The world of writing and getting published; the history of the business, the competition and the major and minor players in the industry; misconceptions about what it takes to become a published writer; pursuing a career as a writer.

Understanding where one's fiction book falls in the general categories of literature is an essential step to getting published; the various categories of fiction writing; defining commercial and literary fiction; the types of children's books.

The non-fiction world is broken into categories including memoir, education, creative or narrative non-fiction and practical or self-help; the genres of non-fiction writing; determining which publishing house aligns with one's non-fiction manuscript.

The modern publishing markets are far more complex than they were even a few decades ago; the different agents and publishers; the tools to help one find the right ones; spotting scams; what questions to ask when deciding whom to approach.

The pros and cons of using literary agents; how the responsibilities and obligations of literary agents have evolved; how to acquire one and what to expect from an agent; standard and non-standard practices one may face if one chooses that route.

It is important to create a memorable query letter; what elements comprise a good query letter; what components the publisher or agent requires; how to stand out from a sea of queries; which red flags almost always result in immediate rejection.