I am back to blogging after being gone most of last week to a writing conference. My loyal blog readers have posted a large number of very good questions about writing conferences and pitching in the last couple of weeks and I would like to answer as many of those as possible. I am answering these in the order they came in, and we still have quite a backlog.

Barbara wrote:

Hi Randy: I have a general question about pitching myself. I’ve mentioned before that I’m blind. For some of my WIPs I have blind characters. One is a police detective who has been moved to Public Relations — though she manages to keep getting involved in open cases. And some of my stories involve aspects of horror. For these types of stories, I think mentioning I’m blind might help sell the story. But, what about stories that have nothing to do with either blindness or horror; should I mention the fact I’m blind in my pitch? For instance, one story I’ve started is about SAR dogs — my husband had one so I know quite a bit about them. Should I mention my blindness in a case like this? Or simply ignore it?

Randy sez: Barbara, your instincts are good here. For stories about the blind cop, you should definitely mention that when pitching the story. It’ll make it clear that you bring an authenticity to your story that a sighted author almost certainly won’t have. I’m not entirely sure how blindness would tie in to a horror story, but if you can tie it in well, then do so. For your story about search-and-rescue dogs, the far more relevant fact that you should mention is that your husband had a SAR dog.

Susan asked:

Question: Is the one-sheet usually written in first or third person?

Randy sez: I don’t know, since I’ve never done a one-sheet. I’ll ask our guest expert Meredith Efken to respond to this question.

Lynda asked:

What should I say in a pitch? What are the editors expecting?

Randy sez: That’s a nice short question that would take a few thousand words to answer. I’m thinking that I’ll give you a short answer right now and then see if I can talk one of my agent friends into doing a couple of role-playing mock pitches, in which we show you how a typical pitch might go.

The short answer is that the editor/agent wants to answer the question: “Should I ask this author to send me a proposal?” The default answer is “No.” The editor/agent will change her mind to “Yes” if you provide the “right” answers to certain questions, which probably include the following:

* Does this author write in a genre that interests me?
* Does this author have the skills to write a strong novel?
* Can I sell this author to the publishers I work with? (An agent would ask this.)
* Can I sell this author to the niche I publish books for? (An editor would ask this.)

Please notice that these questions are only partly about you, the author. They are also partly about the editor or agent. So a “No” from that editor or agent might mean merely that you and she aren’t a good fit. Conversely, a “Yes” from that editor or agent only means, “I’ll look at it some more, but I’m still more likely than not to reject the manuscript in the end.”

In exactly the same way, when you go to a bookstore, you will probably “reject” the vast majority of books in the store. (I.e., you won’t buy them all.) In “rejecting” them, you are not saying they are all bad books. You are merely noting that you have limited time, energy, and money and you can’t buy them all. You’ll buy the one or two that pleases you most, and there will be a bit of luck involved, because you can’t evaluate all 100,000 books in the store. You just can’t. Likewise, in looking for an editor or agent, there’s a bit of luck involved. If you catch them on the right day and you happen to be the best thing going at the moment, then you have a chance.

I got home yesterday from the Oregon Christian Writers conference where I’ve been teaching all week and hanging out with writers. It was great fun, but when I got home, my brain felt like a bucket of sand.

Naturally, I did what any guy would do who needs a quick jolt of adrenaline. I watched DIE HARD. That would be the first DIE HARD, which has a very fine exploding helicopter scene. It did the job, and my mind started waking up.

This morning, I had emails from two nice ladies who were laughing out loud at my latest humor column, The Manly Guy and Christian Fiction, which talks about the critical need for more exploding helicopters and also introduces to the world the very important concept of “the Kindergarten Effect.”

I have no doubt this column will offend many people, but sadly, neither of the ladies who emailed me this morning were offended at all. One of them, Rosslyn Elliott, has already blogged about my column, under the titillating title Sex in the Christian Fiction Market.

If you are offended by my column, then please tell all your friends so they can be offended too. Feeling offended is an important American right, probably the most important right we have, so experience that feeling to the hilt.

Oh, and . . . have fun!

I’m continuing to answer questions on writing conferences. I’ve had the help of guest expert Meredith Efken in answering many of your questions over the last couple of weeks. Meredith has a great e-book out, the Writers Conference Survival Guide that covers all this stuff in depth.

Karen wrote:

So it’s conference ’season’ up over eh? I’ve been drooling over the ACFW conference schedule…

What other conferences are about?

I’m an Aussie, so drooling is about all I’m going to do for a few years. I’m looking at options now so that once I have a finished manuscript, I hope to make it to an ACFW conference. It covers my genre completely, includes many of the authors I avidly read, and every publisher that I would target, so I’m guessing it’s the one for me. Still, if you know of other conferences coming up, feel free to list them here so I can do some more drooling. We all know how important it is for writers to dream!

There are so many conferences in the US, it’s hard to choose between them. So those of you who are angsting over whether you’ll make a fool of yourself, take just a minute to be grateful that you can easily go to a conference near you. I have many loyal blog readers in Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, and Europe, who would kill to have all your options.

As for which conferences to go to, I always recommend that a freshman start with a good regional conference near home. That will minimize your investment in time, energy, and money and yet will give you a good look into the publishing industry. There is a lot to learn, and you might as well learn it cheaply.

For sophomores, it’s not too early to pick a good national conference that is in line with your interests. The many Christian novelists who read my blog are often talking here about the ACFW conference (in September) and the Mount Hermon conference (in March or April). These are both great, and I teach at both every year, and usually 2 or 3 others. There are many other Christian writing conferences, such as Oregon (where I’ll be teaching next week), Florida (where I’ll be teaching in February), Colorado and Philadelphia and San Diego (where I have taught in years past), and a number of others.

However, many of my loyal blog readers are writing fiction for the general market, and there is a vast selection of conferences to meet your needs. If you write romance, then of course, you’ll probably be most interested in the RWA conference (I don’t know much about it, but I have many romance writer friends who’ve gone to this over the years, and one of my friends is a past president of RWA). Mystery writers have a number of conferences specifically for them, and the name I hear year after year from my mystery-writer friends is Bouchercon. Fantasy and science fiction writers also have some specialty conferences.

Writers in other genres can generally go to just about any non-specialty conference and get some value out of it. A number of years ago, I went to the San Diego State University conference, and out of that, I was invited to a continuing seminar with about 20 writers studying under Sol’s tutelage. Sol is one of the great writing teachers and I can still hear his voice in my ear whenever I lapse into narrative summary or backstory. When you hear me rail against these sins, you are hearing an echo of Sol.

The best resources for learning about conferences are WRITER’S MARKET (an annually updated book on publishers, agents, conferences, magazines, etc.) and WRITER’S DIGEST. Either of these will give you an encyclopedic list of your options.

As I noted above, most of these conferences seem to be in the US. There is not much I can do about this, except to commiserate with my many friends who are outside the US. I know that some conferences offer scholarships, and so I would recommend polishing your craft, saving your money, and waiting for the opportune moment.

Karri wrote:

Randy, I read somewhere recently that editors don’t read manuscripts, they read proposals. Isn’t it possible for an editor to be interested in a novel that is not yet completed, but that has a solid proposal?

Randy sez: Yes, but the amount of interest the editor will have depends on two things:
1) How good the writing is
2) How complete the manuscript is

Proposals are great, and you really do need one in order to get interest for your book. However, the best proposal in the world can’t save bad writing. It just can’t. The purpose of a proposal is to provide an editor with a summary of your book. It’s just quicker to read a 10 page proposal than a 400 page manuscript, plus the proposal is physically easier to carry around. In the end, the editor will make a decision based on the strength of the writing plus any marketing oomph you have–and you will describe that oomph in your proposal.

One thing all editors are wary of is the first-time writer who has three fantastic sample chapters but who has not yet completed the book. The fear is this: “What if those three chapters are the result of ten years of hard work with critiquers and editors? What if the writer doesn’t have the skills to write a whole book? What if this story doesn’t actually work? What if???” So the editor will almost never buy an incomplete manuscript from a first-time novelist. It can happen, but the smart money sez to finish the durn book.

Pam wrote:

I think we need a balance of writing well and pitching ourselves. I met with an agent at Mt. Hermon and she was considering saying no to something I had sent her before the conference UNTIL we met face to face. She asked me to simply tell her the story. And I did. After that, she said, well, that made all the difference. Send me 3 more chapters and a more detailed outline.

I’m still waiting to hear from her, but at least I had a second chance, and that was because I could tell my story.

On a happier note, I was asked for the full manuscript of the same story 3 months ago! Still waiting to hear on that, too.

Randy sez: Editors or agents tend to take you more seriously if they meet you at a conference than if you just send them something in the mail. There are a couple of reasons for this.

First, when they meet you, you now have a face. You are no longer just ink on paper or electrons in an email. You are a human; they can see you; they can assess your passion for your writing. And passion can carry you a long way.

Second, when you have invested hundreds of dollars in airfare and conference fees, when you have taken time away from family and job, all to go to a conference, then you are a SERIOUS writer. Editors and agents take you more seriously at a writing conference simply because you are acting like a serious writer. This does not guarantee anything, but it is better to get to first base than to strike out. It just is.

Third, as you meet editors and agents at conferences, you will lose your fear of them. I am not exaggerating to say that many years ago when I started writing, I was terrified of the idea of meeting such High-Powered, Important People. Those who have been reading my e-zine for long know that I once suffered from Panic Disorder. I don’t any longer, but I did. And meeting editors and agents was high on my list of triggers for panic. But as I got to know these folks, sat with them at dinner, talked late into the night at conferences, and just watched them in action, I realized that they’re just people. They don’t acquire a Superman cape and tights when they become editors or agents. I know some editors who refuse to do lectures at conferences because they’re afraid of public speaking.

The longer you hang out with editors and agents at conferences, the more human they become, and the easier it is for you to talk business with them. Someday, when you’ve developed your craft, when you’re a Senior, when you’ve got a strong manuscript, and when you’ve lost your fear of talking to editors and agents, making your first sale will feel like graduating from high school did. It’s an achievement–an important milestone. But you’ll have earned it. And you won’t be afraid to take the next step.

That has happened to a large number of my friends and students. It can happen to you. It can. Writing conferences are part of that process.

I’ll be at the Oregon Christian Writers Conference Monday through Thursday of next week, so I may not have time to blog then. I always plan to blog at conferences, but it’s way more fun to talk to writers and editors and agents, so my good intentions usually go awry.

Just a quick note for my loyal blog readers who may have missed the memo in my April e-zine:

I will be teaching a weekend seminar on writing in Couer D’Alene, Idaho on the weekend of April 25-27. The teaching will be Friday night and all day Saturday. On Sunday, I’ll be doing paid one-on-one critiques of writing samples and web sites.

I’ve never been to Couer D’Alene, but I hear it’s beautiful, and I’m looking forward to meeting the great folks in the Idaho Writer’s League who are sponsoring this event. You can get ALL the pesky details on their web site here.

Of course, this announcement won’t do you much good unless you live in the great northwest, but this blog is read by so many people that I’ll bet there are quite a few of you who can make it.

I’d love to meet you there! I’ll be speaking in detail on many of the things we’ve discussed here in bits and pieces. I have eight full hours to talk, and I can say quite a lot in eight hours. I’ve got a full lineup of topics on both the craft and marketing of fiction. I will also have some good deals on my books and some great deals on my CDs.

I am running another of my famous 24 Hour Specials today only, Thursday, February 21, 2008.

I am celebrating the launch of a new product, which I hope you’ll find useful.

At the same time, I’m giving a substantial price break on a couple of my existing products, Fiction 101 and Fiction 201.

If you’ve been wanting to get a deal on either Fiction 101 or Fiction 201, OR if you’re curious about the new product, check it out on the information page here.

As we discussed on this blog a few days ago, I rarely run ads on this blog or in my e-zine. This is one of those rare occasions.

This 24 Hour Special will run from midnight to midnight, PST, Thursday, February 21, 2008.

Have fun!