Poor Joe. Actually, I kept looking around going, “Is that Joe? How about that guy? That guy looks like a Joe.”Maybe we need some sort of button or something, so we can find each other at these things.
Cus, I don’t know about ya’ll, but my HUB is normally invisible to other people. J
OK guys, this is really long, but it is packed with good stuff. Hope it makes sense. And I hope Kathleen does not "murderize" me for taking up too much server space.
Report from - The Writer's Show - April 28, 2005 - Richmond, VA
Time: 6:30-8:30pm, with mingle time from 8:30-9:30pm
What is the Writer’s Show?
The Writer’s Show is a monthly seminar sponsored by James River Writers. The topic for April, 2005 was "How to get Published." Writer’s Shows are held monthly on the fourth Thursday of the month.
Cost: $10.00 (you can register for future sessions at: http://www.jamesriverwriters.com )
Location: Downtown Richmond/Shockoe Bottom at C3 (Creative Change center) - check out the website at: http://www.c3va.org
Really great location and a cool place for writers to hangout!
The Creative Change Center (C3) is a non-profit organization devoted to encouraging creative minds. They provide a free place to have meetings, workshops, and come to write. They even have free wireless! They also have coffee & tea available at the Writer’s Shows and most workshops. (No need to even look for a Starbucks, although there is one about a block away.)
Unlike some places in downtown Richmond, they have plenty of free, safe, well-lit parking. It is within walking distance of Main Street Station and is just off the GRTC bus line.
The address is 1801 East Cary Street. Please note that the signage is not the greatest. The best way to find it is to take Cary Street from 14th. Cary is one way, so you can’t go the wrong way. You will pass several warehouses, etc. C3 is on the right, just past the mini storage and across from a large parking lot.
My rating for the workshop: 4 out of 5 stars. It was a good value for the price.
This month’s workshop featured a panel discussion moderated by Dennis Danvers (published science fiction writer and Richmond resident). The panel was pretty diverse and consisted of:
* Phaedra Hise, a freelance journalist and the author of four non-fiction books.
* Andrew Corsello, who has written for GQ Magazine for ten years, and has been nominated three times for the National Magazine Award.
* Susan Winiecki, the editor of Richmond Magazine.
* Cheryl Pallant, a published poet and fiction short story writer.
* Gretchen Comba, a published literary short story writer.
The discussion session lasted an hour and a half, but I only made serious notes on the really interesting parts.
Mr. Danvers started by asking the panelists to talk about their first experience in getting published. They had a wide variety of experiences ranging from pure luck, to determined persistence. The stories were reassuring, since it sounded like most of them have experienced the same frustrations we have encountered. But despite the difficulties, they all finally got their “break”. The overall message was - Yes, it can happen!
Next, Mr. Danvers asked each of the panelists to give the audience a few “gems of wisdom” on things they wish they had done differently, as they began their careers. Some of these “gems” were:
* Gretchen Comba, stated that writers should always submit a very professional looking package. Always follow the publications guidelines and make sure your letters, manuscript, envelope, labels and return envelope look as professional as possible.
Comba admits she started out by sending manuscripts in sloppy handwritten manila envelopes. She also admitted that she was “being a bit romantic” in her opinion of her work. She thought that since her work was “so great”, she didn’t need to waste time on the envelope. She finally came to realize that this did not get the best results, although she did get some results. After she realized her error, she started sending packages in a good quality, large, white envelope with a large, typed mailing label and return address. When she did this, her response times (rejections and otherwise) improved greatly.
* Andrew Corsello noted that writers should always double check the information in the Writer’s Market listing. Writers should take a look at the magazine masthead, or go on-line to the magazine or publisher’s website to check names and titles. After he became a staff writer for GQ, the Writer’s Market erroneously listed him (for 5 years) as GQ’s Medical Interest Editor.
* Corsello also warned writers to avoid being “overpromisers.” He admitted this applies more to freelance reporting than fiction, but could apply to any area of writing. Basically, an “overpromiser” talks a good game, but can’t deliver the goods. He said that if a writer does this more than once, he drops them.
* Phaedra Hise stated that she has found that Editors are usually not offended by polite persistence. Many of the panelists agreed that polite persistence is what got them to where they are now. They make a habit of following up on “clip packages” and query letters within a week, by email or snail mail, and even at times with a phone call.
Please note that - Mr. Danvers pointed out that although that is an excellent technique for the non-fiction or freelance world, he advised being more cautious in fiction publishing. He said that in fiction, it is best to wait for the publication’s response. If however, the response is overdue (for example if the publication states in their guidelines that a response should be received in 3 months, and it has been 5) it is often a good idea to send a follow-up letter or, if appropriate, an email. These should be very polite and simple letters. Simply ask if your story was received and what the status is. As Danvers pointed out, it is your work, and you have a right to inquire about its status. BUT BE POLITE and PROFESSIONAL!
* Comba pointed out that if you are sending stories to literary magazines, don’t send them during the Summer months (May – August). She said most literary magazine don’t “read” over the summer, especially university publications. She suggested sending stories and poetry to these magazines during the months of September or January. If you send during those two months, you can expect to receive a response in about 2-3 months. If you send during the summer, your manuscript could get buried and you could wait over a year for a response.
* Hise pointed out that she regrets not “repitching stories” to publications that had already published her work. She says that if a publication publishes your work, always pitch another story to them. If you don’t have a story idea, ask them if they have any article ideas “in the pipeline” that they would like covered. Then, no matter what they give you, do your best to cover the story. This will help you grow a relationship with the publication. She also pointed out that the best way to be successful in a freelance career is to find an entry-level staff position with any respectable publication. Once you have, even an entry-level position on your resume, other publications will consider you a more dependable freelancer. She started her career as a fact-checker for a small newspaper.
Mr. Danvers pointed out that submitting more stories to a fiction publication that has previously published your work was a good idea, but in this case it is probably not a good idea to ask for ideas. You could however, ask if the publication has any theme issues, they would like a particular type of story for.
* Near the end of the session, Mr. Danvers said his best piece of advice would be to “Always treat your money as if it is the last you will get.” He said he has seen too many writers blow their advances and then hit a famine time.
Answers to questions from the audience:
On Query Letters:
They talked about the basics of query letters, which most of us have discussed before, so I want to focus on their comments on query letters for freelance writers. Who knows, some of us might decide to write freelance someday.
They stated that the goal for a freelance writer is to sell an idea for a story, on a specific topic. The story may or may not be written at the time of the “pitch.”
The same principle can also be applied to non-fiction pitches for book deals.
They said their typical freelance pitch letter goes something like this:
1st paragraph – The first paragraph of the actual story. Which should read like a news article.
2nd paragraph – Describes what the rest of the story will be about and why it will be interesting.
3rd paragraph – Describes a little about the writer, why they can be counted on to be factual about the topic (their expertise in the area) and a few sentences about where they have been previously published.
An audience member asked:
Should a writer who has published genre fiction in the past include those “credits” when writing a query letter for a non-fiction, freelance, or literary fiction story or book?
The panelists all agreed that it would be good to note any previously published works. Sometimes a variety of genres and styles can show versatility.
On Agents:
Shop around for an agent by:
* Asking friends for the names of their agents, if they are writers.
* Checking to see who represents your favorite writers.
* Go to conferences where agents will be present.
* Check acknowledgment pages in novels.
* Check Locus for science fiction agents.
* Make connections and hopefully have a published writer give your name to their agents. Several panelists said this is how they found their agent.
* Check out - Writer's Guide to Book Editors, Publishers, and Literary Agents, 13th Edition: Who They Are! What They Want! And How to Win Them Over! - By Jeff Herman
On pen names:
Mr. Danvers pointed out a less obvious advantage to pen names.
He is publishing his next novel under the name Robert Sydney. He said that some large chain bookstores stock new authors at a greater volume then authors whose last book only made X number of sales.
He was advised by his agent that the chain store’s computer system tries to estimate the number of books to order, by the number the author last sold. His first few novels had a smaller reader base. This caused his last book to not be adequately stocked in Richmond bookstores, despite his last book being about Richmond, by a Richmonder and had large demand from Richmond readers.
FYI - I can attest to the fact that his latest book was hard to find, I bought it from Amazon.
On establishing connections:
Attend conventions, workshops, and other events that writers and agents attend. Make sure to have a simple, to-the-point story pitch prepared, rehearsed and ready to be delivered if you are asked.
Hise stated that an agent once related a story about a “story pitch” that really impressed him. He said that during a conference, he met a writer that had written a non-fiction story about a group of youngsters who were trying to build, and win an electric car contest. When he asked the writer what their story was about, she said, “It is Seabiscuit on wheels.” This comment drew his attention immediately and he felt compelled to ask for more information. Later, he signed on as her agent and helped get the book published.
Danvers told a story about a young writer that presented him with the first page of their story manuscript for a workshop he was preparing to give. From what he described, the concept was similar to OSC’s Bootcamp application process. Once he read the page, he was so impressed he asked the person to send the rest. He then showed the story to his own agent, who later worked with the writer to get them a book deal.
On where to publish:
* Check out - The International Directory of Little Magazines & Small Presses, by Len Fulton. It has thousands of small magazines and publishers.
* Send your stories to publications that you normally read.
* Mr. Danvers told an amusing story about the science fiction short story he sent to The New Yorker when he was 18, to illustrate the point about knowing your market.
* Gretchen Comba stated that she normally uses the International Directory to find magazines, orders a sample copy, and then if she likes the publication, she sends her story to them.
Funniest thing about the session:
Had to be the three guys who were lugging around their complete manuscripts. They were pathetic and yet endearing. Poor guys, they couldn’t bear to leave their “darlings” at home. I can see carrying around a chapter, just in case you meet someone who would like to read it, but to carry around the whole thing and wave it around in the Q&A was a little weird.
Overall, I had a great time at the session. The people were friendly and there was a feeling of camaraderie. I got a lot of great info and tips.
My only complaints were that the panelists would have been more prepared if they had been able to view the panel discussion questions beforehand. A couple of them went “deer in the headlights”.
The other thing would have been for them to use some sort of sound system so everyone could hear the panelist better over the sound of the AC system and the passing freight trains. But, to be fair, I think that they just didn’t anticipate such a large group of walk-in participants and thought the group was going to be cozier. I’m sure they will make better provisions next time. But if they don’t, make sure if you attend, to get there early and stakeout a chair near the front.
I will definitely attend another session. May’s topic didn’t sound very interesting, but June’s is going to be about Revision Techniques.
I was surprised at how much I already knew, just from lurking and participating here on Hatrack and reading Uncle Orson’s books and articles. This just goes to show how valuable Hatrack is to a beginning writer.
I hope some of you other VA writers decide to come to a future workshop, it would be fun to meet you guys in person, also, James River Writers sounds like a good networking opportunity for those of us in VA.
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