Atlanta Writers Conference for May 8-9, 2015: AWC Continues to Bring the Top Literary Professionals to You ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Do you want the chance to earn a contract directly with a publishing editor or with a literary agent who will represent you to publishers? Do you want an editor or agent to tell you what youre doing wrong and doing right in your manuscript, synopsis, and query letter? Would you like to discuss your writing project with an editor or agent to see if theres any interest in the marketplace? If you answer, Yes, to any or all of these questions, then the Atlanta Writers Club has a conference designed for you: On Friday May 8 and Saturday, May 9, 2015, the Atlanta Writers Club will present its twelfth Atlanta Writers Conference. The goal of this conference is to give you access to ten top publishing editors and literary agents--never any repeats from previous conferences; always an all-new lineup--and to educate you with a workshop and talks by experienced authors. The editors and agents will respond to your pitch; critique the manuscript sample, query, and synopsis you submit in advance; critique your query letter during a Friday practice session so you can improve your work for Saturday; and educate you about the current environment of the publishing industry and the changing roles of editors, agents, and their clients. You could be offered a contract based on the materials youve submitted: after every conference some AWC members sign with conference guests and realize their dream of publication (see testimonials here). You might be asked to send additional pages or an entire manuscript for their review. You certainly will know more about how your work is perceived by industry professionals, and youll gain valuable experience interacting one-on-one with them. You also will have fun, learn more about the publishing business, and get a chance to chat informally with these editors, agents, and your peers. We will have four editors and six agents in attendance: on Friday, May 8, well feature an Editors Q&A Panel to give you their viewpoints and on Saturday the 9th well have an Agents Q&A Panel to focus on their experiences and advice. In addition, you can register for two critiques and two pitches from the start, as part of a conference package deal. Moreover, we are featuring a special two-hour Workshop on Friday, May 8 from attorney and literary agent Paul Levine, who will present Contracts 101 and Legal Issues for Authors with examples and extensive Q&A. This workshop is for writers at all levels, from those just starting out to authors with books who want to better understand publishing contracts, copyrights, and liabilities. Before the workshop, Paul Levine will present two 45-minute seminars (how not to be one of those authors and what to expect after signing a representation or publishing contract). Paul also is one of the agents participating in the manuscript critiques, pitches, and Q&A panel. On Friday evening, well have a mixer with all ten editors and agents that is open to all Conference participants, so you can socialize with our guests and network with each other. With the Editors Q&A panel, Query Letter Critique, the two-hour Workshop, and evening mixer, its definitely worth taking a half-day off on Friday, May 8 so you can experience all these educational and developmental opportunities! On Saturday, May 9, while the morning critiques are held, award-winning author SR Johannes will give two 75-minute presentations, and that afternoon while the pitch sessions are held, bestseller Catherine McCall will do two 75-minute presentations. Pauls 45-minute talks on Friday and the 75-minute presentations on Saturday are free to those who register for any of the paid Conference activities. Finally, to close out the Conference on Saturday afternoon, we feature an award ceremony, where each editor and agent will present a certificate to participants for the best manuscript sample submitted for critique and for the best query letter pitched. Testimonial providers Marie Marquardt and Rebecca Albertalli each were awarded a certificate and you can see how it helped to change their lives! Our guest editors and agents love the Conference as much as the participants. Previous Conference guest Heather Alexander, Associate Editor for Dial Books, raved, The Atlanta Writers Conference is a great place for writers to meet editors and agents, and learn some of the ins and outs of the publishing industry. What a great networking and learning opportunity! If you are new to the Atlanta Writers Club, you will find an introduction to our Atlanta Writers Conference on this website: atlantawritersconference/about/ THE CONFERENCE The conference on May 8-9, 2015 consists of SIX parts and you may participate in one, some, or all of these events: One-on-one critique sessions on Saturday, May 9, where the editors and agents share their evaluations with those who have submitted in advance the first 15-17 pages of manuscript plus a query letter and 3-5 page synopsis (if you select the Conference Package All Activities option, you can pick two of the editors and/or agents to critique your work). Pitch sessions on Saturday, May 9, where you will provide a query letter to an editor or agent and discuss your project (if you select the Conference Package All Activities option, you can pitch to two editors and/or agents). Query letter critique on Friday, May 8 with editors and/or agents other than the one(s) youre meeting with on Saturday, so you can get advice about making it pitch perfect for the editor(s)/agent(s) of your choice. Workshop on Friday, May 8 with Conference guest speaker Paul Levine. Panel discussion and Q&A with the editors on Friday, May 8. Panel discussion and Q&A with the agents on Saturday, May 9. Complete details about all of the activities are on the Conference website: atlantawritersconference/the-conference/ THE EDITORS & AGENTS The editors and agents below have provided the genres they are seeking to acquire, in their own words, and often identify specific genres they are not seeking, to decrease ambiguity. To read about the guest editors and agents, go to this page on our Conference website: atlantawritersconference/the-agents/ Emily Murdock Baker, Penguin Books Rachel Ekstrom, Irene Goodman Literary Agency Stephanie Fretwell-Hill, Peachtree Publishers Paul Levine, Paul S. Levine Literary Agency Jody Kahn, Brandt & Hochman Literary Agents April Osborn, St. Martins Press Michelle Richter, Fuse Literary Quressa Robinson, Thomas Dunne Books Andy Ross, Andy Ross Literary Agency Bridget Smith, Dunham Literary Inc. THE COST Some participants might want to take advantage of only one activity, while others will do it all, so we offer a la carte pricing as well as a package deal for all activities, which includes a bonus: two critiques and two pitches instead of just one (you can only register for two critiques and two pitches if you select the Conference Package All Activities option): - Manuscript Critique on Saturday, May 9: $150 - Pitch on Saturday, May 9: $50 - Query Letter Critique on Friday, May 8: $50 - Workshop on Friday, May 8: $50 - Editor Q&A Panel on Friday, May 8: $30 - Agent Q&A Panel on Saturday, May 9: $30 - Atlanta Writers Conference Package All Activities option (all six activities above plus an extra manuscript critique and an extra pitch): $500 Remember, participating in any of the above entitles you to attend the two 45-minute seminars on Friday, the Friday night mixer, the four 75-minute seminars on Saturday, and the Saturday afternoon award ceremony. You must be a 2015 Atlanta Writers Club member to participate in the conference (your dues need to be current through May 9, 2015). If you would like to join the club or renew your membership so you can participate, we will add $40 to your total to cover club dues; your membership will be valid for 365 days. THE LOCATION Westin Atlanta Airport Hotel 4736 Best Road Atlanta, GA 30337 404-762-7676 westin A free shuttle runs between the Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport and the hotel every 15-20 minutes, so you can take MARTA to the airport and hop the free shuttle to the hotel, which saves you money and the hassle of driving, and provides an environmentally friendly option. If you do choose to drive, plenty of parking exists in the hotel lot. Note: the hotel charges a parking fee. If you choose to stay at the Westin on the night of Friday, May 8 so youll be fresh and well rested for the Saturday activities, weve negotiated a great Atlanta Writers Conference discount ($89/night+tax) for a block of rooms. REGISTRATION After you have reviewed the Conference activities and selected your preferred editors and/or agents--if you want to do either or both of the one-on-one activities--please go to the Conference registration page and use the link there to register: atlantawritersconference/registration/ Youll be asked a series of questions, including your name and the e-mail address where you receive Atlanta Writers Club messages (such as this one youre reading!). This e-mail address is tied to your membership, so if you dont provide the correct e-mail address, the system will assume you are not a current member and add $40 to cover yearlong dues. If you have a question about the e-mail address that the Atlanta Writers Club has on file, please contact Atlanta Writers Conference Director George Weinstein at awconference@gmail. You must use the conference registration system link to register--please do not send an e-mail directly to George to register. DEADLINES Spots for the critique, pitch, and query letter critique may fill completely during the first month of enrollment, so if you want to participate in those activities especially, register now. The deadline to register for a manuscript critique and submit your work for evaluation is April 8. The deadline to register for the other activities is May 6, assuming spots remain open. In all cases, payment is due two weeks after you register, or by May 6, whichever comes first. If you fail to pay, you will be removed from the registration list so that others can fill those spots. REFUND POLICY To offset Atlanta Writers Club costs incurred for providing refunds, $30 will be withheld for any refunds given. If you paid for a manuscript critique but cannot make it to the conference, to receive your refund you must notify me at awconference@gmail no later than March 25; if you already submitted your materials for manuscript critique, you will not receive a refund but the editors/agents written comments will be sent to you. For all other activities, to receive a refund you must notify me at awconference@gmail no later than April 15. Finally, if an editor/agent has to withdraw from the conference, well enlist another editor/agent to fill the withdrawing guests place and well confirm if that individual will suit you. If we cannot enlist a substitute editor/agent you deem suitable, and no openings occur among any other editor/agent you prefer, you will receive a full refund regardless of the deadlines. Likewise, if the Friday workshop presenter cancels and no substitute can be found to address the same topics, you will receive a full refund regardless of the deadlines. QUESTIONS? Please contact George Weinstein, Atlanta Writers Conference Director: awconference@gmail.
Posted on: Fri, 02 Jan 2015 17:34:07 +0000
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