Saturday I attended the Alaska Writer’s Guild Conference and had the opportunity to listen to uber-agents Andrea Brown and Janet Reid (who happens to be hilarious). My brain is still percolating with all the great info I learned from both lovely ladies, but today I wanted to share info from Janet’s session on What Agents Want Authors to Know.
1. Know What You’re Writing
Is your book fiction, non-fiction, or memoir? It can’t be more than one! (Unless you’re James Frey.)
2. Know What Agents Do
They know the ins and outs of publishing, plus how to negotiate contracts and royalty statements. They are not an editor or a sounding board.
3. Know What Publishers Do
They add value to your work (marketing, editing) for a big chunk of the $$$.
4. Recognize non-legit agents and editors
These scammers are asking for $ up front and don’t add value to your work.
5. Make Mistakes
Learn from your mistakes the first time and try again! (Or maybe not the first time. But eventually learn from your mistakes.)
6. Read!
Read a lot of books- at least 200 in your genre.
The conference was great- I’ll post more later this week!
SOunds like the conference taught a lot of great advice. THanks for sharing.
CD
Clarissa- There was definitely a ton of great info!
Thanks for sharing some of what you learned at the conference. Kinda makes it like we went with you in spirit.
Took me time to read the whole article, the article is great but the comments bring more brainstorm ideas, thanks.
– Johnson
I'm glad you had a great time, Stephanie.
Sounds like the perfect excuse to go pick up some more historical fiction novels. 🙂
Thanks Stephanie!
Yay! I look forward to hearing more, Stephanie. 🙂
Thanks for sharing this info. Can't wait to hear more.
Super conference report! Thanks, Stephanie. Why am I not surprised Janet was hilarious? Nos. 1 through 5 are the goals I work toward. No. 6 is my idea of happiness. 🙂
Can't wait to hear more about the conference!
So helpful! Thanks for sharing – I hope to attend a writers conference sometime soon!
Great points!! Writers Conferences are brilliant.
Lyn
W.I.P. It: A Writer's Journey
I love it when tips are boiled down to the bare essentials. Glad you had a good time!
I went to the Alaska Writers Guild Conference in 2009 and really enjoyed it. I hope to make it back in 2011!
Good stuff, Stephanie. Number 5 is one we all grapple with for sure. I'd read elsewhere about querying in a manner that you can make "course corrections"–not burning through your list too fast while you learn what works and what doesn't.
Points well taken!
I'm so jealous! Janet Reid & Andrea Brown – AWESOME!! 🙂
Great advice too!
Great list. Janet Reid's always full of great information. Totally agree with that last point. Writers simply must be readers. We can't expect to add anything of worth to the conversation if we're not always refilling our own creative tanks.