underrepresented backgrounds—often come to the publishing process feeling unknowledgeable and at a loss for what to ask. Providing easily accessible information about the publishing process to our authors and our community is a priority for TDA as one of the premier publishers of genre fiction in America.”
From Lucille Rettino, Associate Publisher of Tom Doherty Associates:
TDA has made a commitment to publishing, promoting, and employing voices from a variety of backgrounds. It is our hope that in hosting this free, recurring virtual event series we will serve as a valuable resource for all interested in entering the publishing industry, particularly the genre space.
Here are the first three events! Organizers will solicit feedback and requests on future panel topics.
Genre Publishing 101
Thursday, May 6, 7 pm EST
There’s more to publishing than just sitting around and reading books all day; this is an overview of how the different departments in a publishing company work together to publish books, and what each job entails. If you know that you love books and want to work in the industry, but aren’t sure how to do that or where to start, this is the panel for you. Join this group of publishing professionals as they discuss their path towards breaking into the industry, explain some of their day-to-day work, and answer your questions about how to get started in the book industry.
How To Author 101
Thursday, August 19, 7 pm EST
For those looking to break into traditional publishing as authors. A primer on everything you should be keeping in mind and working on from the moment you finish your work-in-progress to the moment you get signed by an agent and sell your book!
How To Author 201
Thursday, December 9, 7 pm EDT
For those who have sold their first book and are looking to get more information on what their next steps are. What do the early stages of the publishing process look like, and how can you work best with your new team to have your book make as large a splash as possible? What questions should you be asking as you’re breaking into the world of traditional publishing? This panel will be a primer on everything you should be keeping in mind from the moment your first book is launched by a publishing house, and beyond.
Register for the first session here.
