Guide to Literary Agents

You hear me talk a lot on this blog about the writers' conferences I attend and the presentations I give on agents and pitching. Well, if you've ever wanted to attend such a conference but can't because of money or proximity issues, here is your chance to listen in and ask questions from your computer at home!

I'm teaching a webinar at 1 p.m. EST, Thursday, Dec. 17 on "How to Land a Literary Agent."

Some praise from past attendees:

"Thank you so much for putting the time and
effort into the agent workshop today Your answers
(to my questions and those of others) were
valuable and most appreciated. It was great to
hear you speak on such an important topic."
- John Backman (Attended May 14th webinar)

"Just a quick thank you for your presentation
on 'How to Find a Literary Agent'. Good information."
- Jennifer J. (Attended Oct. 8 webinar)

"Thank you so much for the information shared
in your webinar. The information provided will be
invaluable in my search for a literary agent."
- Paula Lieberman (Attended Oct. 8th webinar)

Here's the Gist:

You've finished your masterpiece. It's as good as you hoped it would be—but you're dreading the next step: finding a literary agent. This next step involves queries, synopses, selling your idea and much more. It's a completely different monster than actually sitting down to write.

If you're looking for guidance in the agent-hunting process or have questions that need answering, sign up for my webinar, "How to Land a Literary Agent," at 1 p.m., EST, Thursday, Dec. 17. There's a reason that "How to Land a Literary Agent" is WD's most popular webinar. It's because the online session crams tons of info into 90 minutes. Subjects I'll be talking about include, but are not limited to: queries, pitching, proposals, synopses, conferences, avoiding scammers, where to find agents, self-publishing, and how to target the best reps for you.

Do you know how to begin a query letter to an agent? I'll show you. Do you wonder about contacting multiple agents at the same time? We'll discuss that. Are you curious about how to protect yourself and your ideas from scammers and rip-off artists? We'll address that, too—and more. After editing the Guide to Literary Agents for three years and attending writers' conferences all over the country, I've learned all the ins and outs of how to snag a rep who can sell your work. If you sign up for this webinar , I can pass on what I've learned to you.

Also, attendees are free to ask as many questions as they like. Go on - hit me with your best shot! I'll be answering questions live in real time, and I will address all questions afterward and e-mail you the answers. No question will go unanswered—guaranteed. Also, attendees will be able to access and "rewatch" the entire presentation (so you don't have to take notes!).

Webinars

Friday, November 20, 2009 2:44:09 PM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)

Comments [0]

Tuesday, October 06, 2009

Sign Up For My Webinar: 'How to Land a Literary Agent'
Posted by Chuck

I'm teaching a webinar at 1 p.m. EST, Thursday, Oct. 8 on "How to Land a Literary Agent."

Here's the gist:

You've finished your masterpiece. It's as good as you hoped it would be - but you're dreading the next step: finding a literary agent. This next step involves queries, synopses, selling your idea and much more. It's a completely different monster than actually sitting down to write.

If you're looking for guidance in the agent-hunting process or have questions that need answering, sign up for my webinar, "How to Land a Literary Agent," at 1 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 8. There's a reason that "How to Land a Literary Agent" is WD's most popular webinar. It's because the online session crams tons of info into 90 minutes. Subjects I'll be talking about include, but are not limited to: queries, pitching, proposals, synopses, conferences, avoiding scammers, where to find agents, self-publishing, and how to pick the best one for you.

Do you know how to begin a query letter to an agent? I'll show you. Do you wonder about contacting multiple agents at the same time? We'll discuss that. Are you curious about how to protect yourself and your ideas from scammers and rip-off artists? We'll address that, too - and more. After editing the Guide to Literary Agents for three years and attending writers' conferences all over the country, I've learned all the ins and outs of how to snag a rep who can sell your work. If you sign up for this webinar, I can pass on what I've learned to you.

Also, attendees are free to ask as many questions as they like. Go on - hit me with your best shot! I'll be answering questions live in real time, and I will address all questions afterward and e-mail you the answers.

Webinars

Tuesday, October 06, 2009 11:46:45 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

Comments [2]

Monday, July 13, 2009

New WD Writing Prompts Blog! (and a Cool Webinar Coming Up)
Posted by Chuck

Zac Petit, my coworker and all-around awesome guy, has started a brand new blog dedicated to writing prompts. He will be posting prompts three times a week and the best writer response this week will collect several writing books as a prize. Sounds pretty sweet - check it out!

Query Letter, Anyone?

Also, my coworkers Jane Friedman and Alice Pope are leading a new webinar called Extreme Makeover: The Query Letter - How to Write a Book Query Letter That Gets a Response. It all goes down at 1 p.m. EST, Thursday, July 23. All attendees will be invited to submit a one-page book query letter for potential critique in this hands-on session.

Attendees will get to see how average query letters can be transformed into strong and persuasive letters. Sign up for the webinar here!

Contests | Webinars

Monday, July 13, 2009 10:33:13 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

Comments [1]

Tuesday, July 07, 2009

Around the WD Properties: 7-7-09
Posted by Chuck

Here is a look at things going on
around the Writer's Digest world
and more.

Call for Submissions!

The editorial staff of Writer's Digest Market Books is now open to queries for the 2010 editions of Photographer's Market, Songwriter's Market and Artist's & Graphic Designer's Market (which will be published in October 2009).

These books, similar to Writer's Market, offer craft- and business-related articles for photographers, songwriters and artists as well as interviews with both newer and more experienced professionals in these areas. (Refer to past editions for examples.) If you have an idea for an article or interview, e-mail your query to alice.pope@fwmedia.com.

Short Short Story Competition

The 10th Annual Writer's Digest Short Short Story Competition is accepting entries! We're looking for fiction that's bold, brilliant ... but brief. Send us your best in 1,500 words or fewer. But don't be too long about it—the deadline is December 1, 2009.

The Grand-Prize winner will receive $3,000 (that's $2—or more—per word).
For guidelines, prizes and to enter online, click here.

Sign Up for My Magazine Freelancing Webinar!

Editor's note: I did the webinar yesterday with Zac and everything went very well. Keep your eyes on www.writersdigest.com/webinars to see the next time we teach the class

I am teaching a webinar on Freelancing this Thursday at 1 p.m. It's all about the basics of freelancing for magazines, newspapers and online. We'll talk about everything - how to come with ideas, how to compose a query, how to resell old pieces, how to pitch a market correctly - all that stuff. Freelancing should not be underestimated. You bring in more money, you build your platform, you build your credentials and you make sure you're not putting all your eggs in one basket.
And as if the webinar wasn't awesome enough already, I will be joined by Writer's Digest managing editor Zac Petit, who will chime in with some great advice. Every question asked will be answered, either live during the seminar or afterward. Sign up today!

Around the Properties | Contests | Nonfiction | Webinars

Tuesday, July 07, 2009 4:56:45 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

Comments [1]

Friday, May 29, 2009

Page 2 News: A Smattering of Info
Posted by Chuck

Here are some news bits
that are cool but didn't
necessitate their own post:

Come to the Wyoming Writers' Conference!
I'll be teaching and meeting with writers this weekend (June 5-7) at this conference, held in the scenic Mountain West. Check this website to learn all the details. Literary agent Meredith Kaffel will be there taking pitches and the location seems like an amazing place to relax and recharge your writing batteries.

I'm Teaching a Webinar on Writing for Magazines
Actually, I'm co-instructing it with Writer's Digest Editor Jessica Strawser. And together, we shall tackle the ins and outs of how to start your writing career in the freelance world. We're so far ahead of schedule telling you about this that there isn't even a link yet. But what you can do is check back periodically on the WD Webinars page here and see if it's listed yet. It will be on Thursday, July 9, and you can access our presentation from anywhere. You will be invited to submit a query letter and we will critique 15 of these at random during the live event. We will also take questions!

Pitch Fest
On June 13-14, the Great American Pitch Fest will be going down in Los Angeles. If you've got a TV or screenplay idea, this will be the Mecca of people who want to hear what you've got. Best of all, WD contributing blogger Chad Gervich will be there teaching. See his blog post here about the whole thing.

Screenwriting and Script Agents | Webinars | Writers' Conferences

Friday, May 29, 2009 3:56:18 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

Comments [0]

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

I'm Teaching a Webinar: 'How to Land a Literary Agent'
Posted by Chuck

If you're on the hunt for a literary agent and want to take an online class to get your questions answered, here is your opportunity!

I will be teaching a webinar titled "How to Land a Literary Agent" on Thursday, May 14. You just log on to a Web site, listen in on my presentation, and ask questions as we go along. Ask as many questions as you want! Even if we run out of time, I will still address all questions afterward and then e-mail you the answers so we can stay in touch.

This is my second agent workshop, and the first one was a big hit. Just this past weekend when I was in Vegas, and met a nice gentleman who said he listened in on this same webinar back in February - saying it was a big help to him.

In this webinar, I will be explaining all kinds of things, such as:
       - What agents do for writers
       - How to protect yourself from online scammers
       - What makes up a successful query, synopsis, and book proposal
       - How to break down a query letter
       - How to research agents and identify your best options
       - And plenty of other ins & outs of submissions, from querying multiple agents at once, to electronic submissions, to meeting agents in person at conferences. Everything is up for discussion.

The class will be helpful and a lot of fun. I hope to "see" you there! Sign up by clicking on this link.

Webinars

Wednesday, April 22, 2009 1:15:12 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

Comments [2]

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