(Last year) 2008 Agents and Editors Conference Schedule

Time

Program

Location

Workshop A — Pitching Your Manuscript I Abigail Koons, Park Literary -SOLD OUT!

Workshop B — Pitching Your Manuscript II Lindsey Moore, Crown Books -SOLD OUT!

Workshop C — Pitching Your Manuscript III Chuck Sambuchino, Writer’s Digest

Workshop D — Pitching Your Manuscript IV Toni Plummer, Thomas Dunne Books -SOLD OUT!

Bonnell

Creekside I

Bickler

Welcome / Manuscript Contest Winners / Agent & Editor Introductions

Pitch Lounge
Visit with publishing professionals over coffee. Stop in to see who’s there!

Book Proposal Bootcamp
Literary Agent Ted Weinstein covers the elements of the successful nonfiction book proposal.

Everything You Need to Know About Getting an Agent
Chuck Sambuchino, the editor of the Writer’s Digest 2008 Guide to Literary Agents, walks you through the process of getting and working with an agent.

Facts for Fiction
Diane Fanning talks about how to use the research techniques of nonfiction writers to lay a credible foundation for your fiction. Session covers interviewing techniques, court documents, and computer resources.

Understanding the Editorial Mind: How to Have a Happy, Creative Relationship with an Acquisitions Editor or Book Doctor
This lecture will show you how to make the most of working with an editor or book doctor. Jerry Gross has over 40 years of experience as a fiction and non-fiction acquisition, development, and line editor.

Preparing to Promote Your Book
Milton Khan will introduce you to the “make or break game” of publicity and will show you what you need to do right now to start building a platform for your book.

Hook ’Em and Hold ’Em: Creating a Page-Turning Middle-Grade or YA Novel
with Caryn Wiseman

Luncheon

Keynote Address: “The Truth About Publishing”
Sara Nelson, Editor-in-Chief of Publishers Weekly

Pitch Lounge
Visit with publishing professionals over coffee. Stop in to see who’s there!

Landing Ink, Airtime & Blog Buzz in Today’s Changing Media Environment
How authors and publishing houses can effectively work with the media to position themselves for coverage. This panel is moderated by Tolly Moseley of Phenix & Phenix Literary Publicists and includes Eileen Flynn, Ian Crawford, Sara Nelson, Ron Hogan, and Michael Merschel.

Writing for Magazines & Building Your Freelance Portfolio
Chuck Sambuchino, the editor of the Writer’s Digest 2008 Guide to Literary Agents, shows you how to find develop and pitch ideas to magazines, a key tool in developing a platform for book promotions.

Agent Q&A on Craft: Plot, Characters, and Dialogue that Make a Book Stand Out
with Ronnie Gramazio, Alexandra Machinist, and Sally van Haitsma

The Pulpwood Queens’ Tiara Wearing, Book Sharing Guide to Life Bookclub Queen Kathy Patrick talks about how to make your book appealing to agents, irresistible to publishers, and marketable to readers, book clubs, and the media.

Ready, Set, Publish: Self-Editing That Works
Joan Upton Hall divulges the top three editing strategies that will energize your writing and get editors’ attention. You will come away with how-to handouts for polishing your manuscript.

Agent Consultations

Pitch Lounge
Visit with publishing professionals over coffee. Stop in to see who’s there!

Small Publishers’ Missteps & Triumphs
Learn the good, bad, and ugly about the publishing industry from the viewpoint of five small Texas presses, who have learned over the years what does and doesn’t work when you are an independent publisher. This panel is hosted by Rita Mills of The Book Connection.

Panelists include John Hardy Publishing, Debbie Leland, Victor Loos, and Marvie Ellis.

The Writer’s Toolbox
Linda Rohrbough will offer an overview of novel development and various systems or “tools” fiction writers use to develop novel elements. This workshop will cover development tools for plot, characterization, and subplots in addition to tools for editing a completed novel.

The Selling Power of Book Design: Cover to Cover
Intentionally or not, readers, reviewers, distributors, agents, and retailers all use a book’s design to judge whether it’s worthy of their time and money. This class, led by the staff of TLC Graphics, will teach you what they look for and how to find the right professionals to make your book saleable in today’s ultra-competitive marketplace. Includes Q&A and critiques.

Agent Q&A: What Every Writer Should Know About the Business with Emmanuel Alspaugh, Kathleen Anderson, Nicole Steen, and Uwe Stender

Birth of a Book: From Idea to Bookshelf
This panel examines the challenges of finding an agent, developing a marketing strategy, negotiating contracts, and appealing to bookstore buyers. The panel will be led by Jerry Gross and includes Diane Fanning, Kimberley Cameron, Brooke Warner, Valerie Walley, Elizabeth Jordan, and Milton Kahn.

The Independent Publishing Alternative
Considering independent publishing to keep your book project moving forward? The process and outcomes of getting your book into print will be discussed by Terry Sherrell and author Mike Kearby. Hosted by Morgan Printing.

Reception - Cash Bar

9:00-1:00

Exhibits

Capitol View Terrace

9:00-10:15

Pitch Lounge
Visit with publishing professionals over coffee. Stop in to see who’s there!

How the Social Web Can Give Any Author an Edge
Deltina Hay, owner of Dalton Publishing, will teach you how to show prospective publishers how serious you are about promoting yourself and your book by establishing a presence in the new, social Web which includes blogging and podcasting as well as establishing a presence on social sites like MySpace, Facebook, Bebo, Flickr, YouTube, Twitter, and Squidoo.

9:00-10:15

Agent Q&A: Current Trends in Fiction
with Dan Conaway, Rebecca Oliver, and Nataya Wheeler