Cherry Weiner, literary agent with her own Cherry Weiner Literary Agency

Cherry Weiner, agent with her own Cherry Weiner Literary Agency, has confirmed she will attend the 2011 DFW Writers’ Conference.

Bio

Cherry Weiner started out by handling science fiction, fantasy, and horror. She now handles all genres.

Among the all genres, she handles a good number of fairly well-known authors in the field of Westerns and Native American Works.  Some nonfiction has even crept into the mix, but no poetry. She tries not to handle children’s and young adult manuscripts, but a few of her authors are doing the y.a., run so she is trying to learn the genre and submitting for them.

You can see an informative interview with Cherry here: The 7 Question Interview with Cherry Weiner

Publisher Robert Brown, Ampichellis Ebooks

Publisher Robert Brown, with Ampichellis Ebooks, has confirmed he will attend the 2011 DFW Writers’ Conference.

Bio

Robert currently seeks well-written novels in all commercially viable genres for Ampichellis Ebooks, a division of Martin Brown Publishers, LLC.

He is specifically interested in young adult, mystery, suspense/thriller, romance, and urban fantasy.

Before taking this position, his career path included time served as a writer, editor, and, most recently, as a literary agent with Wylie-Merrick Literary Agency.

He’s a conference veteran who’s taught workshops and consulted on manuscripts at conferences throughout North America, and he’s worked with authors including Heather Sharfeddin (Bantam Dell) and Tim Carter (Flux).

Agent Chelsea Lindman, with The Nicholas Ellison Agency

Agent Chelsea Lindman, with The Nicholas Ellison Agency, has confirmed she will attend the 2011 DFW Writers’ Conference.

Bio

The Nicholas Ellison Agency is an affiliate of Sanford J. Greenburger, and represents a broad range of bestselling fiction and non-fiction authors.  The Nicholas Ellison Agency has a strong and successful record with commercial fiction and non-fiction. Our agency also has deep and successful connections to the film world, with a proven track record that can be seen in Showtime’s extremely successful Dexter series, which is based on the novels of our client, Jeff Lindsay. We’ve also optioned, or sold, all of Nelson DeMille’s and Christopher Moore’s novels for healthy sums.

Before I was at The Nicholas Ellison Agency/Sanford J. Greenburger, I worked at an independent publishing house, Europa Editions, that focused on literary and crime fiction, as well as children’s picture books in translation.  At Europa Editions, I was able to oversee much of the publishing cycle; from submission, to acquisition, to the editing of a completed ms, to publicity, etc.  Having seen the publishing side of the business has helped me to better function as an agent, allowing me to better understand what editors expect of their authors, and what authors can expect from their publisher.

My primary areas of interest are YA/Children’s fiction, literary fiction, mysteries and thrillers.  I’m actively pursuing clients that are looking to build a lasting relationship.  I currently have a handful of projects on submission, including a YA series about a teen detective agency and a powerfully written literary novel reminiscent of the works of Joshua Ferris or Wells Tower.  A few of my most recent sales include a middle-grade series that went to Philomel (HC)/Puffin (PB) about a boy sleuth, and a sardonically written picture book about a misfit that went to Aladdin.

Agent Adam Friedstein, with Anderson Literary Management

Agent Adam Friedstein, with Anderson Literary Management, has confirmed he will attend the 2011 DFW Writers’ Conference.

Bio

Adam grew up on the North Shore of Massachusetts and holds a B.A. in Comparative Literature from Bard College.

He began his publishing career in 2005 at Writers House, later going on to the foreign rights department at Harold Ober Associates, and most recently Trident Media Group where he worked with agents Ellen Levine, Alex Glass, and Melissa Flashman and authors such as Christopher Andersen, Russell Banks, Stanley Fish, and Matt Bondurant.

He’s looking for books that make statements, books with captivating characters and loud voices, books with unique perspectives on the familiarity of adolescence and adulthood, specifically debut literary fiction, literary thrillers, young adult fiction and narrative and serious nonfiction, including memoir, popular science, and pop-culture books.

Here’s how to receive a 5% discount on American Airlines flights, and special rates on rental cars from Avis, for DFWcon travel around Feb. 26-27, 2011:

American Airlines Travel

Reservation ID: 1621BK (enter this ID in “Promotion Code” field)

Telephone reservations: 800.433.1790

Online reservations click here: American Airlines Website

Avis Rental Cars

Reservation ID: J906969

Telephone reservations: 888.754.8878

Online reservations click here: Avis Reservation Website

Note: If you make reservations through any other phone number or website system, you may miss out on these discounts.

Weronika Janczuk, agent with D4EO Literary Agency

Weronika Janczuk, agent with D4EO Literary Agency, has confirmed she will attend the 2011 DFW Writers’ Conference.

Bio

As a literary agent at D4EO Literary Agency, Weronika represents a broad range of commercial fiction and non-fiction. She accepted the position after a wide array of experience in the industry, including work with acquisitions editor Brian Farrey at Flux and, in different capacities, with other literary agents.

In addition to agent, she is also a writer and student. Most recently a Midwesterner, Weronika now lives in NYC and, when she isn’t reading submissions, she enjoys ’80s music, witty novels, funky art, and time spent with good people.

Weronika will also teach this class:

Class: The Act(ion) Dilemma

Some of the largest problems for fiction writers to fix in their manuscripts are related to structure—plot and pacing—even though thousands of resources exist that draw on lessons from screenwriting and many bestselling and/or genre-defining novels.

Why is it, then, that writers face so many difficult challenges in putting together the puzzle of their novel? It takes a lot of practice to get it right.

This class will briefly break down possible novel “templates,” including the three-act structure, the eight-point story arc, and others, to help writers, first, write to a formula that guarantees conflict and action and, two, break genre boundaries and rules after these basics are learned. In addition, a variety of easy-to-apply techniques can guarantee increased success in plotting and rewriting for both the writer that outlines and the writer that “pantses.”

You can find Weronika’s website here: Weronika Janczuk Website

The organizers of OpenCamp (a conference in DFW geared to bloggers and website designers) and Big(D)esign Conference (devoted to social media, user experience, and code development) have gracefully shared many of their organizational methods with the DFWcon team. For that, we offer our thanks.

In return, we want to encourage you to consider attending OpenCamp, coming up quickly the weekend of August 27-29. Here’s more about it directly from the OpenCamp organizers:

OpenCamp is the Southwest’s first multi-platform web conference. With top speakers covering topics ranging from social media to technical development, content creation, revenue generation and more, webmasters and web developers, bloggers, podcasters and technologists on any platform are welcome.

No matter what your interest, the platforms we’ll be covering at OpenCamp will help you further your publishing efforts, whether you use the written word, video or audio we’ve got you covered. While some sessions at OpenCamp will be a little more technical, most of them will be geared at beginners and intermediate users. We’ll also have great speakers such as Brian Clark from Copyblogger.com to discuss niche aspects of publishing, such as web copywriting and how to better integrate multi-media into your publishing efforts.

We recently announced the initial release of the OpenCamp Schedule. So far we have more than 50 sessions across seven tracks, plus networking events on Friday and Saturday.

This is the one blogging conference that you don’t want to miss!

Reserve your seat today here: OpenCamp Registration

Elana Roth, literary agent at the Caren Johnson Literary Agency, has confirmed she will attend the 2011 DFW Writers’ Conference.

Bio

Elana Roth began her career at Nickelodeon Magazine, which made her fall in love with children’s publishing.

Afterward, she spent nearly five years as an editor at Parachute Publishing, a packager specializing in children’s book series. There she was lucky to work on R.L. Stine’s ROTTEN SCHOOL among many other series for kids of all ages.

She joined Johnson Literary in September 2008, and is proud to represent such authors as Darren Farrell (DOUG-DENNIS and the FLYAWAY FIB) and David Patneaude (EPITAPH ROAD).

Elana is a graduate of Barnard College and the Jewish Theological Seminary, where she earned degrees in English literature and Bible.

Louise Fury, agent at L. Perkins Agency

Louise Fury, literary agent at the L. Perkins Agency, has confirmed she will attend the 2011 DFW Writers’ Conference.

Bio

Louise believes in the power of marketing and is constantly on the lookout for authors who know how to promote themselves.

She is seeking high-concept Young Adult fiction and fun, imaginative, and engaging Middle Grade fiction–think humor, adventure and mystery. The characters must be authentic and original.

Louise really loves historical (especially Regency and Victorian), paranormal, steampunk romance, mystery and epic horror.

She’s passionate about connecting with South African authors–anything about South Africa, or by a South African author is on her wish list.

In non-fiction she is looking for pop culture, humor, gift books and witty memoirs.

For more information on Louise or to take a peek at her client list, visit her blog, or follow her on Twitter @louisefury.

Dawn Frederick, literary agent and owner at Red Sofa Literary

Dawn Frederick, literary agent and owner at Red Sofa Literary, has confirmed she will attend the 2011 DFW Writers’ Conference.

Bio

Red Sofa Literary was established by Dawn Frederick in 2008.  Dawn brings a broad knowledge of the book business to the table—with over 10 years of experience as a bookseller in the independent, chain, and specialty stores; an editor for a YA publisher, a published nonfiction author, and her experience as an Associate Literary Agent at Sebastian Literary Agency from 2002 – 2007. She carries a B.S. in Human Ecology, and a M.S. in Information Sciences from an ALA accredited institution.

“Not only do I know what people like to read and are currently  reading;  I also have the experience of  working one-on-one with authors, book distribution centers, and literary organizations.”

Previous books sold include: I Love Rock & Roll (Except When I Hate It) by Brian Boone (Perigee), The Secrets of Skinny Chicks by Karen Bridson (McGraw-Hill), Finding Betty Crocker by Susan Marks (Simon & Schuster), Train to Nowhere by Colleen Bradford-Krantz (Ice Cube Press), and No Mercy: Roller Derby Life on the Flat-Track by Jules Doyle (Schiffer Publilshing).

Dawn is looking for nonfiction, and will be doing one-on-one consultations, a panel, and teaching a class during the 2011 DFW Writers’ Conference.

Kate McKean, agent with Howard Morhaim Literary Agency

Agent Kate McKean, with Howard Morhaim Literary Agency, Inc., has confirmed she will attend the 2011 DFW Writers’ Conference.

Bio

A native Southerner, Kate earned her Master’s degree in Fiction Writing from the University of Southern Mississippi before starting her career as a literary agent.

Her interests lie in literary fiction, contemporary women’s fiction, paranormal romance, urban fantasy, mystery, young adult and middle grade fiction, narrative non-fiction, sports related books, food writing, pop culture, and craft.

She is not accepting any epic fantasy, science fiction, or children’s picture books.

Jenny Bent, founding agent of The Bent Agency

Agent Jenny Bent, with her own The Bent Agency, has confirmed she will attend the 2011 DFW Writers’ Conference.

Bio

In a career spanning 15 years, I have made a practice of making bestsellers — either by spotting new talent or developing careers for multi-published authors.

My list is varied and includes commercial fiction and nonfiction, literary fiction and memoir. All the books I represent speak to the heart in some way: they are linked by genuine emotion, inspiration and great writing and story-telling.

I was born in New York City but grew up in Harrisonburg Virginia in a house full of books where I spent many lazy afternoons reading in a sunny window seat. I went on to England to get a BA/MA with first class honors from Cambridge University.

After graduation I worked in magazines, bookselling and agenting, most recently at Trident Media Group, before founding THE BENT AGENCY in 2009. I now live in Brooklyn in an apartment full of books and while there are not quite so many lazy reading afternoons, I manage to fit one in now and then.

Faith Black, editor with The Berkley Publishing Group, an imprint of Penguin Group

Editor Faith Black, with The Berkley Publishing Group, has confirmed she will attend the 2011 DFW Writers’ Conference.

Bio

Faith Black is an Editor with The Berkley Publishing Group, an imprint of Penguin Group, where she acquires mysteries and westerns. Her mystery acquisitions are published under Berkley’s successful Prime Crime imprint.

Previously, she worked at New Horizon Press, Cambridge University Press, and Avalon Books.

She is a graduate of Williams College where she earned her degree in English. She also received her Masters from Rutgers University in English and previously studied at Oxford University.

Jim McCarthy of Dystel & Goderich Literary Management

Agent Jim McCarthy, with Dystel & Goderich Literary Management, has confirmed he will attend the 2011 DFW Writers’ Conference.

Bio

Jim McCarthy interned for DGLM while studying urban design at New York University. Upon graduating, Jim realized he would much rather continue working with books than make the jump (as he had originally intended) to the field of city planning.

As an avid fiction reader, his interests encompass both literary and commercial works. He is particularly interested in literary women’s fiction, underrepresented voices, mysteries, romance, paranormal fiction, and anything unusual or unexpected.  In addition to fiction he is also interested in narrative nonfiction, humor, memoir, paranormal nonfiction, and anything related to architecture, planning, or real estate.

Jim was raised just outside of NYC and currently lives in Brooklyn.

When we began planning the 2011 DFWcon back in the fall of 2009 (yes, it really does take that long when you grow as fast as we have, and you have to find a new venue), I wanted to replace agent/editor pitch sessions with consultations, no finished manuscript required.

But at the 2010 conference in April, we pulled the agents together as an impromptu advice panel, and they said in very clear and unanimous terms: No.

Their reasoning is abundantly clear if you think about writing as a business. Why do agents and editors come to writing conferences? As much fun as most of them seem to have hanging out with writers, they’re not doing it for laughs. They’re doing it to make money.

If you talk to them about a project they think they can sell, but you don’t have a finished manuscript to hand them, then they’ve got nothing to take to the bank. You’ve let them down. Were you an agent or acquisitions editor, would you like that? Not likely. (Note that nonfiction works a bit differently — you can get away with only a partial in that case. But with fiction, a finished manuscript is required by most agents and editors.)

Jason Myers, 2011 DFWcon co-director

The co-director for 2011 DFWcon, Jason Myers (who is in charge of acquiring agents and editors for the conference), wrote a good blog about this a few months ago. I recommend taking a look at it: Don’t Waste Their Time.

Meanwhile, we’re still putting together our list of agents and editors for 2011 DFWcon. We’ve got promises to attend from many, but we’re waiting for them to provide bio information and manuscript requirements before we post them to our site and announce them. As you can imagine, they’re busy and it takes a while to collect and verify all that updated information. Please bear with us.

Very nice rooms

Here’s how to reserve DFWcon rooms at the American Airlines Training & Conference Center for Feb. 26-27, 2011:

DFWcon rate: $79 per night, single or double, plus taxes.

Reservation ID: 116772

Telephone reservations: 800.777.6464 or 817.956.6030

Online reservations: DFWcon Lodging

Note: If you make reservations through any other phone number or website system, you’ll miss out on the special discount rates.

Alex Glass, with the Trident Media Group

Agent Alex Glass, with the Trident Media Group, has confirmed he will attend the 2011 DFW Writers’ Conference.

Bio

Alex Glass came to Trident as Chairman Robert Gottlieb’s assistant in 2001 and was promoted to literary agent shortly thereafter. He has a BA in political science from Johns Hopkins and an MFA in creative writing from American University, and has worked in the literature program at the National Endowment for the Arts and in the marketing department of the Putnam Berkley Publishing Group.

Alex’s clients include national best selling author Chad Kultgen (The Average American Male), international bestselling author Matt Bondurant (The Third Translation and The Wettest County in the World), Edgar Award-winning author Katherine Marsh (The Night Tourist), New York Times bestselling novelist and memoirist Da Chen, NFL legend Mark Bavaro (Rough and Tumble), the estate of Newbery Award-winner Ellen Raskin (The Westing Game), and High Times magazine (The Official High Times Potsmokers Handbook). Upcoming books of note for 2009 include Erick Setiawan’s debut literary fantasy Of Bees and Mist, Courtney Sheinmel’s middle grade novel Positively, Maggie Estep’s new novel Alice Fantastic, crime novelist Dennis Tafoya’s debut Dope Thief, award-winning mystery writer Brian M. Wiprud’s Feelers, Chad Kultgen’s The Lie, and Katherine Marsh’s The Twilight Prisoner.

Alex’s books have been sold to the movies, television, and to foreign publishers around the world. He is currently looking for debut literary fiction, crime fiction and literary thrillers, middle grade and young adult fiction, and pop culture, humor, and narrative nonfiction.

Jennifer Laughran, with the Andrea Brown Literary Agency

Agent Jennifer Laughran, with the Andrea Brown Literary Agency, has confirmed she will attend the 2011 DFW Writers’ Conference.

Bio (from the Andrea Brown website)

Jennifer began her career in agenting after working as a long-time children’s bookseller and buyer. She is also the founder of the extremely popular YA event series “Not Your Mother’s Book Club.”

She joined Andrea Brown Literary Agency in 2007. Always on the lookout for sparkling YA and middle grade fiction with unusual and unforgettable characters and vivid settings, she is drawn to all kinds of books, whether realistic comedies or richly imagined magical adventures. However, the common thread in her favorite stories is an offbeat world-view. Jennifer adores simplicity, but she is not interested in the conventional, predictable, mechanical, gimmicky or ordinary. Jennifer loves funny books, thrilling books, romantic books, books that make her cry, and all-around un-put-downable books… and her true favorites are all of the above.

Clients include: National Public Radio’s own “children’s book ambassador” and the author of over 100 books for young readers, Daniel Pinkwater, whose latest novel is ADVENTURES OF A CAT-WHISKERED GIRL (Houghton). His wife, the talented artist Jill Pinkwater, who did the vibrant illustrations for their book BEAUTIFUL YETTA (THE YIDDISH CHICKEN) (Feiwel & Friends). Author/illustrator Calef Brown, whose whimsical drawings and poems have garnered him praise and the number one spot on the New York Times bestseller list. Illustrator and graphic novelist Matt Faulkner, who draws picture books for authors such as Laurie Halse Anderson and Judith St. George, as well as his own books and graphic novels. Series author Linda Joy Singleton whose popular YA paranormals include THE SEER series and the DEAD GIRL series, both from Flux. Jackie Dolamore, whose wonderful debut MAGIC UNDER GLASS (Bloomsbury) has been described as “Libba Bray meets Charlotte Bronte”. Edgy debut YA novelists L.K. Madigan (FLASH BURNOUT, Houghton) and Tara Kelly (HARMONIC FEEDBACK, Holt). Kate Messner, who made a splash in 2009 with her warm and wonderful family story BRILLIANT FALL OF GIANNA Z (Walker)… these are to name just a few.

Jennifer attends several conferences each year. Past conferences include Willamette, Writer’s League of Texas, NE-SCBWI, Book Passage Children’s Writers Workshop, and Big Sur Children’s Writer’s Workshop. She spends most of her free time … well, reading, what else?!

By Jeff Posey, Director of the 2011 DFW Writers’ Conference

Agent Jessica Sinsheimer, with the Sarah Jane Freymann Literary Agency, has confirmed that she will attend the 2011 DFW Writers’ Conference and will take book proposals and teach at least one class.

Bio

Jessica Sinsheimer has been reading and campaigning for her favorite queries since 2004. Originally from the San Francisco Bay Area, she went east for Sarah Lawrence College and stayed for the opportunity to read soon-to-be books for a living.

Now an Associate Agent at the Sarah Jane Freymann Literary Agency, she’s developed a reputation for fighting office members to see incoming manuscripts first—and for drinking far too much tea.

Always on the lookout for new writers, she is most excited about finding literary, women’s, and Young Adult fiction, and—on the nonfiction side—psychology, parenting, self-help, cookbooks, memoirs, and works that speak to life in the twenty-first century.

Send queries to her here: Jessica Sinsheimer

Class: “It’s a Matter of Taste: How to increase the odds of an agent falling in love with your project.”

It’s more likely you’ll get hit by lightning while starring in a Broadway play than get a book deal, some say, and the economy has only made it worse. But from my own experience, and from objective data I’ve assembled, I know that 33 percent of your competition disqualifies themselves immediately—and that another 32 percent make preventable mistakes.

I’ll use pie charts, line graphs, and months of data, to help you learn how to keep yourself out of the bottom 65 percent—and how to make yourself immediately likable to an agent; how to increase the odds of your work getting pushed to the top of the reading pile—and how to increase the chances of an agent falling in love with your work.

You’ll also learn strategies agents use when submitting work to editors, and how to apply those same strategies to your own submission process.

Publishing is a very subjective industry, based on timing, intuition, taste, impressions, synchronicity and luck—but when you use the objective data to your advantage, your odds can’t help but improve.

By Jeff Posey, Director of the 2011 DFW Writers Conference

Why go to a writers’ conference?

There are many reasons, of course, all of them legitimate. But one major reason is to discuss your finished project with an agent or acquisition editor. It’s time to find out if you’ve got an idea, the writing skill, and the professional business skills to take a shot in the bigger world of publishing.

That’s what a little more than half of our past attendees have wanted from DFWcon. (The rest come for education and networking.)

Does it work? Do writers really find agents to represent them at DFWcon? Yes. And here’s proof: Three Success Stories. (Special thanks to volunteers Kyle White and Steve Manning for putting this section together.)

Do you know of any other success stories at DFWcon and other conferences? Has it happened to you? Please let us know in the comments section below.

Other news

We’ve had several agents verify their acceptance to DFWcon. Watch for upcoming blog posts to announce them (sign up for our DFWcon Blog RSS Feed so you won’t miss one, or follow @DFWcon on Twitter).

If you’re already signed up to attend 2011 DFWcon, you’re guaranteed a top spot in making your choice of agent/editor for your 10-minute sessions. If you’ve not yet signed up, don’t delay. We sold out two months in advance last year. We have a larger venue this year, with significantly more agents and editors, but we still expect demand to exceed the 450 spots available.

We’ll also be announcing news and information about speakers, teachers, and classes as they develop.

Ask a Question

Have a question? We have two question-and-answer sections: the Conference FAQ and the Agent/Editor FAQ.

If you have a question that’s not answered here, help us out by asking it in the comments section below. We’ll do our best to answer it, and add it to the appropriate FAQ.

Volunteers

Unlike many conferences our size, we are all-volunteer, all the time. Everyone who works on DFWcon has a full-time job and is dedicated to their own writing projects, as evidenced by their active association with the DFW Writers’ Workshop. As co-director for the 2010 DFWcon, and a volunteer the year before, I can attest to the hours and difficult decisions involved in staging this event.

So please bear with us as we slowly and methodically build 2011 DFWcon to be the best conference we possibly can for aspiring writers just like ourselves, and just like you.

By Jeff Posey, Director of the 2011 DFW Writers Conference

Last week I thanked the writers who attended the 2010 conference. This week, I want to thank those of you who have already signed up or are planning to attend the 2011 conference.

Big things are in store for next year’s conference, and the all-volunteer team from the DFW Writers’ Workshop is hard at work getting everything organized. What can you expect to see on this blog in the next few weeks and months?

• A firm list of agents and assigning editors who will be at the conference in greater numbers than any previous conference (you’ll be able to sign up for ten-minute sessions to speak with your agent/editor of choice)
• A list of speakers, teachers, and panelists who will share their expertise to help us become better writers
• A class schedule (probably in the early fall)
• Instructions on making hotel and flight reservations at discounted rates
• Questions to you about how you’d like to see certain events and activities handled
• Updates on agents/editors/speakers in the news
• Special and (hopefully) fun activities planned for the conference
• Introductions to the behind-the-scenes conference volunteers
• Explanations of decisions we’ve made, especially the hard ones (there are more than you can imagine)
• Anything else my brain can kick up

Meanwhile, I encourage you to follow this blog: DFW Writers Conference Blog RSS Feed. Then you’ll always be in the know of what’s going on with the DFWcon (our shorthand for the conference).

Also, if you do Twitter at all, follow our news here: DFWcon on Twitter.

Until next week, take care and I wish you good writing.

By Jeff Posey, Director of the 2011 DFW Writers Conference

We are just launching the new 2011 DFW Writers Conference site, and the first thing I want to do is thank all those who attended the 2010 conference in April. It was a great conference, our last at the old location. All the people who showed up and made friends and connected with other writers were what made it great — as well as our agents, speakers, and teachers.

I also want to thank all the volunteers from the DFW Writers’ Workshop who planned this conference for a year and then executed it far better than the year before. Perfection is never our goal. We only want to improve from year to year.

Next year’s conference is in a new location, the American Airlines Training & Conference Center. When we were scouting for new locations last fall for 2011, we immediately liked this setting. It’s the refurbished AA stewardess training center from fifty years ago and has a lodge-like feel, with forests of post oaks surrounding the buildings, and little casual gathering areas in every direction. It seems the perfect setting for a writers retreat and gathering.

But I’m getting ahead of myself. For those of you who attended 2010, I hope you learned enough to keep you going for a year or more. Many of you, I hope, will return for 2011.

I’ll keep this blog weekly, with a goal of posting updates every Tuesday. As things develop — such as when we get confirmation from agents and acquisition editors, as well as speakers and teachers — I’ll post the information here. Guest bloggers may step in on occasion.

So if you’re interested in what we’ll bring to the writing community the last weekend in February, 2011, please come back often. I don’t see an RSS feed icon on the site yet, but we’ll try to get that up soon so you can easily keep up.

As always, if you have any questions at all, please let me know. We have an official DFW Writers Conference email address, but it’s not yet pointing to me, so feel free to contact me directly in the meantime: JeffPosey@Verizon.net. I’ll feed a Twitter account as well, at @DFWcon. Please follow.

Until next week, take care.

We’ve been looking at statistics for the nearly 200 people who have already registered for the DFW Writers’ Conference, April 10 & 11 in Grapevine, Texas. And we discovered something very interesting. Not only did registrations exceed last year’s total a full three months out from the conference, but writers are coming from across the country! Thirteen states are represented so far, and registrations are still rolling in!

Writers are coming in from: California, New Mexico, Colorado, North Dakota, Iowa, Kansas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, Tennessee, Illinois, Ohio and of course, the conference’s home state of Texas. Within Texas, the largest contingent is from Dallas but they’re coming in from all over the state, including several from the Houston area and others from Amarillo, San Antonio, Laredo and Corpus Christi.

With 10 literary agents, more than 40 workshops and a gathering of writers from around the country, this is shaping up to be the best DFW Writers’ Conference yet!

Here’s the list you’ve been waiting for, the writers and experts who will be presenting breakout sessions! You might recognize some of the names!

A schedule of workshops including session titles and descriptions will be published very soon. We are still collecting information from some of our speakers.

Jodi Thomas
A. Lee Martinez
Rosemary Clement-Moore
Candace Havens
Betsy & Jim Haynes
Victoria Chancellor
Sandy Blair
Shelley Bradley
Wendy Watson
Diane O’Brien Kelly
Dakota Cassidy
Michele Bardsley
Charlotte Huff
Kristen Lamb
Tricia Allen
Russell Connor
Rusty Shelton
Laurie Moore
Misa Ramirez
Peter J. Salicco
Jenni Holbrook
Beatriz Terrazas
Paul Larocque
Paula Larocque
George Goldthwaite
Tim Rogers
Fred Campos
Harry Hall
Stephen Neal Manning

Several of the literary agents attending will also be presenting breakout sessions.

Candace Isenhower attended her first writers’ conference in 2009: The DFW Writers’ Conference. And she walked away with agent representation by Uwe Stender.

Here’s how it happened.

The next DFW Writers’ Conference is April 10&11, 2010, at the City of Grapevine Convention Center. Details here.

Pitching your novel, or nonfiction book proposal to a literary agent can be the most exciting — and nerve-wracking — time in any author’s life. The key to a successful pitch session is preparation. Here are a few tips that will help you make the best of your experience:   

• Pitch sessions are up to 10 minutes long. No more time is allowed. Make certain you can present your idea within that timeframe.  
  • Suggestion: It’s a good strategy to keep your pitch to no more than 5 minutes. Use the remaining time for questions and wrap-up.
     
• You will be in the same room at the same time with other writers who are presenting their book ideas to other agents. Don’t be nervous. Speak in a normal, conversational tone.
   
• Do not bring a copy of your completed manuscript. Agents do not accept paper. If the agent is interested in your book idea, he or she will provide instructions on their agency’s preferred submission process.   
   
• Do bring a notepad and something with which to write.  The agents are a wealth of information on the publishing industry.  
   
• Here are a few websites that discuss how to pitch; however, this is not an all-inclusive list.  Surf the Internet for more.
   
• Here are some articles that discuss how to pitch your work to a literary agent, but please search for more. The Internet is a wealth of helpful information.
  ·          The Perfect Pitch: Pitching to Agents at a Writing Conference  A good article to help you prepare. http://www.writing-world.com/publish/pitch.shtml
  ·         “How to Pitch Your Book at a Writing Conference”.  Another great article from the same source can be found at http://www.writing-world.com/publish/pitch2.shtml  
   
• Rehearse your pitch, but pick a listener who will offer you honest feedback, not someone who loves you enough to overlook your flaws. 
  • Suggestion:  Try not to memorize your pitch word-for-word. Instead, strive for a conversational approach. If you memorize your pitch and stumble on a word, or the agent interrupts you to ask a question, it might throw you off. Be prepared, but just talk to the agent as you would any other new acquaintance.
     
• FREE ON-LINE CLASS:  Unlike other conferences, which charge extra for such classes, the DFW Writers’ Conference brings you “Agent Pitches 101″ from author Candace Havens’ Writers Workshop free of charge. The class will focus on the basics of perfecting your agent pitch. After you register for the conference, you will be given the full details.Good luck!  We look forward to seeing you at the 2010 DFW Writers’ Conference.

We’re so glad you asked. We just posted a list of genres for the agents who’ve accepted our invitation so far. Check it out. Instructions for signing up for a chance at an agent interview are coming soon.