SEMINAR #2

HOW TO STOP SHOOTING YOUR WRITING CAREER IN THE FOOT

An Insider's Guide to Regaining Power Over Your Fate In the Publishing Business

SEMINAR AGENDA:

A.M. SESSION:    PUT YOUR BEST FOOT FORWARD FROM THE START:  How to Navigate the Rocky Terrain of the Publishing World

Have you ever looked at your writing career -- or the publishing business -- and wondered, "What is going on here?"  If you have, this seminar is for you.  If you have not, you must be in a different business than the rest of us.  Publishing is a world unto itself with its own protocol and a lot of unwritten rules.  Alice Orr -- from decades of  experience as book editor, literary agent and published author -- knows this territory very well.  Alice considers it her mission to pass that insider knowledge on to you.

8 to 9 a.m. -- Registration

9 to 10:15 a.m.-- HOW TO DO EVERYTHING RIGHT RIGHT FROM THE START

Why you need this seminar in your writing life.   Three Hard Questions & No Easy Answers -- What you must decide up front, including where your work does or does not fit in the publishing marketplace.  Submit no work before its time -- when and when not to submit your work to literary agents and publishing houses.  Pitching and Presenting -- You may have written the book, but you work is not over till you put it over.

10:15 to 10:30 a.m. -- Break

10:30 to 11:45 a.m. -- HOW TO PUT YOURSELF ON YOUR SIDE

A Is for Attitude -- Put your psyche on your side.  D Is for Discipline -- Put everything & everybody in your life on your side.  Do you practice you’re A's & D's? -- A Personal Inquiry.  Publishing Is a Business -- A to Z.

11:45 to 12:15 -- Q&A Session: What have you done for your career so far?  How can you do it better?

12:15 to 1:15 p.m. -- Lunch

P.M. SESSION:     GETTING YOUR FOOT IN THE DOOR AND BEYOND:  How to Succeed Inside the Publishing Business with A Lot of Trying

You've had a "show of interest" in your book, but this is no time to rest on your laurels.  There are many ways you can sabotage yourself now -- many ways to put your foot in your mouth or shoot your foot off by shooting your mouth off.  You must avoid them all.  Alice alerts you to the pitfalls & guides you toward your goal of being well published throughout a long writing career.

1:15 to 2:30 p.m. -- TEAM TACTICS FOR PUTTING THE PROS ON YOUR SIDE

Care and Feeding of the Author-Editor Relationship -- an art you must cultivate, especially when the personality mix is a mix-up.  Finding A Good Agent -- not any agent, a good agent -- which could be a seminar in itself.  Alice leads you along these perilous paths, from her experience as editor, agent & author.

2:30 to 2:45 p.m. -- Break

2:45 to 4 p.m. -- DOWN TO BUSINESS MEANS BEING A PRO YOURSELF

The Offer and the Contract -- what you must know, even when you're not the negotiator.  What you must  know about what happens to your work, from manuscript submission to printed book, and how an author can or cannot realistically and effectively influence that process.  Promote yourself shamelessly -- how to do that, including at industry gatherings.  The Do's and Don'ts of Being A Pro -- a multiple-choice quiz experience.

4 to to 4:30 p.m. -- Q&A Session:  Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Writing and Publishing.

4:30 to 5 p.m. & on -- Reception & Networking.  Plus, Alice Orr personally autographs her latest book NO MORE REJECTIONS -- An Insider's Guide:  50 Secrets to Writing A Marketable Manuscript