Post Conference Report
This weekend was the much anticipated (for me) Willamette Writers Conference down in Portland. simonepdx and I attended Thursday though when we were too exhausted to do more on Sunday. And a good time was had by all.
It was my first writing conference, and it wasn't just about the art and science of writing, but about how to get your writing sold. There were also numerous opportunities to pitch our novel to various agents and editors--a terrifying and awesome opportunity.
As someone who has until now been on the consumer end of the writing industry, I had no idea what all went into getting a story onto a shelf and into my hot, eager hands. Seriously, no idea. Oh, I had some vague notions, but nothing concrete, and they were all disabused this weekend.
My main idea was "If a story is great, everyone will want it."
Not so. The first question everyone, everyone had was, "Where are you going to shelve it? If you don't know, we don't know, and we can't help you."
That was the bottom line. Ability to write only is part of it. The editors and agents were all very blunt about how many exceptional books they have to pass on because their marketing departments don't know how to sell it. And if they can't sell it to a half-gazillion people, they're not going to spend the money to produce it. Makes sound business sense.
We have to be very, very clear where we'd want it shelved, and be able to defend that choice. If it's a post-apocalyptic character-driven thriller, does it get shelved in thrillers? Maybe, but a fair whack of the people we met with said, "It's post-apocalyptic? It's SciFi." Or "It's in the future? It's SciFi." Even if it's only 30 years in the future, and the SciFi is really very soft and the tech extremely accessible.
Not all of them said that, but the majority did. Eye-opening.
I was also fascinated to learn that the editors get one or two minutes to pitch a story to their marketing team. That's it. So even if a story gets an agent, and attracts the interest of an editor, it still has to make it through the gauntlet of the publisher's marketing department. If it doesn't catch their eye, it doesn't get published. End of story.
Our pitch sessions went well for the most part. Even the agents and editors that were less than polite and abrupt were worth it, as we learned more about how the system works. The process has been demystified for me, at least in part, and that's always, always a good thing. Will I be nervous next time? Sure, but not terrified as I was for my first pitch. Seriously. Bejeebus, learn to breathe, girl.
The seminars were all fully awesome, and we came away with new tools in our belt for improving our writing. Always a bonus. Hallie Ephron was fabu, and I'll have to pick up a couple of her mystery novels now, just 'cause I liked her seminars on back story and mystery writing. What was truly nifty was discovering that Sim and I already do much of what was discussed in the seminars we attended. It's kind of nice to know we already are grounded in good writing habits and techniques, and it was nifty to have other things brought to the foreground of our practices to help us in the future (and with rewrites).
Beyond that, it was just plain ol' fun to sit there and talk shop with 800 other people who love doing what we love doing, and to learn the ins and outs of an industry of which I've been a target consumer for all my book-loving life.
Bottom line? Great experience that I would definitely do again, even if I'm not looking for an agent. In fact, I think it would be even more fun if hunting for an agent wasn't part of the whole shebang. Next time, with less exhaustion attached, there may be more schmoozing!
It was my first writing conference, and it wasn't just about the art and science of writing, but about how to get your writing sold. There were also numerous opportunities to pitch our novel to various agents and editors--a terrifying and awesome opportunity.
As someone who has until now been on the consumer end of the writing industry, I had no idea what all went into getting a story onto a shelf and into my hot, eager hands. Seriously, no idea. Oh, I had some vague notions, but nothing concrete, and they were all disabused this weekend.
My main idea was "If a story is great, everyone will want it."
Not so. The first question everyone, everyone had was, "Where are you going to shelve it? If you don't know, we don't know, and we can't help you."
That was the bottom line. Ability to write only is part of it. The editors and agents were all very blunt about how many exceptional books they have to pass on because their marketing departments don't know how to sell it. And if they can't sell it to a half-gazillion people, they're not going to spend the money to produce it. Makes sound business sense.
We have to be very, very clear where we'd want it shelved, and be able to defend that choice. If it's a post-apocalyptic character-driven thriller, does it get shelved in thrillers? Maybe, but a fair whack of the people we met with said, "It's post-apocalyptic? It's SciFi." Or "It's in the future? It's SciFi." Even if it's only 30 years in the future, and the SciFi is really very soft and the tech extremely accessible.
Not all of them said that, but the majority did. Eye-opening.
I was also fascinated to learn that the editors get one or two minutes to pitch a story to their marketing team. That's it. So even if a story gets an agent, and attracts the interest of an editor, it still has to make it through the gauntlet of the publisher's marketing department. If it doesn't catch their eye, it doesn't get published. End of story.
Our pitch sessions went well for the most part. Even the agents and editors that were less than polite and abrupt were worth it, as we learned more about how the system works. The process has been demystified for me, at least in part, and that's always, always a good thing. Will I be nervous next time? Sure, but not terrified as I was for my first pitch. Seriously. Bejeebus, learn to breathe, girl.
The seminars were all fully awesome, and we came away with new tools in our belt for improving our writing. Always a bonus. Hallie Ephron was fabu, and I'll have to pick up a couple of her mystery novels now, just 'cause I liked her seminars on back story and mystery writing. What was truly nifty was discovering that Sim and I already do much of what was discussed in the seminars we attended. It's kind of nice to know we already are grounded in good writing habits and techniques, and it was nifty to have other things brought to the foreground of our practices to help us in the future (and with rewrites).
Beyond that, it was just plain ol' fun to sit there and talk shop with 800 other people who love doing what we love doing, and to learn the ins and outs of an industry of which I've been a target consumer for all my book-loving life.
Bottom line? Great experience that I would definitely do again, even if I'm not looking for an agent. In fact, I think it would be even more fun if hunting for an agent wasn't part of the whole shebang. Next time, with less exhaustion attached, there may be more schmoozing!