PNWA 2015's Editors Forum

(Image of Perry White from Smallville Wikia)

 

This year's Editors Forum was actually the fourth conference session I attended.  Normally, I write my blogposts in chronological order, but I'm feeling lazy and I'm pressed for time.

Back in 2012, when I last attended, Perennial Emcee Bob Dugoni skipped the Editor introductions in the interest of saving valuable time, assuming everyone could read their bios in the conference handout.

He said he wouldn't do that again because he nearly had a riot on his hands afterwards.  So each editor present introduced themselves, told the audience what publication they work for and what genres they're interested in acquiring.

Bob assured the audience that these folks were friendly and approachable (unlike Perry White, pictured above), and didn't fall asleep at night counting the ways they could reject your work.

So here's this year's list of Editors-at-Large:

Peter Field (Timberline Review)

Sheila Gilbert (DAW Books)

Brit Hvide (Simon & Schuster)

Jennifer Letwack (Thomas Dunne Books)

Allison Lyons (Harlequin)

Anna Michels (Sourcebooks)

Lynn Price (Behler Publications)

John Raab (Suspense Publishing)

Robert Sappington (Harken Media)

Adam Wilson (Gallery Books)


After the intros, we jumped right into the Q&A (Questions & Answers).

Since I'm writing a webcomic, and wasn't stalking submitting work to editors, I didn't pay too much attention to inquiries and responses.

When I was paying attention, I actually learned a few things:

One of them being the new term "New Adult" to describe books for college-aged kids (18-22 year olds).  These are mostly coming-of-age stories that are romance-focused, and attempt to answer such monumental questions like:  What kind of job will I get? What will I do with my life? Will I ever get laid? 

The term "mainstream" tends to be a literary default setting when publishers aren't sure what genre to pigeon-hole your work.

One-of books are increasing in popularity among publishers.  They're reluctant to invest additional seed money into a series, especially since subsequent books usually don't earn as much as the initial book.

So when you're pitching you're book, and envision it as Number One in an Epic Series of Epic Proportions, it's best to keep your delusions hopes to yourself. 

Unless publishers inquire about the possibility of a series, or your name is George R. R. Martin, or J. K. Rowling.

In the meantime, each book must stand alone and be a complete story in-and-of itself.

2012 PNWA Conference: Editors Forum

(Image:  J.K. Simmons, as J. Jonah Jameson in Spider-Man)

Getting published can make one feel like a superhero.  But even superheroes need a support network.  Because of their role, writers often view editors as adversaries, like Spiderman vs. J. Jonah Jameson.  However, they have a business to manage and, like writers, are also trying to produce the best work possible.

Publishing is a collaborative effort among writers, agents, editors and publication companies.  So it's best to maintain a sense of professionalism at all times.  In doing so, a writer might gain an editor as an ally, just like Superman did with Perry White.

(Image:  Laurence Fishburne, as Perry White in the upcoming movie, Man of Steel) 

The trick in gaining an editor-ally is finding them.  And attending writers conferences, like this year's PNWA conference, is one good way to gain personal access to potential allies. 

The Editors Forum was the lead event for the second day of the conference (Friday, 20 July).  According to the official guide, nine editors were on hand for a panel discussion.  But by the time I arrived, I swear there was ten, or more people on stage. 

Yes, I was late again.  This time, I ended up chatting with C.C. Humphreys about a wargame rules orientation we planned on conducting.  (More about this after my Agents Forum post).

When I finally sat down, Bob Dugoni, our perennial emcee, had the forum well underway.  The panel consisted of the following editors (links are to the publishing houses they represented):

Tracy Bernstein, Tom Colgan, Renda Dodge, Diane Gedymin, Peter Lynch, Melissa Manlove, Lynn Price and Tom Schulte.

I'm afraid I was preoccupied with my upcoming game with Chris, so I don't have extensive notes on this opening forum.  I did however, manage to jot down the following advice:

From Tom Colgan:  Don't write to the market. 

The hot, new trend will be old and cold by the time you're ready to present your draft to an agent or editor.

From Tim Schulte:  Write what you're passionate about. 

This is a change from the old mantra that was "write what you know,"  because it's not possible to become an expert in everything. 

Lynn Price and Diane Gedymin had this to say, regarding memoirs:  They must have a unique perspective and a consistent theme throughout. 

In other words, a memoir should be more than a laundry list of significant and/or sucky events that have happened in your life.

Bob brought up the issue of self publishing and said there was good news and bad news.

The good news:  Anybody can self publish.

This means you can get your book printed, even without approval from the publishing industry's "gatekeepers."

But the bad news is:  Anybody can self publish.

In other words, there's a lot of trash out there readers have to be wary of. 

Finally, Tim Schulte had this to say:  Write a good story.

Sounds simple enough, doesn't it?

2011 PNWA Conference: Editors Forum

Editors reading my prose.

(Image from: e-reads)

This was Friday's big event.  Ten editors gave an overview of the books they are looking for and the best way to submit your work.  Bob Dugoni, hosted the forum and moderated the Q&A session.  I liked how Bob established an ROE (military-ese for "Rules of Engagement") for attendees to refrain from asking questions specific to their WIP (writer-ese for "Work in Progress").

The panel of editors, (company links included), consisted of:

Anne Bensson, Brian Hades, Peter Lynch, Julie Matysik, Aubrey Poole, Lynn Price, Michelle Richter, Chuck Sambuchino, J. Ellen Smith and Shane Thomson 

One of the first questions of the day was:  What, exactly, do editors do?

"Their goal is to make a better book"--Michelle Richter.

"Coordinate with all the other departments [in the publishing company]"--Anne Bensson.

"Act as your clone to help coordinate efforts"--Peter Lynch.

What is the most important Point in the Pitch?

"A good, marketable, readable product"--Brian Hades.

"Voice"--Peter Lynch, "especially for YA (Young Adult)"--Aubrey Poole.

"A platform for non-fiction"--Chuck Sambuchino.

"A unique spin"--J.Ellen Smith.

"For memoirs, understand the market and the competition"--Lynn Price.

"Research the publishing company"--Julie Matysik.

Does self-publishing hurt an author's chance with publishing companies?

"No"--just about everyone on the panel. 

However, they commented that mainstream publishing helps gain exposure that self-publishing can't.

Do you take un-agented manuscripts?

"Yes"--Aubrey Poole

Do you work with a cadre of agents?

"Yes"--Michelle Richter answered on behalf of the entire panel.  However, "we're willing to work with new ones, but it's like going on a blind date."

Should an author acquire an agent after the book has been acquired?

"No"--Aubrey Poole.

However, Lynn Price said yes and "... appreciates it when an author does so in order to navigate the maze of the publication process."

This difference exemplifies the most important thing writers should do when querying publishing houses--read their guidelines.

And there you have it, some words of wisdom in today's publishing industry.

PNWA 2010 Conference: Agents and Editors Forum

 

Literary agents aren't involved in international intrigue.  (Although, wouldn't that be cool if they were?).  Instead, theyr'e embedded in the publishing industry.  They form a partnership with authors; much like John Steed and Emma Peel (played by Patrick Macnee and Diana Rigg), of the Avengers, pictured above.  They provide the left-brain business savy to the author's right-brain creativity.

This year, PNWA did away with the agent and editor workshop and dove right into the forum.  Both forums, conducted back-to-back, were hosted by PNWA's perennial MC, Robert Dugoni, who has a talent for keeing this lively and on track. After each agent/editor introduced themselves and discussed what genres they dealt with, Rob would open things up to extensive Q&A sessions.

As in years past, I still don't have a book in the making.  However, I always enjoy attending these forums in order to see the friends I made the previous year and meet new people.  (I avoid using the term "networking" as much as possible).   Sitting in on these forums also keeps me informed of the latest trends in the publishing industry.

Agents present this year were:

John Baker, Barbara Braun, April Eberhardt, Amberly Finarelli, Sally Harding, Esmond Harmsworth, Christina Hogrebe, Andrea Hurst, Laurie McLean, Joe Monti, Laura Rennert, Jennifer Rofe, Rita Rosenkranz, Melissa Sarver, Erika Storella, Carolyn Swayze, Elizabeth Wales, Christina Ward and Cherry Weiner.

While the following editors were also present:

Paul Dinas, E. Kieth Howick, Monica Howick, Peter Lynch, Paula Munier, Lynn Price, Michelle Richter, Shane Thomson, Michelle Vega and Adam Wilson.

And for a closing note, here's the Avengers theme song:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvmgrnsaE1U&feature=related 

Agent Dos and Don'ts Forum

(Photo of Patrick McGoohan as John Drake in Secret Agent)

No I'm not referring to swallowing the coded message before you memorized it.

I'm talking about acquiring a literary agent to help you publish your book or screenplay.

This PNWA Summer Conference workshop, along with the Agents Forum was hosted by Robert Dugoni and attended by about a dozen literary agents. This gave a chance for all the attendees to see the agents en-masse and hear what each one was specifically looking for. Individual meetings between authors and agents were then conducted throughout the conference.

Below are some of the highlights of this seminar--

Literary agents are the business partners for authors and it's important to find an agent as enthusiastic as you are.

Initially you only have a few moments to pitch your book during a personal meeting with an agent, so they want to know the following:

1. Who is the protagonist?

2. What does he/she want?

3. What obstacles are in the way?

4. What is the resolution?


It's best to approach an agent with a plan. That is, to have long-term publishing goals--don't just have one book in mind.

Writing is, more often than not, a profession of rejection criticism and critique. So an author must be able to go back and re-evaluate, edit and revise his work.

The panel also advised on building a platform (see the 7 Aug 09 post).

The agents panel cited the following mistakes made when authors submit query letters:

1. Not explaining enough about the story
2. Writing too much about themselves

3. For non-fiction--lack of experience, or access to an expert on the subject they're writing about


If a writer does attract an agent's attention then he or she should avoid these blunders in their work:

1. Vague opening

2. Too much description or scene-setting

3. Too much back story

4. Not enough tension


The workshop ended with an extensive Q&A period. I didn't have any novel-length material to pitch, so I didn't pay any attention to the questions and agent responses. Instead I thought back to last year's conference where I pitched an article idea to Maria Schneider, who was the editor of Writer's Digest, and to Ronald Kovach the Senior Editor of The Writer.

My proposal was to highlight the advantages and disadvantages of writing within a niche market, which in my case was the wargaming hobby. Fate lent a helping hand prior to my scheduled meeting when Maria sat at our table during that evening's dinner event. Once I recognized her, I introduced myself and promptly launched into my spiel. (I'm fairly certain I let her sit down first).

The next morning I had my official meeting with Maria and in addition to repeating my pitch, I brought along some supporting articles I found on the internet. I had an equally pleasant meeting with Ronald that afternoon. At the end of each session I asked both of them for feedback on my actual pitch presentation and received two "thumbs up."

Even with my "stellar performance" neither magazine accepted my article idea. Maria is now her own boss at Editor Unleashed and Ronald sent me a very nice "thanks-but-no-thanks" letter. Despite the outcome, I really enjoyed the experience and I now have the confidence to even do "elevator pitches." That is, being able to describe your story within the confines of an elevator before your prospective agent can escape--or push the fire alarm.

Some writers find pitching to be a nerve-wracking experience. To remedy such anxiety and in keeping with the Secret Agent theme of this post; my suggestion would be to think of the upcoming meeting this way:

Your mission is to smuggle vital secrets--your novel--past State Security and into the hands of an allied agent. You have papers--your appointment slip--that will allow you to slip past the hired guns (conference volunteers) and reach the safe-house (Agent & Editor Appointment Room) for your not-so clandestine meeting. Just be sure to leave the cyanide pill at home...

And of course no spy story would be complete without a theme song:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6iaR3WO71j4


Agents present this year were:

Emmanuelle Alspaugh, Michelle Brower, Minju Chang, Ginger Clark, Verna Dreisbach, April Eberhardt, Sorche Elizabeth Fairbank, Paul Fedorko, Sally Harding, Paul S. Levine, Matthew Mahoney, Jim McCarthy, Laurie McLean, Rebecca Oliver, Rita Rosenkranz, Meg Ruley, J.L. Stermer, Elizabeth Wales, Ted Weintsein and Page Wheeler.


The following editors were also present:

Maria Gaglioano (Penguin), Katie K. Gilligan (Thomas Dunne Books), Rose Hillard (St. Martin's Press), Kate Kennedy (Harmony and Shaye Areheart Books) and Brooke Warner (Seal Press).


For anyone interested, here's a short history of the Secret Agent Series:

http://www.tv.pop-cult.com/secret-agent.html