Spring Agent Opportunities
With Sam Hiyate of The Rights Factory
This spring, AWCS is pleased to host two distinct opportunities for writers ready to strengthen their work and better understand the path to publication. Writers may apply for the three-month mentorship or register for a query consultation.
Three-Month Agent Mentorship
Work one-on-one with Sam Hiyate from March 23 to June 30, 2026. Three writers will be selected for this focused mentorship designed to prepare a manuscript for submission and representation. This opportunity is open to writers of literary fiction, commercial fiction, and memoir.
Mentorship fee:
$1,650. Payment is due upon acceptance.
What’s Included
How to Apply
Your application package must include:
File name format:
LastName_FirstInitial_TitleOfManuscript
Applications close March 6, 2026.
Mentorship fee:
$1,650. Payment is due upon acceptance.
What’s Included
- Approximately five one-on-one online meetings
- 20–30 pages reviewed per session
- Up to 100 pages of manuscript feedback
- Strategic guidance for completing and positioning your work
How to Apply
Your application package must include:
- A cover letter introducing yourself, your manuscript, and your goals for this mentorship
- A synopsis or brief outline of the project
- The first 20 pages of your manuscript
File name format:
LastName_FirstInitial_TitleOfManuscript
Applications close March 6, 2026.
Query Letter & First 20 Pages Consultation
Book a one-on-one consultation with Sam to workshop your query package. Receive direct feedback on your query letter, synopsis, and opening pages, along with insight into stakes, structure, and market positioning.
Details
Consultation dates:
March 2, March 4, March 14, March 15, 2026
This is a learning opportunity, not a pitch session. Representation is not guaranteed.
Details
- Consultation fee: $140
- 15 spots available
- Online via Zoom
- Upon confirmation of payment we will contact you to book your meeting time.
Consultation dates:
March 2, March 4, March 14, March 15, 2026
This is a learning opportunity, not a pitch session. Representation is not guaranteed.
About Sam Hiyate
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Sam Hiyate is keen to discover new voices and help writers prepare their works for market, and to help them build lasting careers. In the past two decades with THE RIGHTS FACTORY his hundreds of book deals have resulted in several bestsellers such as MORE, the memoir by Molly Roden Winter, THIS ONE SUMMER, the graphic novel by Jillian and Mariko Tamaki, non-fiction such as HEALTHY AF (DITCH THE DIET) by Oonagh Duncan and THE MYTH of CAPITALISM by Jonathan Tepper and Denise Hearn, and fiction such as GIRLS IN WHITE DRESSES by Jennifer Close and THE ADULT by Bronwyn Fischer.
The Host of the podcast Agent Provocateur, Sam regularly appears at writers conferences and also teaches publishing (Toronto Metropolitan University) and Creative Writing (University of Toronto). Before The Rights Factory, Sam ran the literary division of The Lavin Agency in 2003, building a client list and completing his first deals. Sam also worked as editor and publisher for the small press, Gutter Press, from 1993 to 2002, and worked at the literary magazines Blood & Aphorisms and The Quarterly in the 90s. |
