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Are you designing a conference, panel, or workshop for writers, school educators, library patrons, or adult education classes? I'd love to join you as a speaker. I'll bring my 13 years of knowledge about the children's book publishing industry and my teaching training and experience. You supply participants ready to learn information that can be applied the very next day.
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Presentations for Writers:Finding Your Agent Match
Finding the right agent has often been compared to finding a spouse–hopefully, they will be your lifelong business partner, a creative collaborator, your negotiations champion, and eventually the go-between for difficult conversations with your publisher. But finding an agent can be overwhelming. Where do you start? Join Carrie Pearson for a presentation focused on preparing for and finding the right agent fit for you and your work. It’s not enough to find an agent; the important work is to find your agent match. If you have any of these questions -- · I’m not published. Do I need a website before I begin submitting? (trick question – the answer is YES!) · how many manuscripts do I need to have ready before I submit? · how many agents can I submit to at the same time? (trick question – this is not the right question to be asking. Carrie will tell you why.) · an agent is interested in my manuscript, what do I do now? · more than one agent is interested. NOW WHAT? · how long do I wait before I follow up with an agent who requested a full? What do I say in the follow up? Why did the agent express interest and then...crickets? · what's the difference between simultaneous and multiple submissions? Cover letter and query letter? · should I offer an exclusive? · I have an agent but he/she doesn’t send out my manuscripts/tell me what the status of submissions are/tell me who he/she is submitting to. What should I do? · how can I find the right agent for me? (expect a little work with this question) Carrie’s experience spans 13 years in the children’s book industry. She’ll share why she’s had three agents (third one’s the charm!) and help you think differently about how to find your agent match. Children's Book Publishing Industry 101: Tips, Terms, and Twists A one-hour, fast paced, nuts and bolts session for children's literature writers and writer/illustrators who want to be published -- and sooner rather than later. Like every industry, children's book publishing has conventions. If we follow them, we are one step closer to being part of the in-crowd. Participants will learn necessary standards for traditional publishing (formatting, important terms, word counts for categories, what’s pushy, what’s polite), how the industry works (role of agent vs. editor, types of publishing houses, large house vs. small vs. regional), and how creators get paid (advance, royalties). Lecture format with visuals, a take-away, and Q & A. Writing and Selling Nonfiction: A Primer This is a session for fiction writers interested in trying nonfiction or newer writers wanting to break into today’s exciting nonfiction market. Participants will walk away with a clear definition of different types of nonfiction and identify what type they might like to write. They'll also learn how to incorporate engaging fiction techniques into nonfiction projects. We’ll dig into research too -- how much is too little, when to stop researching and start writing, and how to organize all that information to find it when its needed. Finally, we'll cover what everyone wants to know: which traditional publishers and editors are buying excellent nonfiction and the best ways to get a good story on their desk. Lecture format with visuals, a take-away, and Q & A. Putting It Out There
Two hour intensive. Don’t give an editor a reason to reject a manuscript just because you didn’t play by the rules. Get an insider look at industry expectations so you are viewed as a professional. We’ll cover a traditional children's book publishing industry primer (formatting, word count expectations, conventions, important terms), how to know when your manuscript is ready to submit, how to package it (query versus cover letters), how to research agents, editors and publishing houses, how to track submissions, when (and how) to nudge, how to deal with inevitable rejections, and how mini-successes lead to bigger accomplishments. Lecture format with visuals, take-aways, some group discussion, and Q & A. Social Media Unboxed Everyone needs a social media presence. That’s a given. But since we can’t participate in it all, we need to pick the right social media outlet for our goals. We’ll set our goals, determine which outlet will meet these goals, and learn how to set up registrations and profiles. We’ll look at best practices for different outlets and most importantly, how to use social media to our advantage, not become swallowed up by it. One hour lecture format including visuals, individual work time, and Q & A. |
Presentations for Educators:Fiction, Nonfiction, and Shades of Grey in Between
The rise in innovative and engaging nonfiction has opened a world of reading possibilities but also confusion. How do we label books that blend elements of fiction and nonfiction? How can we determine what is a verifiable fact versus a narrative thread? Why is this even important? In a world where half-truths can be mistaken for full-blown facts, it's important for students to learn how to tell the difference between a verifiable detail and that which has been invented. This session will provide ways for teachers and students to analyze content that is fiction, nonfiction, or a relatively new category called informational fiction. Includes sneak peeks at new nonfiction titles, too. Bring on the Funny
Humor has been proven to positively impact learning environments and learning outcomes. So how do we bring funny into the classroom? Use a Humor Style Test to identify what kind of humor you use, and then learn how can you build on your own style (or possibly modify it if it isn't working) to create a positive, enhanced classroom. Includes a review of children’s literature that uses different elements of humor effectively, age-appropriate humor, and lesson ideas for adding humor to student generated writing. One hour lecture format with visuals, a take-away, and Q & A. Who’s Your [Authentic] Audience?
For an author, writing an effective manuscript is the culmination of a process. Some of the process is long and difficult but most of it is a positive challenge. With the right attitude, it's more like finding the right piece to a puzzle or winning a game than drudgery. The process is ultimately worth it when our authentic audience reads and responds to the published book. When students are tasked with writing and they don’t respond like it’s a positive challenge, could it be that students feel they don’t have an authentic audience? This session offers ways to give young writers the kind of experiences authors have when they write for and get responses from an authentic audience. Many thanks to Melissa Stewart, author of over 100 nonfiction books, and the inspiration for this talk. |
