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F.E. Mazur
Hunger Member
Post Number:
66
Registered: 02-2005
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, April 01, 2005 - 01:12 pm: |   |
I've not been to a writers conference, but if you have and there were both agents and editors present, I would like to know what the mechanism is for meeting and talking with them? Is it accomplished through informal mingling, sidling up to one in the conference room or nearby lounge? Or do these folks sometimes have tables and hours set aside where an author can stop and talk? |
Kevin Yarbrough
Wisdom Member
Post Number:
624
Registered: 03-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, April 01, 2005 - 01:14 pm: | |
I was at the PA convention, does that count?
Kevin- Literary Pseudocriminal |
Claudia Turner VanLydegraf
Mindsight Moderator
Post Number:
2032
Registered: 06-2002
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, April 01, 2005 - 01:40 pm: | |
FE,
the best person to ask that question of is Dennis, as he has been to and shared much about his conference learnings. He is also a frequent contributor on panels at conferences. he goes to about 3-4 every year, and participates in all of them in some manner.
He has made a number of great connections for himself and helped to get other writers those connections also.
Claudia
MINDSIGHT MODERATOR
|
Fred Dungan
Unity Member
Post Number:
1003
Registered: 10-2002
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, April 01, 2005 - 11:25 pm: | |
My connections seem to have short-circuited. It's about time I attended something other than a PublishAmerica conference. There is a lot going on in the world of publishing and I wouldn't want to miss out.
http://www.fdungan.com/vigilantes.htm |
Matt Dinniman
Hsympothai Member
Post Number:
328
Registered: 04-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, April 02, 2005 - 01:23 am: | |
I've been to a few conferences. Many have specific one-on-one time you can sign up for, sometimes for an extra charge. The one conference I usually try to attend every year the editor/agent/writer you're meeting has been armed with one of your writing samples that you send a couple months ahead of time.
But there's also a whole lot of mingling going on, and most people I know who've landed conference agents have done so because of their excellent schmoozing techniques. Just make sure you know everything you can about the particular agents before you show up so you don't fall into the wrong crowd. |
Dennis Collins
Mindsight Moderator
Post Number:
1545
Registered: 06-2002
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, April 02, 2005 - 04:42 am: | |
Most, but not all of the conferences that I regularly attend are genre specific and I generally do five or six every year. Some feature agent and editor contact and others offer professional critiques of your work.
Agent and editor appointments have customarily been included as part of the overall package but the critiques are usually a fee-required extra. In my experience these activities have always been arranged at the time of registration, typically several months before the conference so that the organizers can arrange a schedule.
One of the biggest benefits of attending a conference is the intimate contact that you can have with truly successful authors. Every one that I have ever met has been approachable, helpful, open, and genuinely friendly and that list includes the likes of Max Allen Collins, Michael Connelly, Mickey Spillane, and Sue Grafton.
Conferences are normally made up of one hour presentations given by veteran authors or other publishing professionals and there are always three or four different lectures going on simultaneously so you've got decisions to make. There is so much valuable information shared at conferences, it's hard to overestimate their importance.
Fellow mindsighter, Mike Manno just signed a contract with a major publisher who he met at the "Love is Murder" mystery writer's conference in Chicago.
And a question that you never asked... There is no class distinction, iUniverse and PA authors are given the same consideration as those published through Harper-Collins. If it's your first conference, it may be best to circulate and do a little networking. The atmosphere is usually very friendly and, Oh yeah... I've never encountered a troll at a conference. |
Dennis Collins
Mindsight Moderator
Post Number:
1546
Registered: 06-2002
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, April 02, 2005 - 04:48 am: | |
And another little benefit...
My books are in libraries all around the Chicago area.
Breakfasts at the conferences are normally an informal affair, you grab a plate, load it up at the buffet and find a table. One time I sat with a group of people who I'd never seen before and we all introduced ourselves. It was a nice, relaxed conversation and I found out later that the nice lady sitting next to me (who asked for my card) was the senior buyer for the Chicago area public library system. How cool is that? |
F.E. Mazur
Hunger Member
Post Number:
68
Registered: 02-2005
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, April 02, 2005 - 05:07 am: | |
That's the valuable info I was looking for. Thank you Claudia, Matt, and Dennis. And Kevin, yes the PA thing would have been of interest because it was the 'mechanism' of how these affairs unfold that's of interest. Are they super-organized, or do they resemble a "single mingle"? |
Dennis Collins
Mindsight Moderator
Post Number:
1547
Registered: 06-2002
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, April 02, 2005 - 07:59 am: | |
It's a mixture. The presentations are normally quite structured but most conferences make sure that there are plenty of opportunities to socialize. There is almost always some sort of banquet or dinner with random seating, a good opportunity to "target" whoever you're trying to get close to. There is also a 10-20 muinute break between sessions that an enterprising aspirant can use creatively. I once received an invitation to submit my manuscript to an agent that I met at a poolside cocktail party in Fort Lauderdale.
If you're interested in the mystery/thriller type conference, there's a great one in Muncie, Indiana sponsored by Ball State University. It's a three day affair and this year it will be held on Halloween weekend and will likely feature a costume ball on Saturday night, a terrific schmoozing opportunity. It's titled "Magna cum Murder," and has it's own resident fan club called "The Arsenic and Oolong Society," who provide the hospitality. A couple of years ago, I was able to swing a nine minute TV interview on a local station at this conference. Check it out at: www.magnacummurder.com |
Kevin Yarbrough
Wisdom Member
Post Number:
625
Registered: 03-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, April 04, 2005 - 07:32 am: | |
Not organized, looked like a big single mingle to me. It was more of a family reunion/high school reunion then anything else.
Kevin- Literary Pseudocriminal |
Mike Manno
Awareness Member
Post Number:
33
Registered: 11-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, April 05, 2005 - 09:32 am: | |
FE -
Several of the conferences I've been to will allow you to schedule meetings with agents or editors. One thing I always do is to take along a short summary of the work I am pitching, just a page or two, nothing more. You can't sell a book at a conference, but what you can sell is an invitation to submit your manuscript.
There are a couple of rules to keep in mind. First, be professional. Consider this to be somewhat like a job interview -- put your best foot forward. Second, make sure your manuscript is complete. No editor or agent will have anything to do with you unless your manuscript is completed. On the other hand, if you are selling non-fiction, you can get by with a partial manuscript, but not fiction. Third, and this is important, get your pitch down to five to seven minutes. Conferences usually schedule appointments for only ten minutes. You want to make sure you cover everything that is important and still leave a little time for questions, etc. And forth, as I said before, take along a short (very short) summary of your work to leave with the agent/editor. Make sure it has your contact information on it, and make sure you take the agent's card.
If you are thinking about going to a conference, you have the right idea. I've always been a big promoter of conferences and now I've just sold a book from one. Good luck!
Mike |
F.E. Mazur
Hunger Member
Post Number:
71
Registered: 02-2005
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, April 06, 2005 - 05:25 am: | |
Good luck with your book, Mike. Thanks for the info. If I can finish either of two mystery novels now underway in sufficient time before a conference, I may do a bit of schmoozing. |
Joyce Scarbrough
Wisdom Member
Post Number:
581
Registered: 03-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, April 06, 2005 - 05:48 am: | |
Frank, Lee Ann and I are attending the Historical Novel Society's conference in Salt Lake City on April 15-18. They scheduled appointments with editors and agents beforehand (most in 8-minute intervals), but Lee Ann said she always hangs out with the other authors waiting for their appointments and when someone doesn't show for their allotted time, she takes their place. 
Toyce
True Blue Forever
Read the first chapter at http://www.authorsden.com/joycelscarbrough1
Read two chapters of Different Roads at http://www.authorsden.com/visit/mtr.asp?id=7737&loc=ShortStory
Pour yourself a glass of bubbly and check out Champagne Books http://www.champagnebooks.com
Our children have only one childhood, so do whatever it takes to make it happy! |
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