I could be biased, but for me, the keynote is the best part of every Write Stuff Conference. This year was no exception, with the multiple Bram Stoker Award-winning author Jonathan Maberry generously sharing several highlights of his journey as a working writer. As a full-time feature writer who dabbles in fiction, I appreciated so much of what Maberry shared with the attendees—namely, that he was a working feature writer long before he became a novelist. He simply loves to write and can’t wait to get back to his keyboard every day. He just likes writing fiction best of all.
Here are my top 5 takeaways (paraphrased a bit)—which I think are helpful lessons for all writers, regardless of genre—from his keynote:
Be open. Maberry writes in many different genres, and he said he chose his agent largely because she was open to repping him across those many genres. He said he rarely turns down an opportunity because many projects challenge him, and he likes a challenge. He stressed it’s important not to say you can’t do a project, even if it’s a type of writing you’ve never tried. He’s written sarcastic greeting cards, package copy, scripts for comic books—all because they stretched his writing muscles. He cautioned against limiting ourselves to one type or one genre of writing. He loves having fun with writing and encouraged us to do the same.
Be nice. Lift up other writers. Be supportive. Don’t develop an arrogant or jaded attitude about this amazing career. How many people can truly say they love what they do?
Be easy to work with. Maberry said part of the reason why he’s offered so many different kinds of projects is because he’s easygoing, easy to get along with, delivers on time, and isn’t too demanding. No “diva” attitudes here. Editors and project managers like writers who are easy to work with and deliver high-quality work, so those writers are the ones who get repeat business.
Be humble. Maberry admitted he broke into fiction late—he published his first novel at age 48—and said he still experiences impostor syndrome. He’s become friends with many of the writers he grew up reading—a fact that continues to blow him away. He counts Stephen King and Neil Gaiman among his friends. He remembers being that writer just starting out and never wants to lose that feeling.Lesson here: Be humble. Remember your roots and where you came from.
Be grateful. He closed with the message life is weird. Life is wonderful. Opportunities often fall into our laps; take advantage of every one. He’s grateful for the career he’s built, the relationships it’s provided him, and the opportunities he’s been given. Truly, great lessons for all of us!
What were some of your biggest takeaways from the 2024 Write Stuff Conference?
Friday night at this year’s Write Stuff conference includes an evening reception, a chance to meet and mingle with other conference attendees. But the reception also encourages people to come in costume—as your favorite fictional character (or favorite author).
It’s rumored that Mark Twain will put in an appearance! Join the fun with your own take on a character you love (or despise—villains, anyone?).
Ask yourself, if you could be any character in any book, who would you be? For me, if securing an authentic costume was as easy as waving a wand, I would arrive as either Professor McGonagall from the Harry Potter series or SecUnit from Marth Wells’ Murderbot series. Showing up in either of those costumes—a Hogwarts robe and hat or full android armor—would make it fairly obvious I was from the realm of fiction.
But there are many, more subtle characters to choose from. Here are a few ideas if you need a prompt:
Jack Reacher from the Lee Child cop thriller series, which also was featured recently on Amazon Prime
Stephanie Plum from Janet Evanovich’s Plum series about a bail bond skip tracer
Jason Bourne from Robert Ludlum’s action-thriller Bourne series, also made into several films
Lisbeth Salander from Stieg Larsson’s Dragon Tattoo series, also made into several films
Detective Robicheaux from the James Lee Burke mystery novels
Meg, Jo, Beth, or Amy March from Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women, also made into several films
Claire Randall or another character from Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander books, also made into a TV series
You get the idea.
So, will you be the villain? The hero/heroine? A sick-kick character? Or someone whimsical like Arthur the aardvark?
And let’s be honest. You don’t need to be in full regalia to qualify as being in costume. Wear a hat, carry a prop, or even bring along the book that features your character. That’ll do. Another idea: Wear a name tag that includes a photo of your character on it.
GLVWG Board member Donna Brennan caught up with author Amy Deardon recently to talk about Amy’s writing and publishing career. Amy is leading a half-day workshop on Thursday, April 11, to kick off this year’s Write Stuff conference, as well as presenting several other conference workshops on Saturday, April 13.
The first part of this essay, in which Suzanne looks back on her attendance at past Write Stuff conferences, ran last week.
I’ll always remember sitting at lunch during our first live conference after the pandemic, which took place not long after I served as chairperson for the 2021 GLVWG Writes of Passage anthology. The bulk of that collection had been assembled during lockdowns, so I had little opportunity to meet the authors in person. But because of the very personal nature of that year’s theme, more than 20 authors from the group had bared their souls in their submissions, relaying some of their most difficult moments and reassuring epiphanies.
Typically, my eyesight doesn’t do me any favors when it comes to reading name tags from more than a foot away. But I was able, one by one, to discern the identities of the writers who sat around that table with me. Each of them had contributed to the anthology. That meant I had pored over their work, come to love each narrative gem, and carefully knitted their submissions together into a literary kaleidoscope composed of some of the most poignant moments of their lives. It dawned on me that I was privy to each of their proudest achievements and greatest fears. I felt honored to finally be in their physical presence, instead of just being uplifted by their writing.
Again, this was so much richer an experience than I regularly had in a classroom. And I did the whole four-year writing program thing, back in the day. Not to completely knock academia, though; my daughter now has an MFA. That’s all good stuff. But it’s not The Write Stuff.
About Suzanne:
Suzanne Mattaboni writes in genres including horror and women’s fiction and is a Newsweek Expert Forum contributor. Her novel, Once in a Lifetime, is being launched in its second edition in March 2024. It has won multiple awards including a Pencraft and an IPPY independent publishers award. One of her short stories was nominated for a Pushcart Prize. Suzanne has been published in Newsday, Seventeen, TheHuffington Post, Mysterious Ways, Guideposts, and Child, and has appeared in anthologies including Chicken Soup for the Soul, the 2023 Howard Jones “fanthology” We’re in This Together, and the new Ever After mythical creatures anthology. Learn more on her website: www.suzannemattaboni.com.
There’s still time to register for this year’s Write Stuff! Registration closes March 31.
Did I ever mention I wanted to be a writers conference groupie?
Some people follow religious leaders. Some caravan with the Grateful Dead or tailgate at football games. But some time over the last eight years, me and my best friend from college decided we wanted to become writers conference groupies together.
Wouldn’t that be terrific? Just going from conference to conference all year, communing with fellow authors from all over the country, avoiding the fracas of the real world? Jumping from workshop to keynote to seminar to critique panel, on a continuing cycle?
Well, neither of us can afford to quit our jobs and travel the world from conference to conference, fabulous as that may sound. Instead, we make it a ritual to attend the GLVWG Write Stuff Conference every year. I suppose that makes us Write Stuff groupies.
When I was asked to talk about an experience with the Write Stuff Conference, my only stop-gap was that I couldn’t really pinpoint one unique incident. The conference is more of an ongoing experience. It’s a real-world community. It deepens for me each year as I meet more new writers in the group, as my own publishing journey progresses, and as I watch other writers succeed that I’ve been working with at GLVWG over the years.
I decided a long time ago that I could almost learn more at a single writing conference than I did in a whole four-year college writing program. Although ongoing college workshops are good for exercising craft, the information you get at a conference is exponentially more practical. It comes from people who boast bonafide success and experience, right now. By definition, a writers association conference is not “academic.” It isn’t dictated by a group of professors who exist within the confines of a university bubble. Conference content often comes directly from people who are making a living through publishing and know the current market. And GLVWG has always had a knack for fetching top-notch talent at their events.
It’s also 1/100th of the price of a college semester. So you can’t beat that value.
Because of this, when my daughter started showing signs of wanting to be a writer, I right away pulled her into conferences. Starting at 16 years old. I brought her to conferences from three different writing organizations before she even graduated high school. In fact, I think one or two conference guidelines now clearly state you have to be 18 in order to attend, because of me.
Time passed and my daughter went off to college in West Chester, where she became a creative writing major and president of the Creative Writing Club. She got the bright idea to convince the university to sponsor members of the club to attend the Write Stuff Conference. Little did I know that also meant that eight students would all be bunking at my house the whole weekend, including five guys.
So there I was, den mother to a house full of college students, in addition to my old college roommate and conference buddy. The two of us spent each morning before that Write Stuff stepping over a gaggle of twenty-somethings in sleeping bags on my office floor and scattered throughout my living room. But as I scrambled through the chaos, I was proud that my daughter was expanding the tradition of getting writers out to conferences while they were still young. Her friends enjoyed the whole event.
And my heart swelled with pride that weekend when one of the GLVWG board members (it might have been Bart Palamaro) leaned over to my 19-year-old daughter and asked, “Are these your students?” as she shepherded her friends through conference activities. As if she were a young teacher. In that moment, I watched a sense of leadership wash over her and a certain authority flash in her eyes, as she answered that, no, they were her college classmates. But from the Creative Writing Club she founded.
These are moments you don’t get in a classroom. Certainly not on an intergenerational scale. And although that wasn’t quite my unique experience with the Write Stuff Conference, it’s still one I won’t forget.
Marie Lamba is author of the young adult novels What I Meant… (Random House), Over My Head, and Drawn, and of the picture books Green Green: A Community Gardening Story (Farrar Straus Giroux) and A Day So Gray (Clarion). Her articles appear in more than 100 publications, and she’s a frequent contributor to Writer’s Digest. Marie has worked as an editor, an award-winning public relations writer, and a book publicist, and has taught classes on novel writing and on author promotion.
As a senior literary agent at the Jennifer De Chiara Literary Agency, she represents picture books, middle grade, YA, and adult novels, and memoir, as well as graphic novels and nonfiction for all ages.
I talked to Marie about the difference between an agent and an editor, pitching do’s and don’ts, and a wide range of other topics.
SK: Thank you for speaking with me!First, can you explain an agent’s role and how you work with authors?
MARIE: There are a lot of things to it—it has so many pieces. First, I want to make sure I’m representing someone I can stick with for the long haul. Next, we work with the manuscript to get it where it needs to be for submission. I’ve been an author, editor, and publicist, so I understand how important this is. Over the years, I’ve only seen one or two manuscripts that needed no changes before submitting to publishers, so most need at least some editing.
Next, I create a pitch for the book, and create an editor list. Editors change their interests all the time, plus they are often moving to different houses, so I’m always researching to find the very best fit for that work at that moment. Then I pitch the work to those editors and follow up with them. When we get offers, I negotiate the deal and the contract points. After that, I oversee everything that happens with your editor, even after we hand off the manuscript.
Throughout all of this, I keep the author informed. As an author myself, I hate not knowing what’s going on.
I’m also by the author’s side beyond the first deal, for all subsequent projects, and advocating for them throughout their entire career.
SK: How many authors do you represent?
MARIE: I’ve been an agent since 2011 and have 30 clients on my list.
While 30 may sound like a lot, there is an ebb and flow to the work. Some authors wrote a few novels a number of years ago, but have been less active lately. Others write several works a year.
SK: Self-publishing has grown tremendously over the past decade or so. What are the benefits of pitching to an agent and pursuing “traditional” publishing versus self-publishing?
MARIE: It depends on your goals. As an author, I’ve been traditionally published, and I have been self-published. With self-publishing, there is great control in doing your own work, but it’s a lot of work. And the downside is you have to be a full-time marketer. Every time I focused on my books and promotion, sales went up. When I looked away, sales went down.
Some things lend themselves to self-publishing, like short stories, something regional, and poetry/chapbooks. When you’re published by the mainstream publishers, you’re seen—you’re getting reviews, librarians see the work. That’s hard to replicate with self-publishing.
One thing I always say—whether you self-publish or work with a traditional publisher, make sure whatever manuscript you put out is as good or better than what’s on the market. You want to be really proud of your product.
SK: What are some of the most in-demand genres right now?
MARIE: Because publishing is so slow-moving, “trends” are often over by the time writers notice them on the shelves. That glut of trendy titles coming out now, were often acquired 2 to 3 years ago, and those editors likely have moved on to the next “trend.”
That said, I see more editors asking for “romantasy” (fantasy with romantic elements). Graphic novels have seen a huge surge, although there is a caveat—they are a lot of work and expensive to produce. They are trending upward in the middle-grade space. Overall, the fantasy and sci-fi market is picking up, especially when it comes to female authors, diversity, and authentic voices.
In children’s [books]—those that have social/emotional learning within a plot, or mental health aspects are highly sought after. That goes for middle grade as well as picture books.
SK: You are also an author. How does that inform your “agent” hat and working with other authors?
MARIE: I started out as an author and worked with an agent, so I definitely have a lot of empathy for authors. Even with the Internet, there are so many things a beginning author doesn’t even know to ask about. Suddenly you have an agent, and an editor wants to talk to you on the phone—gah! Having all of that experience allows me to anticipate the author’s needs, and offer them the information and reassurance they want at each step.
SK: What makes you want to represent an author?
MARIE: First of all, I need to feel the work is something I’d be proud to represent—it’s something I’m excited about and I feel needs to be shared with the world.
Then, I need to make sure I can work with this person. It’s a professional relationship—it’s being able to work together, not just about the work. There are times when I’ve been absolutely crazy about the work, but passed because I just didn’t connect with the author.
And I need to feel the author is in it for their career. It’s not just a hobby.
SK: Similarly, what do you look for in a manuscript?
MARIE: Something that makes me sit up and take notice. That gives me the feeling that I’ve got to finish it! Give me a character I care about, then mess them up so bad I worry about them.
I’m also looking for a great point of view and great way of telling the story.
SK: What are some “don’ts” for authors hoping to land an agent (whether it’s you or someone else)?
MARIE: When pitching at a conference, don’t think this is your only chance. Sometimes we put too much pressure on ourselves and think it’s our only shot to get an agent. You can always query other people. Take that pressure off—instead, think of it as an opportunity and learning experience.
Also, don’t spend your whole time telling me how you wrote the manuscript; tell me what it’s about. Sometimes an author gets so caught up in the process, they don’t actually tell me anything about the plot.
And finally, don’t squander your time at a pitch. Come with extra questions—use any extra time to learn some more info and help jump-start your career.
SK: Any words of advice for the authors you’ll be meeting with?
MARIE: Use this conference in every way you can. It’s not just about talking to the editors/agents/authors. For me, some of the best information and career-jumping things I’ve learned have been from chatting with people I happened to sit next to. They are your peers, doing what you’re trying to do. You can learn a lot from the other people at the event. Don’t miss that opportunity.
And, it may go without saying, but please don’t stalk the agent. Make the most of your appointment, but don’t hang out in the lobby before or afterward hoping to talk to them for a few more minutes, and definitely don’t hang out by the ladies room door waiting to pounce!
There’s still time to register for this year’s Write Stuff conference! You can do so here.
Best-selling author Jonathan Maberry is this year’s keynote speaker for the Write Stuff conference. He has generously agreed to meet in advance of the conference at a free virtual event set for Tuesday, Feb. 27, at 7 p.m. You can register for the event here.
GLVWG member Donna Brennan spoke with Jonathan recently. You can view that conversation below.
Laurel Wenson, a GLVWG board member, is a novelist who writes for adults and young adults. Her latest book is The Harbor Cove Brunch Club, the first in a new series set in the fishing town of Gloucester, Mass. She’s also the author of the YA Caldwell series and a nonfiction guidebook for children’s theater, Sets on a Shoestring. She’s leading a Write Stuff workshop this year on National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo).
GLVWG: Your Write Stuff workshop is on NaNoWriMo. For a writer who’s never participated in the November event, why should they consider it?
LAUREL: I believe most writers, at some point, struggle with planning, goal-setting, accountability, and self-doubt. NaNoWriMo addresses all of these areas, and provides structure, community, and encouragement not only in November, but throughout the year. While November has the “headline” event on the calendar, where one attempts to write 50,000 words in 30 days, they also provide year long opportunities for writing, planning, editing, and learning.
GLVWG: You’ve been an annual NaNo participant going on seven years. What prompted you to try it? And how did that first go-round turn out?
LAUREL: My daughter started participating in NaNo when she was ten years old, and by her third year, she had “won” the November challenge, and has never stopped. She’s 25 now, so that’s a lot of writing! Back in 2016, when I retired from full-time teaching, I was challenged by students to write a theater production manual. Because it wasn’t a novel, I chose to start my NaNo experience in April of 2017, and I successfully completed my first draft of Sets on a Shoestring: How to Build Sets and Props on a Budget during Camp NaNo.
GLVWG: What keeps you coming back each year?
LAUREL: I’ve learned my chance of completing a work is higher if I participate. I’ve joined the November challenge almost every year, and drafted all seven of my books during NaNo or Camp NaNo. The accountability and encouragement keeps me focused and motivated, and my daughter and I have an advantage of some underlying competition at home. Also, while I don’t generally participate in the forums or chat rooms, I do enjoy the live “write-ins” that local NaNo groups host throughout the month. There’s nothing like sitting in a room writing with lots of computer keys clicking away as your background noise! These groups also provide camaraderie and support, for no one understands the challenges more than another writer!
GLVWG: Do you serve in an official capacity during NaNo?
LAUREL: Not at all. In fact, there are some aspects of NaNo that I’ve rarely used–such as their forums–but when I was still tutoring online, I did encourage many of my English students to participate in the Young Writers program, and was thrilled to see several reach their goals and finish their first novels or projects. Some of them are still participating years later.
GLVWG: What do you think the biggest challenge is for a NaNo newcomer? How can they overcome it?
LAUREL: I think it’s easy to get overwhelmed the first time around, and sometimes the daily word count can be a detriment if one has fallen behind. The number one mission of NaNo is not to finish a book, but to develop regular writing habits that will keep you engaged long after any challenge ends. If the 50K words in 30 days is too formidable, then writers can set a lower goal in terms of word count. Instead of writing a novel, one can join as a “rebel” and announce projects such as editing or compiling a collection of poetry. Each participant can use the framework that Nano provides to improve their writing and reach their goals.
GLVWG: Do you have a NaNo highlight to share?
LAUREL: Obviously, my first “win” was one I’ll never forget, and every year I love printing out that winner’s certificate and watching the congratulations video from NaNo headquarters. I’d also have to include 2022 as a special memory. Earlier in the year, my husband’s cancer diagnosis changed my writing habits dramatically, and so I joined NaNo as a total “pantser,” which means writing with no outline or sense of direction, aside from some characters and a general plot idea. During that month, our family all came down with Covid. While some of the “journal” entries I included as I plodded through the month are quite entertaining to read now, I did manage to squeak by with just over 50K words of a partial first draft.
There’s still time to register for this year’s Write Stuff conference! You’ll find the details here.
Donna Talarico is an editor, independent writer, and content strategist, as well as the founder of Hippocampus Magazine, its books division, Books by Hippocampus, and HippoCamp, a creative nonfiction writing conference.
Donna has more than 25 years of experience in marketing, communications, writing, and media, and about half of that time has been in higher education. She speaks at higher education and publishing conferences, writes an adult learner recruiting column for Wiley, and has contributed to CASE Currents (a higher education trade publication), Guardian Higher Education Network, The Writer, Mental Floss, Games World of Puzzles, UX Booth, Campus Sonar blog, various alumni magazines, and other publications. Her creative nonfiction work appears in The Los Angeles Review, Superstition Review, The Writing Disorder, and The New York Times Tiny Love Stories.
Donna will be hearing pitches from writers during the 2024 Write Stuff Conference. I sat down with Donna to talk about creative nonfiction, what she is looking for in pitches, and plenty of other writing-related “stuff.”
SK: Thank you for speaking with me! First, what is the difference between an agent and an editor?
DONNA: This is a really good question; people who are in the submitting stage might be a little unclear. The main difference between an agent and editor is an agent usually works for a literary agency or is an independent agent who works directly with the author to find a home for the book. Sometimes the agent will help a little with developmental editing; sometimes they will do this as a courtesy.
The editor role is a little broader. There are acquisitions editors for writers pitching directly to a publisher, one of the editors at a big house or a small press like Hippocampus. They will review manuscripts and see if a book aligns with what the publishing company is looking for.
In the role of developmental editor—if you’re in the process of pitching but not having much luck, an author can hire a developmental editor, who can help get the manuscript polished and ready for publication. There are developmental editors out there who specialize in different genres. If your book does get accepted for publication, you may work with an in-house developmental editor.
SK: Tell us about Hippocampus Magazine and Books by Hippocampus, your book division. What would be a good “fit” for you?
DONNA: At Books by Hippocampus, we publish creative nonfiction. I would say it’s still a fledgling press. We started off doing anthologies and will publish a small number of books per year. We took a hiatus during the pandemic. The goal is to publish 1 to 2 titles per year. Our driving factor is that we’re looking for compelling true stories, or essay collections with a narrative thread with an overarching theme. We’re also looking for straightforward memoirs—a memoir is a “chunk” of someone’s life vs. a biography, which would focus on a lifespan. I love a good coming-of-age memoir. Graphic memoir is a growing niche, illustrated or graphic memoirs, essay collections with hybrid elements. We’re not interested in coffee table or photography books mostly because they are so expensive to produce, so they are cost-prohibitive for us. We are interested in literary journalism where the author inserts themselves into the story—that style of memoir.
SK: What are the elements of compelling creative nonfiction?
DONNA: One of the things we get asked by people is what is the difference between memoir and biography? A biography is rooted in straight facts, maybe a little more academic. Memoir has all the elements you’d find in a great novel—good pacing, strong character development. I really like nonfiction that does double duty—there is a lot written between the lines. On the magazine side, flash creative nonfiction is really popular right now.
SK: Can you share some tips for breaking into this genre?
DONNA: Volunteering to read for a literary magazine is a great way to learn what works in the genre. Being involved in the literary community is really important. It makes you aware of what’s happening, what’s being published. Attending conferences like this one [Write Stuff] helps you stay attuned to what’s happening. These are two things that can help your career immensely.
On the writing end—book reviews are an easy way to get writing credits in literary journals. Building relationships with literary magazines, getting publishing credits.
Position yourself as a subject matter expert—do some op/eds and writing freelance articles can really help you, too. You gain writing credits, and it gets you in the writing habit.
These are some good ways to break in, get experience, and meet people.
SK: What are some words of advice or tips you’d offer attendees meeting with you at the Write Stuff conference?
DONNA: Number one thing—relax! In my experience, people arrive and can be a little nervous. I’m a writer, too, so remember you’re talking to another human being who is also trying to get published.
Next, rehearse your pitch. It’s a limited time, want to get to the “meat” of your pitch. Know your story inside and out, but you want to get to the point.
SK: What is your general advice for writers in all genres?
DONNA: For me, it’s been easy to fall out of the practice of writing every day. I did a version of NaNoWriMo—wrote every day for the first half of the month. It reminded me if I do the work, something good might come from it.
Keep at it. Don’t beat yourself up if you can’t write every day. Write as much as you can. Keep a notebook with you. Try to keep in the habit as best you can. We all have different routines; sometimes a routine is no routine.
Second piece of advice—we’re all so connected digitally. Some write on their phones. Don’t ignore the urge to have a pen and pencil. If we’re just freewriting, we don’t have to self-edit. Get back to paper.
There is still time to register for the 2024 Write Stuff Conference and make an agent or editor appointment! Visit glvwg.org for everything you need to know.
Mark Gottlieb is a highly ranked literary agent actively building his client list of authors. He is excited to work directly with authors, helping to manage and grow their careers with all of the unique resources available at book publishing’s leading literary agency, Trident Media Group. Mark represents numerous New York Times bestselling and prominent award-winning authors, and has optioned and sold books to film and TV production companies.
GLVWG: The query letter is a key element in the submission process for a writer’s work. What is a common error you see in queries that land in your inbox?
MARK: One common error I often encounter in queries is lack of specificity. It’s essential for writers to clearly convey the unique aspects of their work—what sets it apart from others in the same genre. Vague or overly general descriptions can make it challenging for me to understand the story’s distinctive elements.
GLVWG: At a recent writing workshop, the presenter laid out this simple advice: Read the guidelines before submitting. Apparently not all writers follow that suggestion. Is that your experience?
MARK: Unfortunately, it’s not uncommon for writers to overlook submission guidelines. Following guidelines is crucial because it demonstrates a writer’s professionalism and respect for the agent’s or publisher’s process. Ignoring guidelines can create unnecessary barriers and make it more difficult for a manuscript to receive the attention it deserves.
GLVWG: Beyond the query letter and submission guidelines, what’s the most important thing a writer should keep in mind before sending a query to an agent or publisher?
MARK: Writers should remember the importance of a polished manuscript. Before querying, it’s crucial to thoroughly edit and revise the work to ensure it’s in the best possible shape. First impressions matter, and a well-crafted manuscript reflects a writer’s commitment to their craft.
GLVWG: You are taking pitches during the Write Stuff conference. What types of genres are you looking for? What are you not looking for?
MARK: I’m open to a wide range of genres between commercial fiction and upmarket fiction, as well as platform-driven nonfiction. I’m particularly interested in unique voices, diverse perspectives, and fresh takes on established genres. However, I’m not currently looking for poetry, picture books, or non-fiction without a major platform behind it.
GLVWG: How should a writer best prepare to pitch to you in person?
MARK: Preparation is key. Writers should have a clear and concise pitch that highlights the key elements of their story. Knowing the genre, target audience, and comparable works can also help create a compelling pitch. Additionally, be ready to engage in a brief discussion about the project and its potential.
GLVWG: If you are interested in seeing a writer’s work, how much time do they have to follow up with you? (Two weeks? A month? Six months?)
MARK: I typically appreciate a timely follow-up within two to four weeks. It shows that the writer is enthusiastic and serious about their work. However, I understand that circumstances vary, and if a writer needs more time, clear communication is crucial. I value professionalism and responsiveness throughout the submission process.
You can register for the Write Stuff conference here.