DBW, SCBWI, My Webinar & WD Intensives...

I've been gone for more than a week, so I've got so much to talk about!

DBW & SCBWI
I got back from New York last night after attending both Digital Book World and the SCBWI Annual Winter conference. I hope you all were following the tweets (#dbw, #scbwiny10) and the SCBWI Conference Blog. (Mega kudos for my amazing TEAM BLOGgers Jaime, Jolie, Lee and Suzanne.)

TEAM BLOG, l to r: Lee Wind, Suzanne Young, Jaime Temairik, me, Jolie Stekly

One of the sessions I attended at DBW was on Digital Content and Marketing for the Born-Digital Generation. I wrote about it for DBW so click over to read about the cool and successful things Simon & Schuster, Harper and Scholastic are doing to reach out to their young, tech-savvy audience. Agent Holly Root of Waxman Literary also participated in the panel. She offered this advice to writers: "Reach readers, navigate the changing review landscape, use social media to its fullest."

UPCOMING EVENTS
If all the DBW and SCBWI conference coverage has you in the mood for an informative event (and you'd like some tips that can help you better follow Holly Root's advice), I've got a couple things coming up that might interest you.

First, I'm presenting an hour-long webinar focused on children's publishing called Get Your Children's Writing Published. I gave a similar webinar last year and I was thrilled to see a tweet about it the other day (YAY!):

@lkblackburne Last year, w/ no blog, no twitter account, and no clue, I took @alicepope 's Children's writing seminar. So worth it.

You can get more information and register here.

If you've got more than an hour to devote to learning, the Writer's Digest staff is offering one of our popular Editors' Intensives March 13-14. This event offers a day of programming, a one-on-one manuscript critique, and a some solid WD swag. Plus we can only fit a limited number of people in the WD HQ so there's an intimate feel and plenty of opportunity for interaction with WD staff. (You'll get all your questions answered!)

You can get more information and register here.

A side note: Thanks to everyone for your input on Twitter and Facebook throughout my week of conferencing. I so appreciate your comments, responses and retweets.

Query Q&A with Guest Blogger Chuck Sambuchino...

I recently received a question about including credentials in a query letter. I tossed this question to Guide to Literary Agents editor and blogger Chuck Sambuchino. Here's the question and his advice. (And that's Chuck over there.)


QUESTION: I can't decide what constitutes a legitimate credential when I get to the infamous Author Information paragraph of the query. I'm unpublished, so unfortunately I can't amaze a publisher/agent with that kind of info.

Here are some examples of things that I could mention:

• I have an English degree from Vanderbilt University. Would a publisher/agent care?
• I'm the mother of four avid young readers. Would a publisher/agent care?
• I've done proofreading for a number of other authors' books. (Not Children's Lit, though.) Would a publisher/agent care?

Obviously those "credentials" are specific to me, and I'd love your input. But I'm sure there are a lot of other readers out there who aren't sure where the line exists between valid credential and irrelevant information that would annoy a publisher/agent.


ANSWER: Ah ... what and what not to mention in the “bio” paragraph of your query letter. This is always a hot topic at the writers’ conferences I attend because it’s always a case-by-case thing. Let’s look over your questions.

• I have an English degree from Vanderbilt University. Would a publisher/agent care?

Sure, mention it. It would be more effective to list any published clips or short stories, but an English degree (or better yet--MFA) is never a bad thing to see. Mention it quickly and humbly like you did above.

• I'm the mother of four avid young readers. Would a publisher/agent care?

No--skip it. The fact that you have four avid readers probably helps you write and compose. But too often, agents see parents who think they have what it takes to write a children’s book, for example, simply because they have kids. It’s kind of a cliché thing to say. Nix it.

• I've done proofreading for a number of other authors' books. (Not Children's Lit, though.) Would a publisher/agent care?

If you were paid to edit people’s work, say so. You would be, by definition, a freelance editor. If you did it for peers, perhaps are you part of a writing group? SCBWI? RWA? MWA? If you are, say so briefly. All that said, if you simply reviewed friends’ books, that will not carry much weight in a query so I say skip it.

Don’t be afraid to be brief and wrap up the query. The most important part in a query is the pitch, and a writer should hope that an agent is so hooked by the pitch that they want to see sample pages then and there. Sure, an agent cares about who you are. But more so, they care about if you can write.

• If you have more questions on queries, there's still time to sign up for today's WD 1 p.m. (eatern) webinar, Extreme Makover: The Query Letter. Click here for details.
• To read Chuck's blog including a recent interview with editor-turned-agent Brenda Bowen, click here.
• To learn more about Guide to Literary Agents, click here.
  

Our Next WD Webinar:
Self-Publishing 101...

Last Thursday I hosted my very first webinar on the basics of children's publishing. I was a little nervous about this mostly because I often feel that all technology is conspiring against me in an evil plot of some sort. Technology and I got a long fine, however, and things went smoothly. (And it was really enjoyable.) I did all the talking, but the attendees submitted a number of great questions. Among them were questions about self-publishing. It never fails --whenever I address a group a writers, there are always questions about self-publishing. Should I do it? How do I do it? What's involved? Is there a stigma? Can I get published by a traditional publisher later? I've self-published--how do I get people to buy my book?

For any of you out there with these same kinds of questions, my Publisher Jane Friedman is offering a webinar called Self-Publishing 101: Learn When to Do It and How to Do It. It will be held next Thursday, February 26th at 1 p.m. EST and runs 90 minutes.

In additional to addressing some of the questions above, Jane will also discuss popular online tools and sites that can help you self-publish, and show in real time how to use those tools. She'll give tips on evaluating publishing services, creating a book from scratch, and marketing and promotion, and also provide a checklist.

If self-publishing is something you've considered, Jane can really help demystify things for you. She's both knowledgeable and approachable (and I'm not just saying that because she's my boss). If you're embarking on self-publishing it's wise to do so with some knowledge--the $99 price tag for this webinar seems like a wise investment to make before entering into a self-publishing situation that could cost thousands.

Click here for more information on Self Publishing 101.

I'm Doing a Webinar February 12...

Writer's Digest has recently begun offering a series of webinars as part of Writer's Online Workshops--and the next one will be led by yours truly! These have been popular so far--and pretty exciting. My session, held Thursday, February 12, at 1 p.m. eastern time, will be my webinar debut. I'll be going over some basics, offering tips, answering questions, and doing first page critiques. I'm kinda stoked about this (although nervous about technical difficulties of my own doing. But I always worry about that and the other editors have had no problems, so, really, things will be fine.)

You can click here to register and click here to see the list of upcoming topics that will be offered in upcoming webinars through the end of March.

Upcoming Writer's Digest Webinar:
Get Your Nonfiction Book Published with Jane Friedman...

My very knowledgeable Publisher Jane Friedman is offering a great webinar next week on getting nonfiction published. The session takes place Thursday, January 29, 2009 at 1 pm, EST and lasts a full hour and a half, for only $79.

Here's what attendees will learn during Jane's session:

• Find out the difference between a nonfiction book concept that gets an immediate, enthusiastic response from agents/editors—and one that gets no response.
• Learn how to craft a selling handle with sizzle.
• Learn the one golden rule of nonfiction book ideas and how it assures publication every time.
• Learn the basics of nonfiction book proposal writing (smart authors never write the book first, they always write a proposal).

And there's a BONUS: The first 25 people to register may submit a 100-word summary of their nonfiction book concept (which must include the book’s tentative title), to be critiqued in live time by Jane during the webinar. The second 25 people to register may also submit a summary, and will receive a custom critique within 24 hours of the presentation.

If you or any of your writer friends are interested in publishing nonfiction, you can click here for the full scoop and to register.

(Also note that I'm doing a webinar on children's publishing in February. You can register through the same link. And I'll remind you again later.)