Free Updates

Let us tell you when new posts are added!

Email:

Navigation

Categories

Search

Archives

<November 2009>
SunMonTueWedThuFriSat
25262728293031
1234567
891011121314
15161718192021
22232425262728
293012345

More Links

 Agency Gatekeeper
A literary agent shares secrets.
 Agent in the Middle
Agent Lori Perkins blogs and tells all
 Ashley Grayson Agent Blog
From the Ashley Grayson Literary Agency
 Association of Authors' Representatives
 Barbara Doyen's Articles Page
Agent Barbara Doyen shares her knowledge.
 Barry Goldblatt Literary
A blog from the whole agency.
 BookEnds Agent Blog
Agents from Bookends Literary blog
 Brenda Bowen
Agent Brenda Bowen's "Bunny Eat Bunny" kids writing blog.
 Cameron McClure
Cameron, with the Donald Maass Lit Agency, runs her "Book Cannibal" blog.
 Caren Johnson Literary Agency
The official CJLA blog
 Children's Writer's and Illustrator's Market Blog
This blog, run by Alice Pope, is a must-read for anyone writing in the juvenile market
 Chip MacGregor's Agent Blog
A Christian agent speaks
 Chuck's conference speaking schedule
See where Chuck will be presenting and when!
 Colleen Lindsay's Agent Blog
A new agent at FinePrint Literary blogs
 DHS Literary Blog
David Hale Smith's "Literary Show and Tell" blog.
 Diana Fox's Agent Blog
A literary agent talks publishing
 Dystel & Goderich Agent Blog
 Eddie Schneider
An agent from JABberwocky Literary blogs.
 Elaine English Literary Agency Blog
A blog from the whole agency.
 F+W Bookstore
Buy Guide to Literary Agents and a bunch of other great WD Books.
 FinePrint Literary Management Blog
A blog from the whole agency.
 Folio Literary Management's Blog
All the agents chime in on this new blog
 Fresh Books Blog
An agency blog.
 Full Circle Literary's Blog
Agents from Full Circle Literary in California blog
 Girl Meets Book
Agent Jamie Brenner of Artists & Artisans blogs.
 Greenhouse Literary Blog
Agent Sarah Davies shares her thoughts and wisdom
 Hartline Literary Blog
A blog from the whole agency.
 Janet Reid
Agent Janet Reid of FinePrint Literary gives her two cents on anything and everything
 Jennifer Jackson's Agent Blog
An agent with the Donald Maass Literary Agency blogs
 Jenny Bent's Blog
From the founder of The Bent Agency.
 Jill Corcoran
A kids agent at the Herman Agency blogs.
 Joshua Bilmes Agent Blog
JABberwocky Literary Agency
 Kelly Mortimer
Agent Kelly Mortimer's "Perils of Publishing" blog.
 Ken Atchity
The president of AEI, a script and literary management co., blogs.
 Kid Lit
A blog by kids agent Mary Kole of the Andrea Brown Literary Agency
 Kimberly Cameron & Associates
A blog from the whole agency.
 Knight Agency Blog
Exactly what it sounds like
 Laurie McLean's Agent Blog
The "Agent Savant" blog
 Lit Soup (Jenny Rappaport's Agent Blog)
An agent at the L. Perkins Agency blogs
 Lucienne Diver's Agent Blog
A blog on "Authorial, Agently and Personal Ramblings."
 Lyons Literary Agent Blog
Agent Jonathan Lyons blogs
 MFA Confidential Blog
This new WD blog features Kate Monahan and all things about getting an MFA
 Miss Snark
No longer active, but this blog by anonymous agent Miss Snark still has oodles of priceless info in its archives
 Nathan Bransford
A popular blog from an agent at Curtis Brown in San Francisco
 Nephele Tempest's Agent Blog
An agent with the Knight Agency blogs
 Poetic Asides
A poetry blog from the editor of Writer's Market
 Promptly (Prompts Blog)
WD's own blog of writing prompts, run by magazine staffer Zac Petit
 Pub Rants
Kristin Nelson's Agent Blog
 Publishers Marketplace
 Query Shark
Janet Reid's blog where she dissects query letters
 Questions and Quandaries Blog
WD staffer Brian A. Klems answers questions of all kinds
 Rachelle Gardner
A blog by an agent who specializes in Christian Writing
 Romantic Reads
Dorchester editor Leah Hultenschmidt blogs romance.
 Sara Crowe's Blog
An agent from Harvey Klinger blogs.
 Scott Eagan's Agent Blog
The great Greyhaus agent blogs away.
 Script Notes
A WD scriptwriting blog from Chad Gervich, TV producer
 Suzie Townsend
A new assistant agent at FinePrint Literary blogs.
 Terry Burns's Blog
An agent with Hartline Literary blogs.
 Terry Whalin's Blog
"The Writing Life," as told by a former editor and agent.
 The Buried Editor
A blog dedicated to juvenile writing (YA, middle grade, picture books) run by an editor at CBAY Books and Blooming Tree Press
 The Gail Ross Literary Agency
The agency blog.
 The Inside Pitch Screenwriting Blog
A Hollywood Executive Talks About Screenwriting
 The New Literary Agents
A few new literary agents share advice.
 The Rejecter (Anonymous Agent)
 The Shatzkin Files
 The Sound and the Furry
WD contributor Nancy Parish talks writing.
 There Are No Rules
Jane Friedman of Writer's Digest Books, talks about publishing trends and has interviews online
 Tracy Marchini
An agent from Curtis Brown, Ltd. blogs
 United States Copyright Office
 Upstart Crow Blog
A blog from the whole agency at Upstart Crow Literary.
 Waxman Literary Agency
A blog from the whole agency.
 Wendy Sherman Associates Blog
Multiple agents blog.
 Writer Beware
A site dedicated to protecting writers from scams of all kinds - including unscrupulous agents
 Writer Unboxed
Primarily devoted to genre fiction, this site features plenty of interviews with industry pros
 Writer's Digest magazine
This big hub has tons of online articles from past issues of WD. Check out the revamped new site!
 Writer's Market
This pay site is our online database of listings (magazines, book publishers, agents, and everything else). It has more than 6,000 listings.
 Writers Online Workshops
Online writing courses are taught by WD staffers and contributors
 Wylie Merrick Agency's Blog
 Zack Company Blog
Agent Andrew Zack blogs.

# Friday, November 20, 2009
Join Me for 'How to Land a Literary Agent'
Posted by Chuck

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!).

Sign up now! I hope to "see" you there.


Webinars
Bookmark and Share
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

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, 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. 

Sign up now!  I hope to "see" you there.


Webinars
Bookmark and Share
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
Bookmark and Share
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
Bookmark and Share
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
Bookmark and Share
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
Bookmark and Share
Wednesday, April 22, 2009 1:15:12 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)  #  Comments [2]