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Fall 2009 Contest Winners • 2010 Writers Conference • Prep Workshops • Marketing Mojo Workshop • Fundraising Seminars • Writing Past Grief Workshop Announcing the AWC Fall 2009 Contest Winners
Presenting the Third Annual Atlanta Writers ConferenceWhere AWC Brings Top Literary Agents to YouAll of the critique and pitch spots are full for this event, and a number of people are waiting on standby. However, you still can attend the hour-long agent panel discussion on the morning of May 15. Click the PDF icon below to read more details and for registration information for the panel event.Do you want a literary agent to tell you what you're doing wrong and doing right in your manuscript? Would you like to discuss your writing project with an agent to see if there's any interest in the marketplace? Do you want the chance to earn a contract for representation leading to publication? If you answer "Yes" to any or all of these questions, then the Atlanta Writers Club has a conference designed for you: On Saturday, May 15, 2010 the Atlanta Writers Club will present its third annual Atlanta Writers Conference. The goal of this conference is to give you access to top literary agents--from six renowned agencies--who will respond to your pitches, critique the work you submit in advance, and educate you about the current environment of the publishing industry and the likely trends for the near future. You could be offered a contract based on the materials you've submitted (several AWC members are still in the running after the 2009 conference). You might be asked to send additional pages or an entire manuscript for their review. You certainly will know more about how your work is perceived by industry professionals than you have ever known before. You also will have fun, learn more about the publishing business, and get a chance to chat informally with these agents and your peers. In addition to the conference, we will host a social event on the evening of Friday, May 14. This is another chance for you to network with your peers and hear war stories and advice from the publishing trenches. But wait, there's more! We've invited Shamus-award winning historical mystery author David Fulmer to provide four separate talks during the conference--from writing queries to his infamous sex and violence lecture--to enlighten you and keep you entertained as you await your turn with an agent. The conference will consist of three parts and you may participate in one, two, or all three of these events:
 AWC 2010 Writers Conference Announcement Announcing the 2009-2010 Atlanta Writers Conference Prep WorkshopsIn 2008-2009, we presented two preparatory workshops with well-published authors to help AWC members get their manuscripts and pitches ready for the Atlanta Writers Conference with literary agents in May 2009. All of the agents remarked on the polished work they reviewed and the smooth pitches delivered, so it's evident these workshops helped. Therefore, we're pleased to announce the 2009-2010 Atlanta Writers Conference Prep Workshops, the opportunity to submit your work and give your pitches to fiction and nonfiction authors who have succeeded in this difficult business. Their mission is to help you make your manuscript sample and/or your verbal presentation as solid and professional as possible, so you can succeed when you query on your own, attend literary events, and participate in the Atlanta Writers Club conference with the agents in May 2010.OverviewThe preparatory workshops are structured the same way the agent conference is set up: you can submit the first 20 pages of your manuscript for critique in advance, and, on the day of the prep workshop, the author you chose will give you 15 minutes of verbal feedback about your work. We'll break for lunch and then you can practice explaining ("pitching") your project to the same author or a different one and you will receive advice about better structuring your pitch for use in query letters and face-to-face encounters with agents and publishers, a process lasting for 10 minutes.To check on your progress implementing the author's suggestions, you can receive another critique and/or pitch session with the author of your choice in early 2010 so you and the author can evaluate your progress and continue to smooth the rough edges. These two sessions should give you the recommendations you need to make your work shine when it's time to register for the agent conference in 2010. Be sure to register ASAP -- spots for both workshops will fill up quickly. Here are the details: Participating Fiction Authors  L-R: David Fulmer, Joshilyn Jackson David Fulmer -- Author of seven historical mysteries, including the critically acclaimed The Blue Door, his popular New Orleans mysteries with Valentin St. Cyr, and his newest, an e-book titled The Last Time. His works have won the Shamus Award for mysteries and the Benjamin Franklin Award for audiobooks, and he was an LA Times Book Prize nominee. He also regularly teaches the craft and business of writing in classes held at Eagle Eye Bookshop. David will critique mainstream fiction, mysteries, thrillers, and suspense. Joshilyn Jackson -- Author of three mainstream novels, including the New York Times bestseller The Girl Who Stopped Swimming. Her first two works, Gods in Alabama and Between, Georgia were #1 BookSense Picks, making her the first author ever to receive that honor in back-to-back years. The editor of BookPage remarked in a review of her work, "Every now and then...a remarkable writer comes along to reenergize American Fiction. So it is with Joshilyn Jackson." Joshilyn will critique all fiction genres, from mainstream to sci-fi/fantasy. Participating Nonfiction Author
Registration Period for Winter 2010 Prep Workshop & Critical Dates
CostYou must be a member of the Atlanta Writers Club to participate in these workshops. If you are not, add $40 to the costs below to cover your membership for all of 2010.For the Winter 2010 Prep Workshop, if you signed up for the Fall Workshop too, the cost for reevaluation of your work is $75 for a critique and $25 for a pitch. If you would like to eat lunch with the workshop authors, add $10 to the total. If you didn't sign up for the Fall Workshop but want to participate in the Winter Workshop, or you participated in the Fall Workshop but want a different work evaluated this time, or want a different author to critique it, the cost is $100 for a critique and $30 for a pitch. Again, if you would like to eat lunch with the workshop authors, add $10 to the total. To RegisterRSVP to Atlanta Writers Club VP George Weinstein to tell him:
In addition, you will receive payment instructions and the deadline for payments. Once he receives your payment, he will provide a reminder about the due date for your 20-page manuscript and submission instructions if you chose that option, and/or he will recommend some books to help you work on your pitch. If you RSVP but do not submit payment by the deadline, you will be dropped from the roster and the next available person on standby will take your place. Refund PolicyFor the Winter 2010 Prep Workshop, if you paid for a critique but cannot make it to the February 6 event, you will receive a refund if you have not submitted your work and you notify George Weinstein no later than January 16. If you paid for a pitch but cannot make it to the February 6 event, you will receive a refund if you notify George Weinstein no later than January 23.
We hope you take advantage of the Winter 2010 Prep Workshop. It should help you present your best work whenever your query or speak with an agent/publisher, and especially at the Atlanta Writers Conference in May 2010. Conference information and the opening date for Conference registrations will be announced in February 2010. If you have any questions, please direct them to George Weinstein. An Entire Weekend of Marketing Advice from Expert Lauretta Hannon
You will have a terrific opportunity in January 2010 to learn the essentials about marketing your books and yourself and get one-on-one advice from best-selling author and marketing maven Lauretta Hannon in what she's calling a weekend of Marketing Mojo!
MARKETING MOJO! Half-Day WorkshopSaturday, January 23, 2010 12:30-4:30pmThis half-day workshop will cover all aspects of marketing your work. From The Essentials to the Power of Online Marketing, you'll be armed with the knowledge, tools, and resources to begin building your success now--whether you have a book deal or not. Many agents say that the trait most needed by writers is the ability and willingness to promote their books. Yet most of us neglect this critical part of the business of writing. The Essentials12:30-1:30pmAn examination of the cardinal rules of marketing and how to apply them to your specific goals. The Essentials provide the foundation for all of your marketing activities. Building Your Platform Now1:30-2:15pmA step-by-step guide to position yourself in the marketplace and strengthen your presence and credentials. Learn how to market yourself to agents. Break2:15-2:30pmThe Great Online Adventure2:30-3:30pmTopics include: website creation, search engine optimization, guest blogging, social networking, and the Do's & Do Not's of online marketing. We'll focus on how your website should look and feel; what content should be included; and identify common mistakes made in website design. Signings & Sales 1013:30-4pmHow to set up book signings and sell books via retail outlets, your website, other Internet sites, professional organizations, and at special events Capturing Media Coverage4-4:30pmTips and strategies that will get their attention Your InstructorLauretta Hannon has garnered more than 200 awards for marketing and promotions and has been known for years as the most award-winning marketing expert in higher education. Her literary debut, The Cracker Queen-A Memoir of a Jagged, Joyful Life (Penguin Group), became a Southern Indie Bestseller three weeks after its release this year. She is featured in the October edition of Southern Living and is a commentator on National Public Radio's All Things Considered. In addition, Lauretta offers seminars for writers through her Down Home Writing School.The LocationBuilding NC Auditorium at Georgia Perimeter College in Dunwoody, our usual meeting location.The CostThis workshop is FREE to Atlanta Writers Club members who have paid their 2010 dues. You will have an opportunity to make a donation in advance or at the door to help the club pay for this event. If you would like to participate and are not yet a member of the Atlanta Writers Club, or have not renewed for 2010, please pay online or download, complete and mail the membership form with payment.To RegisterSimply RSVP to AWC VP George Weinstein. He will acknowledge your place on the attendance roster.Marketing Mojo: One-on-One Marketing Critiques -- an AWC exclusiveSunday, January 24, 2010 30-minute private sessionsSit down with nationally acclaimed marketing expert Lauretta Hannon and get solutions for your specific challenges. In this 30-minute one-on-one session, Lauretta will analyze the effectiveness of your website, marketing strategies, and promotional ideas. She'll also answer questions about anything and everything you're curious about, from marketing yourself to agents to driving sales and capturing media coverage. These sessions will benefit everyone from the seasoned writer to the marketing neophyte. Joanne Wyckoff, an agent with Zachary Shuster Harmsworth, was recently asked to name the skill most needed by aspiring writers. Her response: "The ability to publicize their own book." Don't miss this rare opportunity to get individual feedback on the most overlooked yet most critical contributor to your success. About the ExpertLauretta Hannon has garnered more than 200 awards for marketing and promotions and has been known for years as the most award-winning marketing expert in higher education. Her literary debut, The Cracker Queen-A Memoir of a Jagged, Joyful Life (Penguin Group), became a Southern Indie Bestseller three weeks after its release this year. She is featured in the October edition of Southern Living and is a commentator on National Public Radio's All Things Considered. In addition, Lauretta offers seminars for writers through her Down Home Writing School.The LocationAWC member Neda Gayle is opening her home in Atlanta for these one-on-one sessions with Lauretta (you'll be given the address and directions after receipt of payment).The CostThe cost is $99.This price reflects a 50% discount off Lauretta's normal fee. She is making this rate available as an exclusive for 2010 AWC members. This offer is only open to the first 14 AWC members who register and pay. If you would like to participate and are not yet a member of the Atlanta Writers Club, or have not renewed for 2010, please pay online or download, complete and mail the membership form with payment. The Process
The Atlanta Writers Club Presents Two Fundraising SeminarsSaturday, December 12, 2009
Time: 1:00-4:00 p.m.Location: Georgia Perimeter College in Dunwoody Cost: $20 to Atlanta Writers Club members Marc Fitten, author of Valeria's Last Stand and editor of The Chattahoochee Review literary magazine, will present a three-hour seminar on agent and publishing topics requested by our members:
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Time: 1:00-4:00 p.m.Location: Georgia Perimeter College in Dunwoody Cost: $20 to Atlanta Writers Club members Award-winning author of When the Finch Rises and The Fireman's Wife, Jack Riggs will address a craft-of-writing topic suggested by several members in a seminar he's calling "Oh Give Me a Home, Where My Characters Roam: The Importance of Character and a Sense of Place in Fiction." Here's the write-up he provided:
We all come from somewhere, and we are all on a journey to someplace else. During that time, the geography that surrounds us matters. It plays on our minds, affects our moods, thoughts, and actions. When a writer is creating story, she or he must be concerned with a sense of place and how it might affect the character. Historical place and present geography must be considered. In this workshop on Character and Sense of Place, we will discuss ideas on how best to set character in a geography that not only feels right, but is authentic to the story and true in the reader's mind. To register for Jack's seminar, e-mail AWC VP George Weinstein. The Atlanta Writers Club will use the funds raised by these seminars to support the 2010 Townsend Award, given to the best work of fiction during the preceding two years by an author living in Georgia. This is an opportunity for the club to increase its standing in the local literary community by working alongside the Georgia Center for the Book, Margaret Mitchell House and Atlanta Magazine, together with the Townsend Award sponsor and provider of our meeting spaces, Georgia Perimeter College.
Writing Past Grief Workshop
April 24, 2010By the time she was nine, Jessica Handler had begun to think of herself as the "well sibling." She lost both of her sisters due to hereditary illnesses, and vowed to write a book to honor her family. Moreover, she wanted to understand the girl she was -- her questions, fears, and triumphs -- so she wrote Invisible Sisters to remember her family entirely, both the bad times and the good.Based on Jessica's Pushcart Prize-nominated essay, Invisible Sisters is a "clear-eyed, candid work [that] portrays the immense emotional toll that two daughters' illnesses take on a family living in Atlanta," according to Publisher's Weekly. Jessica spoke to the club in October 2009 and now will present a 2.5-hour workshop on confronting the hardships in your life so you can produce your most powerful work ever.
DetailsDate and Time: April 24, 2010, 1:00-3:30 p.m.Location: GPC-Dunwoody, NC-1100 auditorium Cost: $20. Open to all 2010 members of the Atlanta Writers Club. To join the club or renew your dues, click here. Workshop DescriptionRobert Frost said, "No tears for the writer, no tears for the reader," but how does a writer work effectively with emotionally difficult material, moving through his or her own trauma to create powerful and effective writing that serves the larger narrative?In this seminar, the author will draw from the work of leading nonfiction authors to examine the rewards for the writer -- and the reader -- in confronting tears, finding joy, and meeting on the page the little known continuation of Frost's quote: "No surprise for the writer, no surprise for the reader." Participants will create new work or expand existing work through a variety of in-workshop writing exercises. This workshop is open to fiction and nonfiction writers at all levels. Outline of Workshop
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| About | Events | Meetings | Critique Groups | Directions | Newsletter | Membership | Contacts | Merchandise | Donate | HOME | ||||||||
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