HOW TO CREATE A KILLER PITCH AND QUERY LETTER
Hear from an industry expert– Founder and President of the Allen O’Shea Literary Agency and author of The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Book Proposals and Query Letters– about what it takes to make your sales pitch pop in a hyper-competitive field. You’ve probably read about how overwhelmed agents and editors are with submissions these days. Agents and editors are focused on finding projects that come with a built-in media platform, today’s magic password for publishing. For those of us not named Oprah or Stephen King, that means there is more pressure than ever to create pitches and queries that get attention and beg the industry insiders to ask you for more of your work. Ones that will get your story or idea to stand out, break through and ultimately tickle
a buyer’s sales bone. To help make this challenge a little less daunting, this workshop will walk you through key elements of crafting a killer query letter to maximize your book’s chances of selling. We will cover tips and tricks (and mistakes to avoid) to keep your project from going directly into the slush pile and instead keep your reader riveted. You will learn how to; position your book, prepare a submission plan, create compelling opening lines, identify your target audience and present a powerful marketing statement.
With Marilyn Allen
WHAT CAN WRITERS LEARN FROM LINGUISTS? Creating Pitch-Perfect Dialogue Do you stand “in line” or “on line”? Are the words address and police accented on the first or second syllable? Do you pronounce the word “can” the same way as a noun and as a verb? Does bought rhyme with apricot. Does a child bring a bucket or a pale to the beach? These are the sorts of questions long used by linguistics to categorize dialects and by many a would-be Henry Higgins to identify the geographic origins of speakers at cocktail parties. Unfortunately, they are also the sorts of questions that writers must ask to form convincing dialogue--and too few do so. The result is having characters who sound the identical. This workshop will share a few distinctive tricks to pepper prose with distinctive syntax and diction; students will also discover ways of acquiring more of these devices on their own.
With Jacob Appel
WRITING FOR CHILDREN, MIDDLE-GRADE, AND YA
Flannery O’Connor wrote, “Anybody who has s urvived his childhood has enough information about life to last him the rest of his days.” All fiction writers use their own experience to a greater or lesser degree. So how do you find the “Story” within your own memories and history and use it successfully in your writing? In this workshop, Ms. Baskin (who is the first to tell you that all her fiction is autobiographical) will explore how to mine your own memories and find the “truth” without compromising the fiction to create successful stories for the middle-grade and YA audiences. The workshop is perfect for anyone interested in working in children’s publishing whether you are using your own history or not. Story is story, after all.
With Nora Baskin
WRITING AND SELLING NON-FICTION
YOU SHOULD REALLY WRITE A BOOK: How To Write, Sell, and Market Your Memoir
In this course we will address the non-fiction market, how to submit non-fiction, the specialties of writing non-fiction vs fiction writing. The first half of the workshop will offer general guidance and tips on WRITING good, saleable, solid non-fiction. The second half will be about SELLING non-fiction. This course is for both the beginner and advanced writer and will provide the techniques, the pitfalls, the key information on how to find/decide on topics and how to sell this to a reputable publication.
If you’ve ever been told that “you should really writer a book” and you’ve decided to give it a try, then this is the workshop for you! It hones in on the three key measures necessary for aspiring authors to conceptualize, sell, and market their memoirs In this class, we will: • Explore the six major memoir categories • Discuss how to deal with complicated emotions that come up during the writing process • Explore the essential framework for anyone wanting to write a commercially viable memoir • Discuss how to work with a ghost writer and/or collaborator • Discuss how to write a book proposal and query letter
With Jacqueline Bishop
With WithRegina Nora Baskin Brooks
PROMOTION YOURSELF IN THE MAINSTREAM MEDIA While social media continues to have a significant impact on contemporary communications platforms, broadcast media is still the strongest and most direct platform for delivering your message to the masses. Both terrestrial and cable television need to fill millions of hours of programming each year. And while much of local radio has gone to syndicated programming, local hosts still dominate the airwaves in small and medium markets, and desperately need fresh content daily. Many local newspapers still offer book reviews, and often times the reviewer will opt to review a local work, rather than parrot what a New York Times reviewer has just published. And bookstores aggressively encourage local authors to appear, perform a reading and talk about their book.
Your work can be ground breaking, but if you lack the ability to promote yourself and your work, it can often mean the difference between the success or failure of an effort you have poured years of your life into. Most interviews are between 4 to 7 minutes long. In that short period of time you need to be able to summarize, encapsulate and deliver a compelling reason for potential customers to buy your book. This seminar will teach you the basics of the live interview, some basic presentation skills and how to land the interview as well as perform interesting live readings at libraries, bookstores, etc.
With WithJack NoraCamarda Baskin
THE DOS AND DON’TS OF WRITING ROMANCE
A discussion about one of the most profitable genres in all of publishing (after suspense and thrillers) and a presentation of advice gathered from 50+ Harlequin editors regarding how to write a successful romance. Q&A to follow.
With Dana Hamilton
WORKING WITH POETRY PROMPTS
You have within you your own stories, memories, and artistic influences—the subject matter for poems—and often all you need is the right kind of creativity-boosting prompt to help you shape that material into a poem. Lynn Levin, co-author of Poems for the Writing: Prompts for Poets, a finalist for the 2014 Next Generation Indie Book Award in education/academic books, will show you how to use several of the unique prompts in the book. Whether you are a beginning poet, a published poet, or at any stage in-between, you’ll find inspiration and guidance in these prompts, which are all classroom and workshop tested. This fun, positive, and supportive workshop will include some in-class writing and sharing.
With With WithJack Nora Lynn Camarda Baskin Levin
THE CRAFT OF EDITING FOR WRITERS
In today’s world, knowing how to edit your own work, or at least having the knowledge and skills to approach it, is essential for many reasons, not least of which is the knowledge that the work you have submitted for publication is the very best it can possibly be. Additional suggestions may come–from agents, editors, friends, colleagues– but the task of honing the work, of fine-tuning it so that it accurately reflects your intention falls on the writer’s shoulders. A well-edited work is transparent. It presents no impediments to comprehension, it is immediately accessible and plausible, and the reader is able to enter the author’s world and make it her own. This is when a work directly related to problems in their works towards the end truly begins to exist–
when the reader has made it his/her own. In this workshop, we will see how writers edit themselves, how readers reinvent the work, and how the work then becomes as much the reader’s as the writer’s. By focusing on the link between the author and the reader, which is the process of reading a writer’s work, we will see how meaning is conveyed, how significance is achieved, and how these govern the art of editing. Participants should feel free to ask questions directly related to problems in their works towards the end of the session.
With Kamlani With WithBeena Jack NoraCamarda Baskin
COMEDY WRITING SECRETS OF THE GODS
FROM SCRIPT TO SCREEN
Who says you can’t teach people how to be funny? Comedy writers, that’s who. Comedy writer John Marshall breaks ranks with his colleagues and reveals the techniques, principles, tricks of the trade, shortcuts and other inside bits of knowledge he’s not supposed to tell. He brings 20 years of experience writing for Chris Rock, Jay Leno, Bill Maher, Colin Quinn, and many others to a workshop jammed full of laughs and insight. Satisfaction guaranteed or double your punchlines back.
“You cannot wait around for someone else to give you permission to tell your stories.” ~ Nora Ephron Isn’t that the truth? Often, we have that one idea that keeps nagging at us to put it on the page. But how? In this workshop, we will discuss the crucial elements for crafting a professional screenplay in today’s market: Is your story tracking well? Does your first page pop? Are your characters interesting and multi-layered? Are the states in your story “big enough?” These are just some of the areas we will cover in the workshop along with a discussion about different venues for launching your script and how to navigate the marketplace.
With John Marshall
With GiGi New With With Jack Nora Camarda Baskin
SETTING AS CHARACTER, CHARACTER AS SETTING
Setting is not distinct from the rest of your novel. What makes up your character’s world—where they work, where they spend their free time, how they dress—tells us a lot about the character, and what the narrative voice chooses to tell us about that world, whether in first person or third, reveals even more. A character who is an architect or an interior designer experiences a room differently than a busy doctor who barely notices where he is. Characters can themselves be setting; a room full of people changes the nature of a conversation taking place in that room; the nature of that roomful of people changes it again. When you’re conscious of this, you have greater control of not just the wallpaper and furniture and historical details, but of your characters and your story.
We will discuss methods of creating settings economically and powerfully—the telling detail instead of the laundry list—and how to use them as an integral part of character-building and storytelling.
With Howard Mittelmark With With Jack NoraCamarda Baskin
E-BOOK FACT AND FICTION
THE DO’S AND DON’TS OF SELF-PUBLISHING
Just how much do you really know about e-books? This fun and informative session will take a look at some myths and mysteries of publishing’s digital revolution, including the growth of straight-to-e-book publishing and innovations in digital marketing strategies.
Self-publishing has become an attractive choice for many authors, a far cry from its days in the last-resort ghetto. But there’s a lot of steps in between deciding to self-publish and joining the ranks of successful indie authors smiling brightly as their e-books sell millions of copies. Learn about the practical Dos and Don’ts of self-publishing, from deciding whether it’s the right fit for your book to navigating the wild west of self-promotion.
With Sharon Pelletier
With Pelletier With WithSharon Jack NoraCamarda Baskin
ACTION IS CHARACTER
DISCOVERability
Action is character. These are among the last words F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote, found in the notes to his last, unfinished, novel, The Love of the Last Tycoon. Even after he had written works (including The Great Gatsby) that would come to define the art of fiction in the 20th century, he was prompting himself not to forget this most basic precept of storytelling, reminding himself that one’s character is most defined by one’s actions. Not what she thinks, not what she says, not even, really, what she wants. Only this: what she does. In this workshop you will explore this construct of character, reading exemplary passages, writing original fragments, and creating your own characters, whose actions will define them concretely for your readers.
Take a look with new eyes at your work. Ask yourself: what is my unique voice? What is my lens, the prism through which I am writing? ...and if you are thinking about taking your writing into the marketplace - who are your readers, and how will you each them? This is a new way to think about writing ...what is specific, unique, fresh and interesting about you, and about your work? Why? How do you want readers to respond to you? Are there regional hooks? Demographics to use? Where do you find ideas to showcase you, the author? What are the new and emerging markets? Here are guiding principles of successful writers and new media marketing opportunities and the new uses for content.
With G.D.Peters
With WithJack NoraCamarda Baskin With Katharine Sands
QUERIAL KILLERS: How Not to Get an Agent Even If You Are A Brilliant Writer!
GRAPHIC NOVELS: An Illustrated Guide
In this hands-on workshop, you’ll learn: about the easy-to-fix mistakes writers make when querying agents. What to do -- and what not to do -- when you set out to woo and win a literary agent. How to understand the literary agent’s mind-set, and the reasons a talented writer gets turned down.
Self-publishing has become an attractive choice for many authors, a far cry from its days in the last-resort ghetto. But there’s a lot of steps in between deciding to self-publish and joining the ranks of successful indie authors smiling brightly as their e-books sell millions of copies. Learn about the practical Dos and Don’ts of self-publishing, from deciding whether it’s the right fit for your book to navigating the wild west of self-promotion.
With Katharine Sands
With WithEddie Jack NoraCamarda Baskin With Schneider
THE ROLE OF COVER COPY IN MARKETING BOOKS
What exactly is cover copy and what is its purpose? A synopsis of a book is intended to sell a project to an editor. Cover copy, on the other hand, is a different kettle of fish, aimed at selling a finished book to booksellers and readers and often to reviewers as well. The entire “package” of a book—including art and copy—is one of the most important elements in a publisher’s “marketing arsenal.” In this workshop, veteran Simon & Schuster copywriter, Eliza Shallcross, steps you through the elements of cover copy, covering important considerations that vary from catching the reader’s eye to the physical limitations that dictate the finished copy.
Whether you are looking to understand the role that cover copy plays in marketing a book, assisting your publishing company to market your own book in a way that will maximize sales, or even jumping into writing copy yourself, this workshop will serve as an excellent introduction to the entire process.
With WithEliza Jack NoraCamarda Baskin With Shallcross
WRITING FROM WITHIN
WRITING SCI-FI/FANTASY
A unique group-interactive writing exercise through which you will become aware of and connect with your essential inner voice, which is always crying to be heard. Whether you are an advanced writer or a novice, this session will help you discover what happens when you get out of your own way and let the unconscious and intuitive side of your brain do more of the work. This is NOT a lecture. Bring something to write with, something to write on, and prepare to surprise yourself.
Join writer and editor Paul Witcover for an out-of-this-world exploration of writing science fiction and fantasy. The one-hour workshop will feature a mix of lecture and exercises, and will cover everything from world-building and infodumping strategies to character development and ‌ along with information on how and where to publish your work.
With Lee Stringer
With WithPaul Jack NoraCamarda Witcover Baskin