August 2026
The Submission Mindset: Confidence, Clarity, and Positioning for Serious Writers
Would They Read Page Two?
Most writers know the opening pages matter. The problem is that they do not always know what those pages are supposed to be doing.
A manuscript can be well written and still lose the reader early. Sometimes there is too much happening at once. Sometimes the strongest hook is buried. Sometimes the writer is so focused on explaining the story that they have not given the reader a reason to care yet.
That does not mean the book is bad. It means the opening is not quite connecting.
On Saturday, August 22, I am teaching a live workshop about the first five pages of a novel or memoir and what makes a reader want to continue.
We are going to look at:
- What the reader needs to understand on the first page
- How to create interest without creating confusion
- Why action and momentum are not the same thing
- What makes a character worth following
- Where backstory and explanation start getting in the way
- How voice, tension and emotion affect the reader experience
- What each of the first five pages needs to accomplish
- How to tell whether the strongest part of the opening needs to be brought forward
Bring your first five pages with you. I will not be reading or critiquing them. You will use them privately as we work through the material together.
I will show you what I look for when I assess the beginning of a manuscript, the questions I ask and the common problems I see. You will be able to apply that information to your own pages as we go.
The goal is to help you understand not just what may need to change, but why.
This workshop is for writers who have completed or nearly completed a novel or memoir and are getting ready to query literary agents. It is also a good fit if you have rewritten your opening several times, received conflicting feedback or simply cannot tell whether it is strong enough yet.
Adult fiction, young adult fiction, middle-grade fiction and memoir are welcome.
Your registration includes the live workshop, a workbook, a first-five-pages checklist, time to work through your own pages, questions and discussion, and access to the recording for fourteen days.
Workshop Details
Saturday, August 22, 2026
2:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Mountain Time/ 4:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. EST
Live on Zoom
$299 CAD plus HST
Maximum eight writers
I have worked in publishing for eleven years as the owner of Pandamonium Publishing House. My work now focuses on manuscript analysis and book positioning for writers preparing to approach literary agents. I also have a background in consumer neuroscience, so much of my work looks at reader attention, emotional connection and why something is or is not landing.
Registration closes Wednesday, August 19, or when all eight spaces have been filled.
To register, email pandapublishing8@gmail.com with the subject line PAGE TWO WORKSHOP. Include your name, manuscript title, genre and whether your manuscript is completed or nearly completed.
Full payment is required to reserve your space.
