Monday, 29 June 2009

• Writers' Conference Write-Up

  Writers' Conference Write-Up

  

  The 2009 Writers' League of Texas Agents Conference in Austin, Texas was money and time well spent.

  I haven't had a chance to reflect or recover my energy from everything, but how about some off-the-cuff impressions?
   
  It was so nice to wear fashionable, business-casual clothes for once. There's just no reason to look professional in the town where I live or at my workplace (we wear jeans and hiking boots).

  It was nice to interact with other writers and to encourage one another. I met a few writers whose story lines were inspirational. Some of the seminar sessions were that good as well.

  

  
   
  I was a real wall-flower on Friday at the conference happy hour. I met a really nice person and just stuck with her. Occasionally, others would join us, but we basically just stuck together.
   
  Saturday, I was much more comfortable and decided to go for it. I talked to nearly every agent I set out to talk to, and each one told me to submit my work to them. It's not a manuscript request, but solicited submissions have much more chance in being reviewed closely than UNsolicited work. That, in itself, was a success.

  The agent I interviewed with was a real sweetheart. Her name is Katharine Sands. I'm so glad that she was my first pitch because she was friendly and encouraging. I froze in the first moments because I was expecting to deliver a few memorized lines about my novel and, instead, she asked me some questions. In my nervous state, that threw me off. But she was so kind and that helped. At the end of the interview, I felt like I'd made a friend. She asked me to submit my work to her. That's not a manuscript request; it's a requested submission. That's a major step up from sending unsolicited submissions, but it's not a book deal [yet]. My gut told me that she was asking everyone for their submission, but I still felt encouraged enough to then pitch to every agent I'd targeted before the conference. I'm grateful to her for that. So grateful that I asked to take a photo with her at the cocktail party on Saturday.

  Katharine also recommended a book that is similar to mine called The Perfect Manhattan. I can't wait to check it out.

  

  The keynote speaker on Saturday seemed like a bit of a waste of time. He was funny, and that entertained us while we ate. But his opinions didn't inform me of anything I wanted to know. His point was that no one can predict the future of publishing in any accurate way. At least that's what I got out of it. Here's a picture of him speaking, and a shot of the Writers' League of Texas logo...I love their logo (fountain pen with a lone star). The luncheon was great, though. I sat with some ladies who taught me a few things I didn't know, and the food was superb and healthy.

  
   

  

  
  I had a neat God-incident that's actually funny. Friday, I'd just been in a seminar by Katharine Sands about pitching (selling/presenting) your work. She told a few stories about meeting an agent in the bathroom or the elevator and having a mini-conversation that leads to a book deal. I went to the bathroom, and it was deserted except for this lady who looked like one of the agents' profile photos I'd seen in our program. So I started a conversation with her. Soon, it was like talking to a close girlfriend. Somehow it came up that we both wrote books, that we both were Christians, and she asked me to pray for her. I said I'd do so right on the spot, so we just held hands and prayed for each other then and there. We were going to exchange cards, but she couldn't find hers. I said not to worry because I'd see her some time over the weekend. She asked, "Are you moving to Austin?" I said no. She looked perplexed, so I said I'd see her around the conference. "Conference? What conference? Honey, I'm on my way to Kansas City." Turned out she might have written a book that isn't published yet, but she had nothing to do with the conference and wasn't an agent! God just had us cross paths for that prayer time.
   
  I met other Christians like Brit and Lydia in the photo below, who aren't writing for a Christian market. Some told me of some Christian agents who would help me with that. I got their names and contact info. I also found out that there is an author, Ann Lamott, who is sold in Christian stores who writes in my style of realism (aka not whitewashing dialogue or events). I'm going to get at least one of the Lamott books to see what they are like and possibly try to find out who her publisher and agents are.

  

  
   
  I got some interesting info on the business of publication, on royalties, contracts, and how the financial end works.
   
  I learned that I can't have a sound track to my novel. It's nearly impossible. That threw me for a moment, but then I had an epiphany on how to keep the music as a part of my novel without having an actual soundtrack sold with the book. I ran my idea by the attorney/agent who informed me about the legalities of it, and he said my idea would work.
   
  And I figured out how to shorten my book. Basically, publishers won't do a book as long as mine, especially in the chick lit market. But now I have some vision on how to shorten it and I'm itching to get to that rewrite. Oh, and it's taboo to use the term "chick lit" now...you have to call it "women's fiction."
   
  I'll be sending several agents my work, so I'll be really busy for a while.
   
  There's no telling whether I actually met my agent this weekend or whether God is just going to use the connections I've made. Either way, I'm very grateful to have gone. I came home aching and exhausted, but pumped full of useful information and hope.
  

  Currently The Devil Wears Prada. A Novel. [audio book] 5 CDs By Lauren Weisberger see related

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