A couple of years have passed since I've had a shot at teaching, so getting back into the groove was fun. I wholeheartedly approached my Indiana Jones theme by taking a bullwhip and throwing snakes (not real!) into the audience. Hey, Indie has a lot to teach writers about revision. Hopefully, the attendees learned something because I certainly had a good time. When my book comes out on November 18, I look forward to the opportunity of teaching/speaking engagements. If you know anyone who is interested, just send me a line.
Here are some worthy comments from the speakers:
"A pile of rejections doesn't spell doom if it's a pile of rejections from the wrong people."--Melissa Flashman, an agent at Trident Media.
This comment should inspire writers to not only research the genres agents like but to also keep trying. When discussing a hook for a query letter or pitch, she said that clever words don't interest her, but genre does.
"Smaller press can make you a priority on a list. A book that sells 10,000 copies will sell that many no matter who publishes it. If that’s the case with your book, consider that because people look at your numbers. It’s often the ones with the big advances that have difficulty selling the next book because the numbers are in the red." Paul Taunton, an editor at Random House
Not only am I thrilled to work with HAWK, a smaller house, but Paul's words reassured me that HAWK was the right house for my book. They really have made me a priority by allowing me to have a say on everything from final edits to book design. Where else can a first time writer get that sort of respect?
Below is a pic of some of my writing friends--old and new--who were at the workshop.
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