ONLINE: The 2021 CWW is now an Online Conference to keep everyone safe, on July 9-10, 2021. There is much more to say about this, but immediately you should understand 1) Online events are easy and awesome, and the online events we’ve done thus far have received wonderful feedback, 2) You do not have to be tech-savvy to do this, and 3) We are keeping all aspects of a traditional in-person event, including one-on-one agent & editor pitching, which will now be done by Skype or Zoom or phone. Learn all details about what it means to have a writers conference online.)
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THIS YEAR’S SESSION & WORKSHOPS (JULY 9-10, 2021):
Agent pitches and critique consultations overlap with the sessions below. The schedule of presentation topics below is subject to change and updates:
FRIDAY, JULY 9
9:30 – 10:30: “Three Things that You Must Do Before Contacting a Literary Agent,” taught by agent Barb Roose. Your publishing career is like embarking on a great adventure. How do you prepare for the trip? In this workshop, Books & Such literary agent Barb Roose will talk about the three things that you need to do BEFORE you contact a literary agent. She’ll provide a downloadable prep list as well as other resources for you to use to plan.
10:45 – 11:45: “Common Publishing Myths — Debunked,“ taught by agent Kaitlyn Johnson. Publishing is a labyrinth in and of itself, especially when writers begin speculating what it takes to be successful. In this session, literary agent Kaitlyn Johnson discusses the most common myths about publishing and what the reality for writers truly is.
11:45 – 1:15: Break
1:15 – 2:30: “Everything You Need to Know About Agents and Query Letters,” taught by agent Latoya C. Smith. This workshop is a thorough crash course in dealing with literary agents. After quickly going over what an agent is and what they do for writers, we will discuss resources for finding agents, how to ID the best agents for you, query letter writing, as well as the most important things to do and not to do when dealing with representatives.
2:45 – 3:45: “How to Market Yourself and Your Books: Talking Author Social Media, Blogging, and Platform,” taught by Chuck Sambuchino. Whether you’re traditionally published or self-published, everyone could use some helpful guidance on how to effectively market themselves and sell more books. This session includes easy-to-understand advice on social media (Twitter, Facebook, more), blogging, and other simple ways you can market your work online cheaply and easily.
4:00 – 5:00: “Word Wizardry: Crafting a Stand-Out Voice,” taught by agent Kelly Peterson. Bring your laptops, tablets, or just multi-colored pens and paper for this interactive, hands-on workshop! You’ll be guided through tips and tricks for finding your best voice in order to engage the agents and editors of your choice. Come prepared, main character in mind, to learn new tactics for getting your manuscript noticed!
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SATURDAY, JULY 10, 2021
9:30 – 10:30: “Improve Your Writing: The Basics of Self-Editing and Revision,” taught by Eve Porinchak. Writing your manuscript’s first draft is a huge step, but only a primary one. Now it’s time to look at your creation and slowly make it amazing through overhauls, self-editing, and revision. Remember that good writing is rewriting. In this class, you’ll learn to identify your writing’s flaws (and fix them) — such as tense and POV issues, when to cut and shorten your length, and what makes some writing crackle.
10:45 – 11:45: “The Ins and Outs of the Editorial Process with Traditional Publishing,“ taught by agent Leticia Gomez.
11:45 – 1:15: Break
1:15 – 2:30: “Writers Got Talent”—a Page 1 Critique Fest, with participating literary agents and editors. In the vein of “American Idol” or “America’s Got Talent,” this is a chance to get your first page read (anonymously — no bylines given) with attending agents commenting on what was liked or not liked about the submission. Get expert feedback on your incredibly important first page, and know if your writing has what it needs to keep readers’ attention. All attendees are welcome to submit pages to the event for this session, and we will choose pages at random for the workshop for as long as time lasts. All submissions should be novels or memoir—no prescriptive nonfiction or picture books, please. Instructions to participate will be sent out approximately one week before the event.
2:45 – 3:45: Open Agent Q&A Panel. Several attending literary agents will open themselves up to open Q&A from CWW attendees. Bring your questions and get them answered in this popular session.
4:00 – 5:00: “Getting Published in Today’s World: 10 Tips to Make You the Writer Agents and Publishers Want,” taught by Brian Klems. If you want to land an agent and a book deal in today’s market, you’re going to have to do a lot more than just write a great book (though that’s a good start). In this session, former Writer’s Digest editor Brian Klems discusses the challenges writers face in publishing today and offers up 10 practical tips to help you break through the barriers and find success.
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BONUS CLASSES FOR COLORADO WRITING WORKSHOP ATTENDEES
Lastly, having this new technology allows us WDW faculty members to pre-record sessions, too—meaning we will actually send attendees many extra FREE classes as part of their attendance. In addition to getting the weekend’s 10 classes sent to you to watch over and over again, we will also send you 12 more FREE classes on the side:
- “An Overview of Your Publishing Options Today”—a class on understanding the difference between self-publishing and traditional publishing, by Chuck Sambuchino
- “10 Query Letter Tips”—a class to help your submission chances, by Chuck Sambuchino
- “15 Tips on How to Write Like the Pros”—a class on craft and voice, by Brian Klems
- “Working with a Literary Agent”—a class on having a great relationship, by agent Kortney Price
- “The Ins and Outs of Perfecting Voice in Your Writing,” taught by author Christina Kaye.
- “Ask an Agent Anything Panel (Michigan Writing Workshop)”—hear writers ask questions and agents give blunt feedback
- “How to Write a Nonfiction Book Proposal” by Brian Klems—a class specifically designed for writers of nonfiction who want to craft an awesome proposal
- “You Have an Agent Offer or Book Contract — Now What?”—a class explaining what happens after you sign with a rep, by agent Carlie Webber
- “Pitch, Please”—a class on pitching to agents successfully, by Ben Miller-Callihan and Courtney Miller-Callihan
- “Making Social Media Work For You”—a class on promoting yourself and your book via social media, by agent Kenzi Nevins
- “Talking Elevator Pitches, Twitter Pitches, and Query Letters”—a class on understanding the various ways to pitch your book to agents, by agent Heather Cashman
- “Elevating Your Work: How to Create Great Children’s Picture Books”—a class on writing picture books for kids, by author Gabrielle Pendergrast