Guide to Literary Agents

How to Market and Sell Your Books
Posted by Chuck

I have some exciting news regarding WD's webinars. Agent Chip MacGregor, founder of MacGregor Literary, is teaching a new, amazing class called "Marketing for Authors." Chip, who runs a popular agent blog, is very wise when it comes to marketing both fiction and nonfiction. We are fortunate to have him aboard for this course, and I, for one, will be attending this webinar and yoking his knowledge.

This is a unique business-oriented webinar for authors who have self-published books out, authors who have traditional published books out, and authors who have books coming out soon. Chip will be presenting and also answering questions from writers.

DETAILS

It's a 90-minute webinar. It goes down at 1 p.m., EST Thursday, April 8. Each registration comes with access to the archived version of the program and the materials for 1 year. In other words, if something happens and you cannot attend it live, you can watch it later.

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN

These days most publishing houses expect their authors to handle the vast majority of the marketing effort for their books. Since most authors are trained writers but not trained publicists, it can be a bit daunting. The goal of this webinar will be to break the marketing process down into clear, doable steps. We'll explore how to create and begin implementing your own, personalized marketing plan to make your book stand out in a crowded marketplace. What you'll learn:

The basics of marketing in the new economy
What an author "brand" is, and how to establish and use it
Five things you can do to become your publisher's favorite author
What to expect your publisher to do (and what not to expect)
The keys to great marketing copy
How to get maximum impact out of social media

ABOUT CHIP

Chip MacGregor has been in publishing for almost three decades. He has represented hundreds of titles, his authors have won numerous awards, and the books he's represented have hit every major bestseller list, including #1 on the New York Times list.

Questions? Contact writingwebinars@fwmedia.com. Sign up here!

Marketing and Sales | Webinars

Saturday, March 13, 2010 4:01:36 PM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)

Comments [1]

Sunday, March 07, 2010

Agent Rachelle Gardner's Teaching a Webinar!
Posted by Chuck

Exciting news. Literary agent Rachelle Gardner (well known for her super-awesome and popular publishing blog) will be teaching an online webinar on Thursday, March 11, on "How Do Agents and Editors Decide?" It's a 90-minute online class guaranteed to be an info-filled bonanza of advice and tips for both fiction and nonfiction writers.

ABOUT RACHELLE:

Let's cut right to the chase: Rachelle knows her stuff. Her publishing blog has been on the Writer's Digest 101 Best Sites every single year that her site's been in existence. If memory serves, she mentioned that about 450,000 people visited her site last year to learn from her. What does it all mean? Rachelle knows how to communicate ideas and tips that writers can take away.

She is an agent with Wordserve Literary Group. She's looking at all genres of adult fiction except fantasy, sci-fi, and erotica, and prefers stories with strong characters and page-turning plots. Currently her favorite genres are contemporary women's fiction, historical romance, and romantic suspense. In nonfiction, she's looking for authors with strong messages (for either a Christian audience or the general market) and significant marketing platforms.

ABOUT THE WEBINAR:

Why do some projects get picked out of the pile by agents and editors while most do not? It's because great books that catch the eyes of the pros are a combination of an excellent idea, excellent writing, and, in some cases, an excellent platform.

In this webinar, writers will learn:

How to capture your book in a compelling hook that will draw the attention of agents and editors.
How to determine if your rejections are less about your project and more about the marketplace.
What is meant by the "competitive advantage" and how to know if you have it.
How to make your writing shine—taking an idea and fleshing it out with voice, narrative, point-of-view, and structure.
How to develop an attractive writer platform—connecting with other writers and individuals while making yourself a visible authority on a subject.
How agents and editors quickly look over a project and decide if it has the necessary elements to make them request more.
How to get your book published!

ASK QUESTIONS!

One of the best parts about webinars is that you get to interact and ask questions to the presenter. Rachelle will address writer questions in real time. If she can't get around to all questions during the seminar, she'll address them afterward and e-mail you the answers! No question goes unanswered, so sign up for "How Do Agents and Editors Decide?" today!

Want more on this subject?

Confused about formatting? Check out Formatting & Submitting Your Manuscript.

Read about What Agents Hate: Chapter 1 Pet Peeves.

Want the most complete database of agents and what genres they're looking for? Buy the 2010 Guide to Literary Agents today!

Webinars

Sunday, March 07, 2010 11:26:12 AM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)

Comments [2]

Monday, December 14, 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!).

Webinars

Monday, December 14, 2009 2:44:09 PM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)

Comments [1]

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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