2008
Pre-Conference Pitch WorkshopsThe 2008 Conference features
four pre-conference Pitch Workshops taught by an agent or editor. This is a fantastic
opportunity to learn how to pitch your manuscript or non-fiction book proposal
from an experienced veteran of the publishing industry.
Workshop fees
are $50, and each class is limited to 40 registrants.
Each two-hour
workshop will focus on the following: - Pitching your book to an agent
or editor face-to-face
- Speaking confidently about your work
- Getting
to the heart of your story/idea quickly and effectively
- Describing
your book in an engaging and exciting way
- Identifying your genre and
potential audience
- Finding the right "hook"
- Avoiding
common mistakes
NOTE: Registration for pre-conference workshops is
limited to
conference registrants until May 23. After May 23, workshop
registration
will be open to the general public, space permitting.
The pre-conference pitch workshops sell out quickly,
so make sure to
register as soon as possible.
Register
online with credit card or Paypal or pay by check
(fill out a form
and mail it to our office).
For more information, call 512.499.8914.
Workshops
will be taught by the following instructors:
|
Workshop
A - Abigail Koons, Literary Agent, Park Literary
- SOLD OUT!
|
Abigail
Koons | Eager to work with
emerging and established talent, Abigail Koons is currently looking to
add to her list of diverse and engaging authors. Her passion for travel makes
her a natural fit for adventure and travel narrative nonfiction, and she is also
seeking projects about popular science, history, politics, current events, and
art. Abigail is also interested in working with commercial fiction, especially
superb thrillers and mysteries. As the Foreign Rights Director, she continues
to build on her prior experience with agent Nicholas Ellison, as well as her time
with EF Education, a multinational corporation based in Sweden. Abigail is a graduate
of Boston University. | |
Workshop
B - Lindsey Moore, Associate Editor, Crown
Books/Random House
|
Lindsey Moore | Associate
Editor Lindsey Moore joined Crown three years ago after beginning her publishing
career at HarperCollins. Her list includes a wide range of commercial fiction
and nonfiction including pop culture, humor, music and film, memoir, and relationships
and sex. nonfiction-wise, her tastes trend toward the quirky and funny: more serious
or straightforward memoirs are not her forte, but anything self-deprecating, hilarious,
or campy is right up her alley. On the fiction side, she mainly looks for commercial
novels about strong female characters, including African-American and Latin-American
fiction. Some current projects include the novel Hollywood Girls Club,
about four powerful women struggling in the backstabbing world of filmmaking;
The MANual: A True Bad Boy Explains How Men Think, Date, and Mate-and
What Women Can Do to Come Out on Top by former Today Show relationship expert
Steve Santagati; the recently published novel My Husband's Girlfriend,
about an African-American couple's struggle with sexual dysfunction and infidelity;
and a humor book called GET STUFFED: 24 Projects for the Bereaved Pet Owner.
Lindsey went to school at the University of Texas, during which time she worked
for several Austin bookstores, including BookPeople. |
Workshop
C - Chuck Sambuchino, Editor, Writers Digest
Guide to
Literary Agents | 
Chuck
Sambuchino | Chuck Sambuchino
is the editor of Guide to Literary Agents and the assistant editor of Writer's
Market (both Writer's Digest Books). Chuck is a former staffer of several
newspapers and magazines - most notably Writer's Digest. In addition, he
was recently named the founding editor of Screenwriter's and Playwright's Market,
a directory and instructional resource for those who write scripts and plays (December
2008 release). Chuck is a playwright, with both original and commissioned
works having been produced. He is also a freelance editor, public speaker, and
award-winning journalist - with accolades from both the Kentucky Press Association
and the Cincinnati Society of Professional Journalists. He teaches online instructional
courses through Writers Online
Workshops. Chuck is also a magazine freelancer, with recent articles
appearing in Watercolor Magic, Pennsylvania Magazine, The Pastel
Journal, Cincinnati Magazine, and New Mexico Magazine. Learn
more about him and his upcoming speaking engagements. Sign
up for his new free newsletter and read his blog. |
Workshop
D - Toni Plummer, Associate Editor, Thomas Dunne
Books/St.
Martin's Press |
Toni
Plummer | Toni Plummer
is an Assistant Editor at Thomas Dunne Books, a division of St. Martin's Press.
She edits several mystery series. These include police procedurals, private eye
novels, and genre veteran Robert J. Randisi's Rat Pack mystery series. In addition
to crime fiction, she is looking for literary fiction and other commercial fiction,
like general women's and chicklit. Her non-fiction interests include travel, philosophy,
cultural studies, narrative nonfiction, and memoir. She is especially interested
in acquiring Latino authors and books with multicultural themes. |
|
