Philadelphia
Philadelphia Writing Discord
As a part of being a good neighbor in Philadelphia, we run a Discord for writers in the greater Philadelphia region.
With over 800+ members and monthly virtual events, conference ticket giveaways, and more, it’s a free resource for our neighbors to network and make connections.
Want an invite? Email Eric.
Philadelphia Bookstore Crawl
A yearly event that pulls in over four dozen bookstores throughout the area. We run this to give back to the bookshops that make this place feel like home.
The event has been regularly covered by outlets like Billy Penn, CBS3, Axios, KYW, and more. It’s our honor to help shine a light on our indie bookseller friends.
Annual Meetups
By partnering with local bookstores and event spaces in the city, we host monthly free get togethers that provide writers with chances to meet publishing professionals and ask them questions.
You can see the event listings below, but the best way to keep updated is to follow us on social media and subscribe to our monthly newsletter.
Want to host an event? Have an idea for one? Say hi.
Pitching Your Romance Novel with Rebecca Podos, Betty Corrello, and Rachel Meredith at Cupid’s Bookshop
Join us at Cupid’s Bookshop in Manayunk for a talk about pitching your romance novel!
Eric Smith will be joined by literary agent and award-winning author Rebecca Podos, and local romance authors Betty Corrello and Rachel Meredith for a in-conversation event on pitching romance and rom-coms. Get your questions answered about query letters, the market, craft, and more from agents and authors who have been there.
This is an early morning breakfast event, and guests can look forward to some lite snacks and breakfast beverages, and afterwards, the authors will be signing their books.
As always, the event is free.
Cupid’s Bookshop: 106 Grape St, Philadelphia, PA 19127
Brent Taylor AMA on the Philly Discord Server
Join us for a virtual AMA with literary agent superstar Brent Taylor! He’ll logon to chat with the Philadelphia Writing Discord, and answer questions about publishing, agenting, querying, you name it!
Note, Discord events are for our virtual community. If you’re in the greater Philadelphia region, be sure to drop us a line about joining! The Discord is free, and you’re more than welcome.
How to Pitch Your Cookbook: A Conversation with Sally Ekus at Binding Agents!
One of my favorite agents working in cookbooks is going to head to Philly for the day, and join us in a conversation about making cookbooks happen! And at Philly’s cookbook bookstore! Perfection!
Eric Smith will be in-convo with Sally Ekus about pitching cookbooks, building book proposals, and more at Binding Agents. Expect lite snacks and beverages, and as always, this is a free event. Please note, space is limited so you need to RSVP here. We’ve only got room for 30 folks!
You can learn more about Sally and the books she works on here.
Binding Agents: 908 Christian St., Philadelphia, PA 19147
Kate McKean at American Grammar
Join Neighborhood Literary as we host our friend Kate McKean (Morhaim Literary Agency) at American Grammar for an AMA session and a discussion about her latest book, Write Through It, a guide about the writing life from someone on the inside.
Things will kick off at 12PM, we’ll chat about her books, publishing, and answer all your urgent agenting and industry questions.
The event is free, but grab coffee. Buy books. Tell your friends!
Philadelphia Bookstore Crawl 2025
This year’s Philadelphia Bookstore Crawl! Come wander the city and explore bookshops around the region. More information can be found on the Philadelphia Bookstore Crawl’s official website here, where we update events frequently.
Write in at American Grammar
Join Neighborhood Literary for a write-in at American Grammar, one of our favorite local bookshops (and cafes!).
Things will kick off at 10AM and run until the early afternoon. While this is of course completely free, we do encourage folks do make a donation to the shop and/or purchase a book.
The morning and afternoon will also be full of special guest authors (also Eric!), who will be available for brain picks and questions about their work, craft, and can maybe even help you figure out that story problem you’re struggling with.
See you there!
Non-Fiction Book Proposal Workshop at A Novel Idea
Join Eric Smith and literary agent Jennifer Herrera (of David Black Literary Agency) for a conversation on what makes a good non-fiction book proposal. The AMA workshop will dig into what most agents (and editors!) look for in a project like this, and how you can ideally polish yours up.
This is a free workshop, though we encourage donations to our beloved bookshop friends, and for you to buy a book or two, if you are able! Tickets are limited, scoop them while you can.
Query Letter Workshop at Head & the Hand
Join us and our friends at Head and the Hand in Fishtown for a free query letter workshop.
We’ll talk about what makes a great pitch, and afterwards, we’ll even critique a few brave folks’ query letters (we’ll pick five at random, we can’t do them all!) in real time. There will be plenty of time for questions and networking.
This is a free event and it will absolutely sell out, so be sure to reserve a ticket with H&H, here.
And while yes, it’s a free event, do consider donating to the bookshop or purchasing a book while you’re there. We can only keep doing these things if we keep being good neighbors.