Working Titlez

Well,  Spring might not quite be in the air yet, but it is truly a lovely day here in the Mojave Desert. It most certainly will be Spring in April during the annual Las Vegas Writers Conference. There’s hardly a lovelier time of year unless it is is the other eight months when it is also not 117 degrees! So whether you’re a writer in Las Vegas who wants to attend a local conference to hone your skills and learn more about the publishing biz, or a writer in a colder clime who would like all of the above PLUS experience the desert in the spring, check out the website. I’ve attended almost all of these conference and serendipitous things always happen! Hope to see you there!

Our book designer, Sue Campbell, and yours truly have both been invited to be on faculty for the bi-annual East of Eden Writers Conference for 2010. Held in Steinbeck Country of Salinas, California, this is one of the premier conferences in the country, attracts hundreds of writers and a really top-notch faculty. The conference is sponsored by the South Bay chapter of the 100-year-old California Writers Club.  So honored!!

As attendees of my workshops and programs know, I heartily endorse writers conferences as one of the best ways for authors to learn the ropes about the publishing biz, meet fellow writers, learn tons about the craft of writing, and make important connections. How often do you get the chance to sit next to a literary agent at lunch? Conferences are held all over the world (I’m still waiting for an faculty invite to a conference in say, New Zealand or Iceland) and www.shawguides.com is a great resource for checking them out. Closer to home, the Las Vegas Writers Conference is held every April, and features a fine line-up of presenters.

An intense conversation about a manuscript at the Society for Southwest Authors 2008 conference in Tucson, Arizona

One of the traditions at most writers conferences is a custom known variously as “author interviews”, “one-on-ones” or “pitch sessions”. I think of them as a form of “speed dating”. Authors make appointments with agents, publishers and editors and get 15 minutes to sit with them one-on-one and “pitch” their book projects to gain valuable feedback, advice on avenues to seek towards publication, and for a lucky few, an actual book contract. For authors, the opportunity to place their proposal directly in the hands of a prospective agent, editor or publisher — and to make an impression as a “real person”, not just another submission package, is priceless. So, too, is the chance to ask questions about the publishing process, assess the best options, and get advice about fine-tuning their proposal. More than one would-be author has told me I was a “practice” pitch, in anticipation of being ready for the “real thing” for the next year’s conference.

My regular readers and audiences at presentations know that I heartily endorse writers conferences as one the the very best ways to learn more about the industry, the craft of writing, and the business-side of being an author or professional writer. Besides the valuable information from presenters, the networking with industry professionals, and the tips and tricks to be learned, the camaraderie with fellow authors at various waypoints along the path to publication can be rewarding and encouraging.

This past weekend I did 22 one-on-ones, a panel about publishing trends and a workshop on editing at the Society for Southwest Author’s 36th annual writers conference. The hospitality of this stellar organization was warm, the caliber of the facility was top-notch and the partipants were receptive and enthusiastic. Plus, I came away with a great new line (with a nod to Star Wars):

Metaphors Be With You.