Eastern PA Webinar: Querying From Both Sides of the Trenches
Feb 12, 2026
Online event
SUBMISSION SHINE 2026 PARTICIPANTS ARE AUTOMATICALLY REGISTERED FOR THIS EVENT!! Webinar Description: Literary agent Monica Rodriguez started her publishing career as a querying writer, this webinar examines lessons learned from both sides of the query aisle as an agent and an author. From one side, this class will help you get your manuscript ready to query, and how to track your submissions as you head into the query trenches. From the other side of the aisle, you'll get insights from an agent on how the querying process looks for them and what agents are looking for when they're reading your submission. There will be a Q&A afterwards. A limited number of Illustration Portfolio, PB, CB, MG, YA, & GN CRITIQUES available at an additional cost.
Quick Facts
HOST REGION: Eastern Pennsylvania
CONTACT: Kristen Strocchia [email protected]
COST:
- Premium Members: $15 USD
- Preview Plan: $25 USD
CRITIQUES: available at an additional cost; scroll down for more information
RECORDING
The webinar will be recorded, and the recording will be available for one month following the event. Attendees will receive a link and a password by email about two days after the event.
REGISTRATION CONFIRMATIONS
Upon completion of payment, you will receive a payment confirmation by email. You will also find a registration confirmation on the website that will include event-specific details. Go to your Member Home and click on My Events under the black bar at the top of the page. All events you have registered will be displayed on this page. If there are additional meeting details (i.e. Zoom links for virtual events or materials required for the event), this information will be found under the green Meeting Info button.
REFUND POLICY
Registration fees for webinars and virtual events are nonrefundable because recordings are available for 30 days following the broadcast. For more information on our refund policy, click here. By registering for this event, you agree that you have read and understand the refund policy for this event.
Meet the Faculty
About Monica
Monica Rodriguez is a literary agent and the Director of Brand Management at Context Literary Agency. Her mission as an agent is to help uplift underrepresented voices in publishing, specifically within the Latinx community. She’s mentored authors at The Writing Barn and is a faculty member at The Manuscript Academy. In children’s literature, she is actively looking for MG, YA & Graphic Novels. She also represents illustrators and comic artists. In adult fiction, she’s looking for contemporary romance, speculative, sci-fi, and book club fiction. Monica is also a first-gen, Mexican-American author. Her love for books can be traced back to elementary school, where the best days were spent attending book fairs and author readings. She enjoys writing about self-love and identity, family dynamics, and red flags in attempted relationships. Her writing online covers similar themes in movies & tv shows and her words have been published in HipLatina and LatinaMediaCo. She runs a self-love journey podcast called Find A Lovely Life.
Illustration Portfolio, PB, CB, MG, YA, & GN Critiques Available: (at an additional cost)
ADDITIONAL COST
- Premium Members: $60 USD
- Preview Plan: $65 USD
WHAT TO SEND
Read each faculty member's critique preferences above and be sure to select a critique with the faculty who is critiquing the correct category for your work.
- For Illustrators: Please send six portfolio-ready illustrations OR 1 dummy .jpg, .png or PDF file (5 MB max).
- For Illustrated Graphic Novel Sample Pages: send up to 10 illustrated pages of your manuscript and a one-page, single-spaced synopsis (in the same document) .jpg, .png or PDF file (5 MB max).
- For Picture Book (PB) Authors/Translators: Please send entire manuscript and a 1- to 2-sentence pitch (in the same document). Translator submissions should include a brief note about the source work (also in the same document).
- For Chapter Book, Middle Grade, Young Adult, & Graphic Novel Text only (MG/YA/GN text only) Authors/Translators: Please send up to 10 pages of your manuscript and a one-page, single-spaced synopsis (in the same document). Translator submissions should include a brief note about the source work (also in the same document).
HOW TO FORMAT YOUR SUBMISSION
⇒For all submissions, format your work in 12-point font, with one-inch margins, and double spacing (US Letter paper size). Include your synopsis in the same document (please don’t send two documents).
⇒Please include your name on every page of your work as a header or a footer, as well as identifying information on page one: first & last name, email address, title, genre.
⇒Please SAVE YOUR FILE as Critique Faculty Last Name_Your Last Name_TITLE OF MANUSCRIPT/PORTFOLIO as a PDF or DOC or DOCx.
Portfolio Example: Rodriguez_Strocchia_PORTFOLIO
Manuscript/Dummy Example: Rodriguez_Strocchia_PURPLE CARROTS
⇒Then send your file to Kristen at [email protected]. The subject should read: Webinar Faculty Last Name_Your Last Name_TITLE OF MANUSCRIPT (same as saved file name).
Submission deadline: Saturday, February 21, 2026.
We anticipate critiques to be returned on or about Saturday, March 28, 2026.