Below are the recordings from each panel at our 2021 Agents & Editors Conference, organized between Saturday morning panels, Saturday afternoon panels, and Sunday panels. To view a chosen panel, simply click on the thumbnail of the video you would like to watch. You can navigate each of the sections by clicking on the dots underneath each section’s video player. If you need a refresher on what panel happened when, or who was on a particular panel, click here to see our program .
Also, see our Pre-Conference recordings here here. here. here.
Shop the 2021 Agents & Editors Conference online bookstore:https://www.bookpeople.com/writers-league-texas-2021-agents-editors-conference
Opening Session Featuring Sean Desmond Overheard: "Write your story. Write it down to the bones and enjoy that process."
Where Publishing Begins: Submitting Yourself to Literary Journals Overheard: "I read with my ears. I’m listening for music."
Before Publication: Setting Yourself Up for Success Overheard: "Marketing is sort of like a brisket, low and slow. Publicity is like flash frying something in the pan."
The Author/Agent Relationship Overheard: "I wanted an agent who understood me and was going to fight for me."
In Conversation with Gordy Sauer and James Wade Overheard: "A big part of writing this book was interrogating what the western means."
In Conversation with Candace Buford and Samantha Mabry Overheard: "I write for young people because I think the biggest questions you cover in adulthood start in high school."
In Conversation with Reyna Grande and Mitchell S. Jackson Overheard: "One project should teach you something about the next project."
Nobody Told Me That! Lessons From a Life in Publishing Overheard: "Kindness might get you further than talent."
Turning Life Experiences into Literature Overheard: "The things that you’re scared to write about are often the things that you should be writing about."
After the Book Deal: Working with an Editor Overheard: "When we are making edits to these books it’s because we love them and we want them to do really well."
Your Best Foot Forward: Catching an Agent’s Eye Overheard: "A good query letter consists of the hook, book, and the cook."
In Conversation with Maurice Chammah and Leonard Moore Overheard: "Oftentimes, we don’t make the connection with how the present is a product of the past."
In Conversation with Stacey Swann and Elizabeth Wetmore Overheard: "As solitary as writing is, it is also really dependent on other people."
In Conversation with Matt Bell and Fernando Flores Overheard: "I have one rule: Anything I get interested in while I’m writing that book I put in the book."
Getting It Right: Doing Research for Fiction and Nonfiction Overheard: "Never let the research get in the way of the writing."
Apples & Oranges: Finding the Right Comparison Titles Overheard: "Create a mini ecosystem for your book and really capture what your book is about in a really useful and holistic way."
The COVID Question: Publishing in a Pandemic Overheard: "Books have survived the plague before."
One Page Salon Celebrating the 30th Anniversary of the WLT Book Awards
Publishing Kid Lit Today Overheard: "Ignore the trends. Do what you want to do, write the story that you feel you must write, and write it to the best of your ability."
Crafting Compelling Openings in Fiction Overheard: "People are much more forgiving of a lax opening than they are of a bad ending."
On the Debut: Authors & Their First Books Overheard: "It requires an incredible amount of vulnerability to be an author, to put your work out there, to have it critiqued."
In Conversations with Kendra Allen and Usha Akella Overheard: "Personal history is the most relevant mythology."
Layering: A Structured Approach to Revision Overheard: "Revision, put simply, is a way of closing the gap between what you have and what you want."
In Conversation with Cinelle Barnes and Sarah Kasbeer Overheard: "Writers are always making connections."
Making a Nonfiction Proposal Stand Out Overheard: "I try to start my proposals with a really absurd first line."
Getting Your Synopsis Ready for Competitions, Agents, & Editors Overheard: "Writing a synopsis will help make sure you know your own story."
Before You Sign: Questions to Ask an Agent Overheard: "Don’t be afraid to advocate for yourself."
