July 10th – Rhonda Morrow + RWA FAQ: Agents
Don’t Bury Your Query!
A crash course for fiction writers in creating a letter that will get your manuscript read, including:
- -How a well-crafted query can save you stress and money.
- -The things you must understand before starting your query.
- -How to make an editor/agent want to like your blurb.
- -How not to sound like the other 200 lunatics and/or writers who sent in queries that day.
- -What you need to include in your blurb to be considered.
- -How to relay the tone of your story within the blurb.
- -When to choose to leave information out of your query.
- -What requests and rejections mean and do not mean.
Bio: Rhonda Morrow found out she was good at persuasive writing way back in high school when she won awards from the local TV station for her editorials.
After graduating with a degree in Journalism (emphasis in advertising), she worked for a major non-profit organization, writing press releases, speeches, volunteer recruitment letters, and various other materials aimed at gaining participation and donations.
She then moved to Viacom for six years, writing and delivering marketing presentations, and creating promotions, as well as sales and retention trainings for Showtime and The Movie Channel. But when her daughter came along, she opened her own learning center, for which she developed an advertising campaign, wrote press releases, and handled all sales activity.
When her mother (and educator/business partner) died, Rhonda closed her business and, after a year of intense grieving, found herself writing a novel. Although that novel remains on her hard drive, she now has four novellas published and a fifth under contract.
However, her big claim to fame among the writers who know her is the high rate of requests she garners from editors and agents with the query letters she writes for herself and others. ”While most of the people I know are natural fiction writers trying to write marketing materials–like queries,” she says. “I’m a natural marketing writer who’s trying to write fiction.”
At the suggestion of local writers, Rhonda has just launched her own query and synopsis service at www.thequeryfairy.com.
Early Morning
RWA FAQ: AGENTS
EVERYTHING YOU WANT TO KNOW (EXCEPT THEIR SHOE SIZE)
Hiring a literary agent is one of the most important decisions an author makes in her career. With the rapidly evolving changes in publishing, it’s more important than ever to have a good working knowledge of what to expect before you begin the Great Agent Hunt. Join award-winning author Kimberly Frost and debut author Vicky Dreiling at the early morning workshop on July 10, 2010 to learn the basics and beyond about literary agents.
Kimberly Frost is the award-winning, national best-selling author of the humorous paranormal Southern Witch Series and has recently accepted a new contract to write an as yet untitled dark paranormal series. You can learn more about her books at: http://frostfiction.com
Vicky Dreiling received three offers of representation prior to selling her first historical romance in a three-book deal to Grand Central Publishing. HOW TO MARRY A DUKE will debut on January 1, 2011. Coming soon: http://www.vickydreiling.net
Schedule for July 10th
7:30-8:00 Doors open/coffee
8:00-9:00 Kimberly Frost & Vicky Dreiling (RWA FAQ: Agent Basics)
9:00-10:15 Business meeting/PAL reviews
10:15-10:45 Break
10:45-11:45 Rhonda Morrow on "Writing a Targeted Query"
11:45-12:15 Book signing
