The Art of Upmarket Fiction: 6-Month Fiction Mentorship with Novelist Thao Thai, Apply Now!

The Art of Upmarket Fiction: 6-Month Novel Mentorship | 2027 Online

The Art of Upmarket Fiction: 6-Month Fiction Mentorship with Novelist Thao Thai

A 6-month, 1-on-1 online fiction mentorship
Mentorship sessions meet via Zoom on a schedule arranged between Thao and each mentee

Applications Now Open!

Apply for The Art of Upmarket Fiction mentorship with Thao Thai. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis, and early applications are encouraged as space is limited.

Please do not pay for the mentorship until you receive a formal acceptance notification via email. Payment plans are available.

Any questions about this mentorship? Use the Chat Button to talk with us.

Instructor Thao Thai is the author of Banyan Moon, the July 2023 Read with Jenna title, Barnes & Noble Discover Pick, and Book of the Month selection. Her most recent novel, The Seekers of Deer Creek, is an Amazon Editor's Pick, featured in the Los Angeles Times, Bustle, Harper's Bazaar, and many other publications. A recipient of the 2024 Ohio Arts Council's Individual Excellence Award, Thao's work has been published in the Los Angeles Review of Books, Southern Living, Elle, Lit Hub, and other publications. She holds an MFA from The Ohio State University and an MA from the University of Chicago. She lives in central Ohio with her husband and daughter.

Why work with Thao Thai?

Thao Thai is uniquely positioned to guide writers through the complexities of upmarket fiction. Her bestselling debut, Banyan Moon, traces three generations of Vietnamese women across decades and continents, weaving questions of inheritance, identity, and belonging into a tightly plotted narrative. Her critically acclaimed novel, The Seekers of Deer Creek, combines an art mystery with a nuanced exploration of sisterhood and familial legacy. With deep experience crafting upmarket stories that balance ambitious plotting with intimate emotional stakes, Thao brings both the craft knowledge and editorial insight to help you shape your own novel into a compelling and memorable work.

Who is this one-on-one mentorship for?

This fiction mentorship is designed for writers of any level who have a strong concept and a percentage of their novel already written. If you are working on a full-length upmarket novel and need expert guidance to bring your ambitious manuscript together, this 1-on-1 writing mentorship will give you the dedicated support and craft strategies to move forward with confidence.

Who Should Apply?

This mentorship is ideal for you if:

• You have an upmarket novel in progress — whether that's 50 pages or 250 — and you feel ready for serious, sustained work on the manuscript.
• You're thinking about foundational craft principles alongside plot and overarching structure.
• You have a strong concept and compelling characters but feel stuck on the mechanics of weaving your story together.
• You're a self-motivated writer who thrives with accountability, expert feedback, and a trusted reader in your corner.

If any of this sounds like you, we encourage you to apply for The Art of Upmarket Fiction mentorship. Payment plans are available.

What to expect:

Upmarket novels sit in a unique position between literary and commercial fiction, combining deep character studies and artful language with propulsive storytelling that keeps readers invested. Often referred to as "book club fiction," upmarket novels are defined by their strong thematic arcs and engaging hooks. The best upmarket fiction provides readers with fodder for conversation and thought. There are also ample opportunities within upmarket fiction to incorporate other genres, such as romance, mystery, fantasy, and more.

But this genre of fiction requires a careful balance of many different craft elements at once: plot, structure, pacing, point of view, place, character, interiority, among many others. This juggle, when executed successfully, endears such fiction to readers, creating satisfying stories that linger far past the final pages.

In this online writing mentorship, you will receive specific feedback from Thao on your manuscript in progress, as well as writing exercises to move the book forward. Thao will recommend books, articles, and other craft resources to help you consider the conventions of upmarket fiction. Additionally, Thao will be available to coach you through any blocks or issues that arise in writing your novel. This 1-on-1 fiction mentorship provides the kind of sustained, individualized attention that a creative writing workshop alone cannot offer.

Early applications are encouraged as space is limited. Apply for the upmarket fiction mentorship now.

What are the writing goals?

In this mentorship, mentees will walk away with at least half of a drafted manuscript, along with tangible strategies for finishing the book, including a working outline. Thao will provide line-level feedback as well as high-level suggestions and thoughts for the arc of the novel as a whole.

Readings

Readings may include craft books such as On Writing by Stephen King, Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott, Story Genius by Lisa Cron, and essays from craft publications. We'll look at short stories in places such as The Best American Short Stories, along with excerpts from contemporary novels such as The Wedding People by Alison Espach, The Dutch House by Ann Patchett, The God of the Woods by Liz Moore, and Heart the Lover by Lily King. Readings will be customized for each mentee.

Why a 1-on-1 Mentorship?

An upmarket novel is one of the most ambitious undertakings in fiction — and ambitious work deserves more than a few weeks of workshop feedback. This 6-month mentorship gives you something rare: a sustained creative partnership with a bestselling novelist who knows your manuscript inside and out. Unlike a group class, every session is tailored entirely to your book, your challenges, and your goals. Thao will be with you through the messy middle, the structural breakthroughs, and everything in between, providing the kind of deep, ongoing editorial guidance that transforms a promising draft into a finished novel.

Early applications are encouraged as space is limited. Apply to work one-on-one with Thao Thai.

What Does the Mentorship Look Like?

Over the course of six months, you and Thao will meet regularly via Zoom to discuss your manuscript, set goals, and work through craft challenges as they arise. Between sessions, you will submit pages for Thao's review and receive detailed written feedback — both line-level notes and big-picture editorial guidance on character, structure, and narrative arc. Thao will also assign targeted readings and generative exercises designed to move your draft forward. The pace and schedule are flexible, built around your writing life, but the commitment is real: this is a working partnership designed to produce significant progress on your novel.

COURSE OUTLINE

Week 1: Introduction and discussion of goals.

Week 2: Close readings of upmarket fiction.

Week 3: Generative exercises and revision tips.

Weeks 4–24: Writing submissions and feedback, assigned readings, strategies and support.

COURSE TAKEAWAYS:

• Writers will understand the how and why behind upmarket fiction and have a solid foundation in successful, contemporary examples of the genre.
• Mentees will have written at least half of a completed manuscript with solid characters, a defined narrative structure, and a sense of their opportunities and challenges as writers.
• Writers will create a working outline, which will be used to draft the remainder of their manuscript.
• Mentees will receive both line-level feedback and high-level editorial guidance on the arc of the novel as a whole.

What Mentees Can Expect at the End of the Program

Writers who complete this mentorship will leave with the majority of a finished manuscript, a working outline for completing the rest, and a clear understanding of their strengths and growth areas as a novelist. More than that, you will have spent six months developing the habits, craft instincts, and editorial eye needed to see your upmarket novel through to completion — and beyond.

How to Apply

To apply, please submit a brief description of your upmarket project, including where you are in the writing process and what you hope to gain from the mentorship. Please also include a writing sample of up to 20 pages from your manuscript in progress. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis, and we will follow up with accepted applicants.

Ready to get started? Apply for The Art of Upmarket Fiction mentorship. Payment plans are available.

PRAISE FOR THAO THAI:

"Thao Thai captures the complexities of familial love with an unflinching yet gorgeously lyric eye. Banyan Moon is an ambitious and masterful debut!"

— Stacey Swann, author of Olympus, Texas

"Heart-shatteringly beautiful. Banyan Moon is a love letter to keepers of secrets, to motherhood, family, and survival. Thao Thai is a major talent whose exciting, impressive, and poetic prose will grow into you, like a strong and lush banyan tree deeply rooted in the rich Vietnamese literary heritage."

— Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai, internationally bestselling author of The Mountains Sing and Dust Child

"Banyan Moon is an intricately woven story of three generations of women, surviving and living each in their own way. This novel has everything you want: desire, betrayal, grit, tenderness, pride, love, and—most deliciously, most brazenly—the dirty secrets and sacred secrets we make and keep to protect what we hold dear."

— Meng Jin, author of Little Gods and Self-Portrait with Ghost

"A beautifully written, page-turning novel that explores the traumatic legacy of war and the intimacy of family conflict with fierce grace and psychological acuity. Banyan Moon is a celebration of life in all its forms and a joy to read."

— Christina Baker Kline, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Exiles

"Tender, gripping, and heartbreaking. A haunting page-turner that reexamines lineage, motherhood, and what it means to be a survivor—in every definition of the word. A welcome debut from a stunning voice who will forever impact the Vietnamese American canon."

— Carolyn Huynh, author of The Fortunes of Jaded Women

"Banyan Moon offers an honest and aching exploration of the gulf between generations—how we misunderstand those we love the most, the unintentional hurt we cause them, how we struggle to find the language to connect. But it's also a novel of hope, a story of forgiveness, a reminder that even though we can never fully know the people closest to us, it is worth the try."

— Tracey Lien, international bestselling author of All That's Left Unsaid

"Thao Thai pierces the veil between the living and the dead in this haunted and beautifully rendered debut. This is a story about mothers and daughters, the chasm where misunderstandings accrue, and enduring tenderness despite the little hurts we may inflict on our loved ones. Most affectingly, Thai gives us characters who mourn lost origins, but who still get to decide what home looks like. A spellbinding and intricately layered story, Banyan Moon celebrates Vietnamese women."

— E.M. Tran, author of Daughters of the New Year

PAYMENT OPTIONS:

Tuition is $4,995 USD. You can pay for the course in full or use Shop Pay or Affirm to pay over time with equal Monthly Payments. Both options are available at checkout. Payment is due only after you receive an acceptance notification.

ONLINE COURSE STRUCTURE:

• Instructor: Thao Thai
• This is a 6-month, 1-on-1 fiction mentorship. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.
• Students must first apply and wait to be accepted before making a tuition payment.
• Mentorship sessions will be conducted via Zoom. Meeting schedule will be arranged between instructor and mentee.
• Tuition is $4,995 USD. Payment plans are available.

Early applications are encouraged as space is limited. Apply for The Art of Upmarket Fiction mentorship with Thao Thai.