Book Revision Lab I & II
Book Revision Lab I & II are a sequence of half-year programs for creative writers ready to revise their completed memoir or novels. With a focus on community, our revision programs provide feedback, support, accountability, and guidance so that writers can explore and realize the artistic and commercial potential of their books.
Participants must be committed to the long-term process of writing and revising a memoir or novel and be able to lend support and encouragement to peers. We are looking for passionate writers who are eager to learn and are open to a collaborative experience.
Ready to apply? Please complete our application.
If you have any questions, please contact us at bookinc@projectwritenow.org.
Book Revision Lab I
During our first revision program, Book Revision Lab I, writers explore various practical and powerful revision techniques to improve their memoirs or novels, with our primary focus on increasing the overall effectiveness of the story. Writers exchange feedback on their completed manuscripts, build revision plans based on the feedback, and execute their plans to complete a meaningful revision, with an eye toward publication.
How Our Book Revision Lab Works
Throughout the six months, we meet twice a month for two hours on Zoom every other Thursday (7 to 9 p.m. ET). We also interact daily on Slack as we share our revision journey through the following phases:
- Reading Round & Revision Planning (12 weeks) – First, we learn the most effective ways to give and receive feedback, and then we break into groups of three to share our book manuscripts with a round of readers. Each participant provides feedback on two manuscripts and receives feedback from two readers. After receiving feedback, we organize the feedback into a revision plan.
- Revising Your Manuscript (12 weeks) – Over the next three months, we execute our revision plan, sharing our experience, challenges, and insights along the way. Our bi-monthly sessions include deep dives into both structural and sentence-level revision techniques, providing an array of tools to bring out the best in your manuscript.
Are You a Good Fit for Our Book Revision Lab I?
To participate in the Book Revision Lab I, you should:
- Have a completed memoir or novel draft of 50,000 words or more that you feel comfortable handing off to fellow writers for supportive feedback;
- Have experience in writing workshops at Project Write Now, book inc, or elsewhere;
- Be open and interested in learning about the process of revising a book-length memoir or novel along with boosting a consistent writing practice;
- Be eager and available to support your fellow writers to tackle a long-term book project through the exchange of encouragement and positive feedback;
- Be able and willing to read (2) manuscripts, each within a two week period. The maximum number of pages you will be required to read is 80,000 for each manuscript.
- Be able to commit 7-10 hours a week to the revision process over the course of the second half of the program.
Program Details
Cost: $750
Tuition can be paid in full or in two increments according to our payment schedule. Your registration will not be considered complete until your payment, payment plan, or scholarship seat has been confirmed.
Note: Proceeds help support PWN’s community outreach programs. Partial and full scholarship seats are available. Email bookinc@projectwritenow.org for more information.
Schedule
The program meets from 7 to 9 p.m. ET every other Thursday, from January to June 2024.
January 25
February 8, 22
March 7, 21
April 11, 25
May 9, 23
June 6, 20
Application Process
Applications are required for all program participants. Acceptance is based on your commitment and your ability to work together in a community. Complete our application here.
Q&A with Greg Phelan, book inc director
book inc director and Book Revision Lab developer, Greg Phelan answers the who, what, and why questions about the Book Revision Lab. Read our Q&A with Book Revision Lab Developer Greg Phelan.
Book Revision Lab II
During our second revision program, Book Revision Lab II (BRL II), which runs over a five-month period, we build on the foundation of Book Revision Lab I, shifting our focus from the overall arc of the story to page level revisions. During the course of the program, we exchange short excerpts of our manuscript and give each other detailed feedback to help us hone and polish the prose with an eye toward submission.
BRL I is a prerequisite for BRL II. However, writers who have not completed BRL I with commensurate book workshopping experience may be admitted on a case-by-case basis. Please email us at bookinc@projectwritenow.org if you would like to be considered for BRL II but did not participate in BRL I.
How Our Book Revision Lab II Works
During this 10-session program, writers will energize each other and keep each other accountable as we revise/polish the first 50 pages of our book (or another significant goal of the writer’s choosing). We will share and discuss our revised pages and provide feedback to our writers. Our goal is to give each writer the opportunity to get the feedback we need wherever we are in our process.
Program Details
Cost: $600
Tuition can be paid in full or in two increments according to our payment schedule. Your registration will not be considered complete until your payment, payment plan, or scholarship seat has been confirmed.
Note: Proceeds help support PWN’s community outreach programs. Partial and full scholarship seats are available. Email bookinc@projectwritenow.org for more information.
Schedule
The dates for our 2024 Book Revision Lab II program will be announced soon.
Application Process
There is no application necessary for writers who have completed our BRL I program. If you’d like to join BRL II and haven’t taken BRL I, please email bookinc@projectwritenow.org and we’ll talk to you about the next steps.