Chapbook/pamphlet group
Make your best manuscript for publication
If you've been writing a few years, and have about 25-40 pages of poems you're happy with, then you’re at a good stage for a chapbook/pamphlet.
A chapbook (US) or pamphlet (UK) is a short collection (about 20-30 pages) that poets often publish before they move on to a full-length book.
If you’ve learned how to polish and submit poems to magazines, and you’re starting to get acceptances, a chapbook or pamphlet is the next step in your poetic career.
However, creating a 30-page manuscript is a very different challenge than sending poems to magazines!
Instead of thinking about each poem by itself, you have to consider:
Which poems work best together?
How to put them into an order that shows them off at their best?
Whether to use sections, and what to call them?
How to choose a title that excites publishers and readers?
This group helps you do all that.
In this group you will learn how to turn a random bunch of poems into a manuscript that is well organized, artistically satisfying, and compellingly titled.
You will:
Get help working out which are your strongest poems
Learn how to read your poems in new ways with an eye to sequence, rather than redrafting
Learn and practice several sequencing tools that give you different options for how to create an order for your poems
See if you can make a "Spine" for your MS using titles
Explore what sections do and how they can work for you
Try out ways to use your title to add impact and coherence.
What People Have Said About This Group:
“I highly recommend this group to anyone wanting to put together a chapbook. It is a terrific learning opportunity. A chance to get to know your poems intimately as you view them from a different perspective, making pairs and sequences, learning what works and doesn’t work. Brian is a knowledgeable and attentive teacher with a knack for giving incisive feedback that is also generous and positive..”
— J. F., USA
“Practical, informative, encouraging. A giant push towards making chapbook a reality. Being a thrifty New Englander, I have to say you get your money’s worth and more. Fun as well as requiring time and energy.”
— T. K., US
“If you want to progress to a debut pamphlet/chapbook then this course is an absolute must. Brian is a brilliant tutor giving you the expertise and confidence to tackle every stage of your publishing journey.”
— S. B., UK
Group Details
The group will run for 12 weeks.
There will be five 2-hour Zoom meetings during that time, where we will do much of the work.
There will be three or four weeks between each Zoom meeting, to give you time to do the assignments, including reviewing your poems, trying out sequences and titles, and preparing your final manuscript.
So there will be plenty to do! You should allow about another 4-5 hours per week besides the Zoom Meeting times.
The group Zoom meetings will be on the following dates.
I will send you videos of each session afterward in case you missed something, but it's best to plan on being there for all of them.
Meeting 1: Monday October 6, 2025, 3-5pm US ET (8-10pm UK)
Meeting 2: Monday October 27, 2025, 3-5pm US ET (7-9pm UK)
Meeting 3: Monday November 17, 2025, 3-5pm US ET (8-10pm UK)
Meeting 4: Monday December 15, 2025, 3-5pm US ET (8-10pm UK)
Meeting 5: Monday January 12, 2025, 3-5pm US ET (8-10pm UK)
Sign Up For The Group
There are two pricing options:
Standard price: $405
Includes all you need for a great manuscript:
My comments on the quality of 10 pages of your poems, sent to me before the group starts
Comments from a feedback partner on the quality of 30-40 pages of your poems
All 10 hours of Zoom meetings, with coverage of selection, sequencing, titles, etc.
Verbal feedback from me on the first 10 pages of your final manuscript in the final Zoom meeting.
This is a savings of around $760 compared with 10 hours of my Mentoring service! So I think it's great value and will really help you if you want to make more and better submissions.
Enhanced price: $610
Get extra input from me on your manuscript:
My comments on the quality of all 30-40 pages of your poems, sent to me before the group starts.
Comments from a feedback partner on the quality of 30-40 pages of your poems
All 10 hours of Zoom meetings, with coverage of selection, sequencing, titles, etc.
Written feedback from me on your entire final manuscript, covering sequence, titles, poem choices.
To Apply
Please email me 4-5 of your poems, and also say a little about why you want to join. This is so I can make sure that the group will be right for you, and will be a good use of your time and effort.
Please note that I am limiting the group to 6 people, and I will deal with applications on a first-come, first-served basis. So don't wait too long!