2007 (Previous Year) Pre-Conference Workshops

Workshop - A
The Personal and the Public: Writing About Yourself and Others with Lee Gutkind

Lee Gutkind

Former director of the writing program at the University of Pittsburgh and currently Professor of English, Lee Gutkind has pioneered the teaching of creative nonfiction, conducting workshops and presenting readings throughout the United States, Europe and Australia. In this workshop on Creative Nonfiction writing, Lee shares his insights into this genre. If you are a creative nonfiction writer, you won't want to miss this workshop with the master.

(Class limit: 20)

Workshop - C
Pitching Your Non-Fiction Book with Suzy Spencer

Suzy Spencer

You know you've got a great idea for a non-fiction book, but how do you convince an agent or editor that your project has got what it takes to be a success? In this workshop, non-fiction author Suzy Spencer will show you how to talk about your work in a way that will get others as excited about it as you are. Learn how to sell your book idea in a concise, informative, and convincing pitch.

ABC's Primetime Live has referred to Suzy Spencer as Austin, Texas' best-known true crime writer. She is the author of Breaking Point, the story of Andrea Yates, a Book of the Month Club, Doubleday Book Club, Literary Guild and Mystery Guild selection; Wages of Sin; and Wasted, a New York Times bestseller and Violet Crown Book Award finalist. Suzy has appeared on Good Morning America, ABC World News, Primetime, Dateline NBC, Fox News, CNN, MSNBC, Court TV, Oxygen, and the E! Channel.

In 2003, she was hired as an ABC News Consultant to cover the Celeste Beard murder trial. The result was The Fortune Hunter, published in 2005. Called "riveting" and "blockbuster" by the Globe, The Fortune Hunter is currently in development at Robert Greenwald Productions as a Lifetime movie of the week.

Suzy has been the recipient of two Chilton Editorial Awards and a three-time semi-finalist in the Pirate's Alley Faulkner Awards. She holds a Masters of Professional Writing and a Masters of Business Administration, both from the University of Southern California. Currently, she is researching a book about sex in America, which will be published as a lead trade paperback by Berkley Books.

(Class limit: 70)

Karen MacInerney

If the prospect of encountering an agent face-to-face is enough to send you reaching for the Tums, then this is the pre-conference workshop for you. Haven't got a clue what to say when you finally meet your dream agent? Think a pitch is something that happens on a baseball field? Or do you have your game plan together, and feel you just need a few last-minute tweaks?

Whatever your situation, Karen MacInerney can help you craft a pitch that will grab an agent's attention - and show you how to approach an agent even if you don't have an appointment. A recent veteran of the "Agent Wars," Karen pitched her dream agent at the 2004 Agents and Editors conference, and was offered representation three weeks later. She has since sold six books in two different series; her first book, Murder on the Rocks, was recently nominated for an Agatha Award for Best First Novel. You can find her online at www.karenmacinerney.com.

(Class limit 70)

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Want to quit your day job? Want to get paid well and be a 'working' writer?

Dee Burks & Liz Ragland, authors of the book Picks & Shovels: Cashing in on the New Gold Rush in Ghostwriting (June 2007), will show you how to get started in the business of ghostwriting. In this workshop you will learn:

• What ghostwriting is and how it has changed over the last decade.
  
• What new opportunities are waiting for the hard working writer.
  
• How to present yourself as a professional and get paid, even while you are learning.
  
• How to find the business - approaching publishers and potential clients.
  How to interview the client and get the information you need to write their book.
  
• How to research and fact check in the most efficient way possible.
  
• Elements that should exist within each book and how to make your client's book unique.
  
• How to navigate contracts, royalties and letters of agreement.
  

Ghostwriting is a lucrative and fun job giving you the freedom to pursue your goals by writing for a living. Come join us and learn all the tools and techniques to get started on a career you will love!

(Class limit: 40)