​How to Craft a Winning Proposal & Query Letter with Carey Salerno

​Don't wait until you're saying, "I needed that?!" Be prepared before you enter the publishing landscape. Learn what goes into effective query letters and literary proposals, and understand what publishers are truly looking for. In this workshop we will demystify the process and illuminate how poets can present a manuscript to editors and publishers with clarity and confidence.

​We’ll break down the essentials of query letters, book descriptions, and other proposal elements, highlighting what resonates across several publishing contexts. Dedicated generative writing time will guide writers in drafting and refining their own materials with support from the group. You’ll leave with polished, purposeful submission pieces that honor your voice while meeting industry expectations.

​About the Instructor

​Carey Salerno is the author of three books of poetry: Shelter, Tributary, and most recently, The Hungriest Stars. Her poems have been published in journals and magazines broadly and have recently appeared in Poetry, The Georgia Review, American Poetry Review, and The Harvard Review. She is the recipient of a 2025 Pushcart Prize and a 2025 Individual Artist Fellowship from the New Jersey State Arts Council. Salerno serves as the executive director and publisher of Alice James Books.

​She also serves as a lecturer in poetry and in publishing arts for the University of Maine and is a frequent guest at residencies, and MFA and nontraditional writing programs across the country. Her essays and articles about her work as a publisher can be found in places like American Poetry Review, NPR, The New York Times, and other outlets. In 2021, she received the Golden Colophon Award for Independent Paradigm Publishing from CLMP, the Community of Literary Magazines and Presses, for her leadership and contributions at Alice James Books. In her 18-year tenure at the press, Salerno has selected and edited over one hundred books of poetry.