The 2019 GLVWG Write Stuff Conference™ — The Grand Event

Tags

Author Voice, Book Marketing, C.Y.L.E. Literary, Character Development, Firefly Hill Press, Handling Rejection, Self-Publishing, Splickety Publishing, Talcott Notch Literary Agency, Writing, Writing Conferences, Writing Craft, Writing Fiction, Writing Flash Fiction, YA

 

Ben Wolf

Charis Crowe

Janeen Ippolito

Donna Brennan

Kathryn Kraft

Dr. Larry Schardt

David E. Fessenden

John Gibbs

Day 3 – Main Event – March 23, 2019

GLVWG Write Stuff Conference™ 

 Over 20 Workshops, Agent/Editor pitch sessions, Marketing Consults

Lunch and Keynote address with Ben Wolf

Bookfair, Flash Literature Writing Contest, and Door Prizes

Dawn Sooy – Conference Chair

Announcements in Lehigh Room 7:30 AM – 8:20 AM

Map of Rooms – So You Don’t Get Lost

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Debora Riley-Magnus

Donna Galanti

Danielle Modafferi – Firefly Hill Press

Stephanie Kehr – C.Y.L.E. Literary

Tia Mele

Agent Pitches and Marketing Consults will run concurrent to workshops. Advance registration required. Please check your appointment times upon registration.

 

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Saturday Overview

Sessions run concurrent in Cedar Crest, Muhlenberg, Lafayette, & Moravian Rooms

Lunch in Salon A & B with Keynote Address by Ben Wolf

Book Fair, Flash Fiction Contest

Door Prizes announced during Book Fair (must be present to win)

 

Program Syllabus – Morning

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Lunch with Keynote Speaker – Ben Wolf

In Salon B

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Program Syllabus – Afternoon

 

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Flash Literature Contest 

Flash Literature – 2018 Conference

Flash Literature – 2018 Conference

Don’t forget to stop by the Lehigh Room to vote on this year’s entries for the 100 word Flash Literature Contest for Fiction, Nonfiction, and Poetry.  

Use the color-coded note cards in your registration booklet to cast your vote for your favorite entry in each category. You may only vote for one entry in each category. Place your ballot in the box provided. You must be registered at the conference to be eligible to vote.

 Voting ends at 2:30 p.m. Flash Fiction officials will then tally the votes and announce the winners at the book fair after 3:30 p.m. Winners need not be present. However, winnings may include a certificate for book fair purchase which must be used at the 2019 conference.

 

 

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3:30 PM – 5:00 PM

Book Fair – Contest Results – Door Prizes – Networking Opportunities

Contest Winners, Door Prizes (Must be present to win)

Book Fair — All published GLVWG members are eligible to participate in the book fair if registered in advance by March 3, 2019, with contact book fair coordinator Sandra Almonte at glvwg.bookfair@gmail.com.

Detailed instructions for selling your book(s) at the Book Fair, please click HERE.

 

2018 Book Fair

2018 Door Prizes

2018 Book Fair

 

5:00 PM — Conference closes

Check this website in the next couple of weeks, where we’ll post pictures of the conference.

 

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Article by D.T. Krippene – Social Media Chair

You can find DT at his Website – “Searching For Light in the Darkness“

his Facebook Page, and Twitter @dtkrippene

 

 

An Interview with Tia Mele, Agent with Talcott Notch Literary

Tags

Literary Agent, MG & YA, Non-Fiction Sports, Pitching Agents, Romance, Talcott Notch Literary Agency, Women's Fiction

Article by Albert Tucher

 

Tia Mele, agent for Talcott Notch Literary Services, will be at the GLVWG Write Stuff Conference™ on March 23, 2019, to take pitches from conferees for women’s fiction, romance, YA and MG on a first come, first serve basis.

To sign up for a pitch session, follow the instructions on the registration form. Your actual appointment time will be assigned after registration is closed, and will be attached to conference materials upon signing in.  

GLVWG member, Albert Tucher, had a chance to ask Mele a few questions.

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If I were to meet you at a conference, what is something you would tell me about yourself that would be intriguing?

I love math! I do algebra problems in my free time because I find it really relaxing, and I went up to calculus in high school and took pre-calculus in college. People think it’s strange because I was an English major who took a bunch of math classes throughout my college career, but I just love numbers and solving problems mathematically. It’s probably not surprising that on those “which side of your brain is dominant” tests, the result is always that I use both sides equally. 

What drew you to becoming an agent?

I learned what an agent was when I started writing seriously right after high school, and I was looking into how to get published. I saw agents as being a little like fairy godmothers, and I wanted to be a part of making author dreams come true!

When you get a submission, how far into it do you get before you know this one is not for you?

 Sometimes I only get as far as the query, because the submission will be in a genre I don’t represent. If it is in my wheelhouse, I read the whole query and first ten pages before making a decision.

What are the current trends in publishing that you think we should know about?

I don’t want to call diversity a trend because I think it’s here to stay, but diversity is huge in publishing right now. Diversity is one of those ‘trends’ that you can follow because it isn’t going to disappear by the time you finish your book. I’ve noticed a lot of YA fantasy over the last few years. With the successes of Simon Vs. The Homosapien Agenda (Love, Simon) and To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before in film, I’ve heard a lot of editors say they’re looking for swoony, sweet YA romances across genders and sexualities, which I have always loved, so I’m especially excited for this trend.

What do aspiring authors do in seeking an agent that drives you crazy? In other words, what should we avoid doing?

 Please don’t send mass queries (putting a hundred different agents in the subject line, or cc/bcc’ing us on the email). Do follow the guidelines on our website for submitting your query. Also, your query should tell me about your book. I get a lot of queries that are mostly about the author or the writing process, and don’t tell me about the characters or plot. I try to emphasize relevant biographical information in queries. Your bio should tell an agent your writing background (if you have one, it’s not a requirement to be published!) and what makes you the best person to write the book. For example, if your book is about a ballerina, you should tell me that you did ballet for ten years, but not that you have twenty-seven dogs.

What is your favorite place in the world to visit? (Mine is the Big Island of Hawaii.)

 Oh, man, this is a hard question. I’ve been so lucky to visit some amazing places. I think I have to go with two: Paris, France and Nashville, Tennessee. 

And finally, tell us what you’re specifically looking for as an agent.

I’m looking to build my list with middle grade and young adult projects in any genre. I’m especially interested in dark middle grade and contemporary YA. Please send me your LGBT+ stories, as well as stories featuring visible and invisible illnesses, especially relating to mental health. I like everything from deep, terrifying thrillers to sweet, heartwarming romances. Sports plots are always interesting to me, especially if they involve baseball or softball. Dogs are a huge part of my life, so I’m all for dog-related stories as well.

I’m seeking limited adult projects in women’s fiction and romance.

In non-fiction, I’m looking for anything sports related, especially baseball, football, or basketball. I’m also open to cookbooks from chefs who have a following from a blog or channel.

 

You can contact Tia at tmele@talcottnotch.net , and follow her Twitter Feed @tiathetiger.

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Article by Albert Tucher

Albert Tucher  came to writing late, after twenty years spent pursuing an operatic singing career. Always busy, Albert could never get to the point where he could give up his day job as a librarian.  So, he started writing novels and sending them out to agents. 

See what Albert is up to on his blog at WritersResidence.com.

Literary Agent – Mohamed Shalabi

Tags

Literary Agent, Talcott Notch Literary Agency, Writing, Writing Conferences

Mohamed Shalabi, of the Talcott Notch Literary Agency, will be attending the GLVWG Write Stuff™ Conference on March 25, 2017. Mohamed took a few minutes to describe what he’ll be looking for during Saturday’s agent pitch sessions.

Interview by GLVWG’s Charles Kiernan.

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CK: Can you share with us a bit about your journey to all things literary?

MS: As a schoolteacher, my mother encouraged me to be inquisitive and curious all the time even if it meant I would be the annoying kid in class, which I was. She used to say in accented English that “There are millions of answers to a single question, and millions of questions to a single answer” and she was right.

After ten years in Palestine, I returned to the United States to start college. I earned my B.S. and M.S. from the University of Texas at Dallas and was on a Pre-med track before realizing that medicine was not my calling. So, I taught science for three years while interning at three fine literary agencies, Veritas, Folio, and Talcott Notch where I picked up the skills to become an efficient literary agent.