This past weekend I had the pleasure of attending ThrillerFest, a fantastic event from International Thriller Writers (ITW). Like last year, the theme that tied together my ThrillerFest experience can be summed in three words: “Expect the unexpected.” You might assume an event put on by thriller writers would have an icy vibe. You might… Read more »
Every year at Book Expo America (BEA) one of my primary jobs at the show is trend-spotting, especially now that DIY MFA has begun featuring more guest content on our site. Book Expo is the main place where I connect with authors, publishers and industry professionals that we will feature over the coming year. But… Read more »
Book Expo America is the biggest book conference in the country. It’s where agents, editors, publicists and authors all gather together with readers to talk about everyone’s favorite thing—books. It almost reads like a Dr. Suess poem – old books, new books, read books, blue books. Okay. There weren’t actually any blue books. Not that… Read more »
I’ve never been to BEA. As I approach it, I keep thinking of the children in Willy Wonka, standing just inside the chocolate factory. They don’t know what wonders await them. They only know that there are wonders ahead. That the place is huge. And they’re thrilled to be there. And Willy Wonka tells them:… Read more »
Being able to sum up a book in a sentence or two, under pressure and with focus, organization and intrigue is a skill that takes practice. Literary Agent Rachelle Gardner recommends you “give enough information—plot, character, setting, theme—to intrigue without giving away the entire story.” Agent Kerrie Flanagan adds: “Know your story, practice your one-liner,… Read more »
Lately, writing conferences have been buzzing with this idea of the author entrepreneur. Writer’s Digest Conference East earlier this month was no exception. One theme came up again and again and it was this idea of writers as entrepreneurs. Self-publishing is no longer a synonym for vanity publishing. Authors have more options than ever before… Read more »
One week ago, I head the pleasure of attending the Writer’s Digest Conference East (WDCE) in NYC. This is one of my favorite writing conferences of the year and it’s a great event writers in all stages of their careers. Novice writers can enjoy the inspirational keynote speakers and great lectures on writing craft and… Read more »
One of my favorite things to do for DIY MFA is go to writing conferences. I love meeting other writers, connecting with industry professionals and learning new things about the business as well as the craft. These days, with so many writing conferences available, it can be tricky to figure out which ones you should… Read more »
Writing can be lonely work. As writers we spend most of our time working alone so a community of like-minded creative people can bring a ray of social light to an otherwise solitary existence. But how do you go about finding that magical group of writers to call your own? How do you find a… Read more »
Last week, I was inspired. Truly inspired. After several days of chaos and anxiety–worrying about and tracking down friends, family and colleagues–I finally ventured out into New York City to attend the Backspace Agent-Author Seminar. By some miracle, the hotel hosting the conference still had power (the blackout area started just a few blocks south)…. Read more »
