A Sizzling Event at SF2012: Hot Night

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One of the best meetings every year at Chicago-North RWA is our Hot Night. That’s when we bring love scenes from our manuscripts and read them aloud for critique. We always have so much fun that the conference committee decided to bring Hot Night to SF2012!

Five things you need to know about Hot Night at SF2012

* Participation is optional. Many people go just to listen and learn—and to have a good time, of course.

* We divide into three levels of heat. Please choose the group that is most appropriate for your taste.
Sweet: Non-graphic, “fade to black” love scenes
Sensual: More detail, more graphic
Spicy: Erotic
If we have a lot of participants, we will divide each group into two sub-groups.

 

* If you’d like to read, please bring a few copies of up to five pages of your favorite love scene from your manuscript. The hotel has a business center if you’d like to make more copies on the premises.

* Chicago-North is a critique chapter, so we are all experienced in giving supportive and constructive critiques. Please be honest and respectful with your feedback.

* For SF2012, you may bring a beverage from the bar if you need a little liquid courage.

Hot Night is always a fun event. Whether you’re Sweet, Sensual, or Spicy, we hope to see you there!

Clara Kensie

Welcome Headliner SUSAN ELIZABETH PHILLIPS

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The SF2012 Committee is sorry to announce that due to unfortunate circumstances, headliner Mary Balogh can no longer attend Spring Fling. She regretfully had to cancel but she wishes everyone a successful conference. Our hearts are with Ms. Balogh, and we hope she can join us at a future Spring Fling.

However, we are pleased to tell you that New York Times, Publisher’s Weekly, and USA Today best seller SUSAN ELIZABETH PHILLIPS has graciously agreed to headline. Ms. Phillips will be participating in the Headliner Q&A, presenting a workshop on Growing Plot from Character, as well as delivering the keynote address at the Gala Dinner.

Ms. Phillips has our most sincere gratitude for stepping in at the last minute like this! We are truly honored. You can read more about Ms. Phillips on our website at http://www.chicagospringfling.com/phillips_bio.php.

 

~Clara Kensie

What Will You Learn at Spring Fling?

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Please welcome guest blogger Sarah M. Anderson, who’s joining us today to talk about what you will learn at Spring Fling. Take it away, Sarah!

Spring Fling was the first conference I went to, the very first “professional author” thing I attempted, all the way back in 2008. (How long ago was that? Well, some agents at the conference still preferred paper submissions. With a SASE. Really). I signed up to pitch agents and editors, printed up business cards, and made my stylists (aka my sisters) come up and dress me. (I would like to point out that I still wear those clothes, too. They are excellent stylists. I might even consider possibly paying them at some point in the undetermined future.)

I did just about everything wrong (except for the clothes). My business cards were glossy on both sides, rendering them useless to take notes. I pitched a book I just knew was the next Great American Novel, only to be shot down by the agents and ignored by the editor. My elevator pitch was almost three minutes long. I scared another agent by telling her I loved and wanted her dress, and I frightened a Major Author in the bathroom while trying to network. (Tip: Do not network in bathrooms.) I added anyone who gave me a business card to my email list.

Do not do any of these things. Especially the bathroom thing. Under any circumstances.

But I did a few things very, very right. I attended presentations by Blythe Gifford and Beverly Long (among others), and then personally thanked both ladies for the incredibly useful information they passed on. Ms. Gifford was especially kind to me in all my cluelessness, and turned into a mentor for me (which is fun, being that she writes historically accurate medieval romance, and I write about hunky Lakota Indians on horseback). I made the acquaintance of a few other authors, like Andrea Dickinson and Joelle Charbonneau, women I count as friends both professionally and personally.

And more than anything, I learned from my mistakes. I took what I learned and figured out why the agents shot me down and the editor ignored me. I learned not to frighten Major Authors in the bathroom. I learned what the hell a good elevator pitch sounds like.

If I hadn’t gone to this conference, I would still be flailing around, thinking I was awesome (because my mommy told me so) and not getting anywhere. Now, four years later, I’ve joined the Chicago-North RWA chapter, finaled and won contests (Grand Prize Winner, Hot Prospect Contest), been signed by agents, sold a book (A Man of His Word), and then sold seven more. I’ve actually *become* a professional author. Not through dumb luck (although it never hurts) and not because some editor took pity on me (I hope, anyway), but because I worked hard and kept learning.

So if you’re sitting on some uncomfortable fence about whether or not to plunk down the money for conference fees and hotel rooms, I say this to you: If you are a professional author, you will go to a conference. If not this one (but you should!), then another one, romance-based or otherwise. You will not be afraid to make mistakes, nor will you be afraid to learn from them. Plus, you will not be afraid to itemize business deductions on your taxes next year (hint, hint).

Get the heck off that fence and sign up for Spring Fling! And come find me at the conference, okay? I’ll be the one in cowboy boots.

Award-winning author Sarah M. Anderson may live east of the Mississippi River, but her heart lies out west on the Great Plains. With a lifelong love of horses and two history teachers for parents, she had plenty of encouragement to learn everything she could about the tribes of the Great Plains.

When she started writing, it wasn’t long before her characters found themselves out in South Dakota among the Lakota Sioux.  She loves to put people from two different worlds into new situations and to see how their backgrounds and cultures take them someplace they never thought they’d go.

When not helping out at her son’s elementary school or walking her rescue dog, Sarah spends her days having conversations with imaginary cowboys and American Indians, all of which is surprisingly well-tolerated by her wonderful husband. Readers can find out more about Sarah’s love of cowboys and Indians at www.sarahmanderson.com.

 

Thanks for all your advice, Sarah, and congratulations on all your success!

Clara Kensie

Baskets, Critiques and a Matching Grant for Literacy

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Chicago-North RWA’s Spring Fling 2012 is hosting a Silent Auction, from which all proceeds go to the not-for-profit organization Literature For All Of Us.

Sarah M. Anderson's Desire-able Box o' Category Books

Literature for All of Us is a nationally recognized, award-winning literacy organization.  Its mission is to bring the rewards of reading and writing to children and adults in underserved neighborhoods in the Chicagoland area.  By promoting reading, writing and discussions, it opens a world of accomplishments, self-esteem and hope for a better future.

Chicago-North RWA wants to thank the Sol R. Kaufman Family Foundation for providing a generous grant that will match the silent auction proceeds up to a maximum of $5,000.

This year’s auction will be packed full of awesome baskets, critiques and a treasure trove of wonderful books from talented authors.

There are over 25 baskets to bid on. Just to name a few, we have baskets from Crista McHugh, Jane Porter, Susan Mallery, Carrie Lofty, Sherrill Bodine and Sarah M. Anderson.

Check out Sarah M. Anderson’s blog and see what she is donating: http://desireauthors.blogspot.com/2012/03/desire-able-box-o-category-books.html

There are over 15 critiques from various authors, agents and editors. For example, Martin Biro from Kensington donated a synopsis and 50 page critique. Tessa Woodward from Avon Publishing donated a query, synopsis and 3 chapter critique. Ginger Clark from Curtis Brown LTD donated a query letter critique, and Scott Eagan from Greyhaus Literary Agency donated a 3 chapter critique.

And in honor of the Chicago-North RWA chapter, we are donating a basket with an autographed football from ex-Bear’s player Calib Haine, 2 tickets to the Chicago Wolves game, a couple of bottles of wine and glasses, books from our great chapter members and a 20 page phone-in critique.

So to all the conference attendees, bring your cash, checks or charge card and bid on your favorite basket, critique and items of your choosing. It will go to a good cause. Let’s fight illiteracy.

CJ Warrant
Spring Fling Committee
Silent Auction Coordinator

Welcome Dianna Love – Our new headliner!

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Due to unforeseen circumstances, Sherrilyn Kenyon can no longer attend our Spring Fling 2012 Conference.  We are honored to announce that New York Times bestselling author Dianna Love will be taking her place.

Dianna Love spent her early years dangling over a hundred feet in the air to create unusual marketing projects for Fortune 500 companies. Now she’s released her energetic muse on writing high-octane thrillers and urban fantasy. Her first book won the prestigious RITA® Award (as Dianna Love Snell) and she now co-writes with #1 NYT bestseller Sherrilyn Kenyon.

The latest Kenyon-Love collaboration has resulted in BLOOD TRINITY, the first novel in the Belador urban fantasy series that debuted on the New York Times, USA Today, Publisher’s Weekly and Walmart best seller lists in 2010. The second Belador book – ALTERANT – was released September 27, 2011.

Dianna also collaborated with Mary Buckham to create the highly successful Break into Fiction® writing program. Break into Fiction is a powerful character-driven plotting method that works for both plotters and seat-of-the-pants writers.

When not speaking at national and international events throughout the year, Dianna lives in the metro Atlanta area with her motorcycle-instructor husband. For more on Dianna and to read her full bio, visit www.AuthorDiannaLove.com.

Please join us in welcoming Dianna Love.  We are ecstatic to have Dianna join our stellar line up!

India Powers

Change in Agent Line-Up: Welcome Marcy Posner!

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Due to unforeseen circumstances, Paige Wheeler of Folio Literary Management can no longer join us at Spring Fling 2012. While Paige will be missed, we are thrilled and honored to announce that Marcy Posner, also of Folio Literary Management, is coming in her place. You can read her impressive bio here: http://www.chicagospringfling.com/agents-editors.php

 

Ms. Posner is currently closed to unsolicited queries, but she is taking pitches at the conference. This is a can’t-miss opportunity if you’d like her as your agent. From her bio:

I straddle the line between adult and children’s books (middle grade and young adult only). In the adult world, I’m looking for: commercial women’s fiction, historical fiction, romance (except category), mystery, biography, history, health, and lifestyle—and, especially, thoughtfully written commercial novels, thrillers with international settings, and narrative non-fiction.
In the children’s world, I’m looking for: Smart, contemporary YA and middle-grade novels. A great new mystery series for boys would be fun. I will look at historical fiction and fantasy but am not taking on much in those areas.

 

If you’ve signed up to pitch at SF2012, we’ll send you an email shortly with an opportunity to update your pitch rankings. The pitch appointments are decided by order of registration, meaning someone who registered on 11/3/11 is further ahead than someone who registered on 2/19/12. You will NOT lose your place in line if you choose to rearrange your choices.

We’re pleased to welcome Marcy Posner to Spring Fling 2012!

 

Clara Kensie

Interview with Megan Long, Harlequin Superromance

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We’re delighted to add a new editor interview to our blog! Megan Long, Associate Editor for Harlequin Superromance, is participating on the editor panel as well as taking pitches at Spring Fling 2012.
Tell us about your publishing house, Harlequin.

Harlequin is one of the world’s leading publishers of books for women. We publish over 110 titles a month, in both series and single title programs. Our series business is unique in publishing and offers the reader a wide variety of stories from sweet and inspirational to highly sensual—and everything in between. We have a global readership, publishing books in 111 international markets on six continents.

How did you become an editor?

I became an editor in a fairly straightforward way. After university, I knew I wanted to be an editor, so went back to school for a post-graduate publishing certificate. I interned for a short while, before finally being hired as a proofreader at Harlequin. About a year later, there was an opening for an editorial assistant and I was lucky enough to move into that.

What kind of manuscripts are you actively seeking? What are you tired of seeing? What is your dream manuscript?

What I’m always looking for are strong, contemporary romances with deep conflict and well-rounded characters. The tone can be light or intensely emotional, but the conflict always needs to make the reader wonder how the characters can ever overcome it. I also look for well-developed secondary plots and characters to enrich and balance the principal storyline.

There’s no one type of story I’m tired of seeing, because so much depends on the individual execution. What’s stale in one writer’s hands could very well be fresh in another’s. But I can say that I’d love to see less reliance on clichéd situations and stereotypical characters—trust that you have something new to say, then say it.

My dream manuscript would be one that incorporates all of the above, plus that indefinable spark of something truly special. I want to be so drawn into the world of the story that I forget I’m supposed to be working and instead just enjoy the reading experience. If the writer can make that happen for me, I can forgive the occasional repetition or awkwardness—those are things that can be addressed in the editing process, but it’s much more difficult to create the magic in something that doesn’t already have it.

When reading sample pages, typically how soon can you tell if you’ll request more or if you’ll reject the manuscript? What’s the number one thing that makes you reject a manuscript?

I generally know within the first ten to twenty pages. It’s pretty easy to tell by that point if the writing is strong enough to proceed. If it is, I’m much more likely to ask for more or for revisions, even if the story doesn’t yet work. If the writing itself shows promise, the rest can generally be worked on. The number one thing that will make me reject a manuscript—beyond the obvious things such as sending me a paranormal or historical book when I only acquire contemporary—is clichéd plotting.

Do you have a favorite element of writing, such as voice or dialogue?

For me, it’s definitely voice and character. World building is also key—the use of judicious detail goes a long way to making a story come alive.

What advice can you give to those pitching to you at Spring Fling?

At the risk of sounding clichéd myself, be prepared! Know what points you want to make about your story—and make sure you’re targeting the right editor. Beyond that, try to relax as much as you can. I know it’s scary trying to interest someone in your work, but remember that you’re also interviewing me—you want to find the most suitable editor for your story, so this is a mutual evaluation.

What’s the best book you’ve read recently? What’s your favorite book of all time?

Oh, goodness! This isn’t an easy question! I recently read George R. R. Martin’s Game of Thrones and absolutely loved it. (Yes, I’m coming to the series very late!) It had such depth of character and strong world building that it sucked me in. Similarly, I also read Neal Stephenson’s Reamde, which was also magnificent. Again, really strong characters and detailed setting won me over. That, and I just think he’s brilliant. J But I think my favourite book of all time has to be A.S. Byatt’s Possession for its sheer lushness of language and wonderfully gothic feel.

Besides books, what are your passions?

I love movies and always have. I’ve attended the Toronto International Film Festival every September since I was 13 and have learned so much about storytelling and tension. A more recent passion is Formula One racing, which my husband introduced me to—I’ve since become quite the loyal fan and never miss a race. Quieter moments are spent knitting or snuggling with my very spoiled mutt.

Fantastic interview, Ms. Long! We’re excited to see you at Spring Fling 2012.

Clara Kensie

Pitching at Spring Fling 2012: The FAQs

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One of the most popular features of our conference is the opportunity to pitch your manuscript to one of our ten agents and editors. Below are the answers to frequently asked questions about the pitch appointments:

Which agent or editor should I pitch to?
When you sign up for a pitch appointment on the registration form, you can rank our ten agents and editors in order of preference. But before you rank them, do some research! We have their bios on our website and some interviews on this blog (see the sidebar for the links), and it’s easy to Google more information about them. Be sure to rank only the agents and editors who are seeking manuscripts in your genre.

 

How do you assign the pitch appointments?
Our goal is to give a pitch appointment to everyone who wants one. We have five editors and five agents taking pitches at Spring Fling 2012! We assign pitch appointments in the order we received your registration and payment. If your #1 pick is all filled up, we’ll put you on the wait list and give you your #2 pick. If your #2 pick is also all filled up, we’ll put you on that wait list too, and give you your #3 pick, and so on. If a spot opens for a higher-ranked pick and you’re on top of that wait list, we’ll give you that spot instead.

 

When will I learn my pitch assignment?
We will send you an email with the day, the time, and the name of the editor or agent you’re pitching to, in mid-April. In the meantime, you should be prepared to pitch to everyone you ranked.

 

I need to cancel my pitch appointment. What should I do?
If you need to cancel your appointment, please email us at conference@chicagonorthrwa.org right away.

 

Can I give my appointment to my friend?
No. We have a wait list for each agent and editor, based on order of registration and payment. If you cancel your appointment, we will give your spot to the top person on the wait list.

 

How long is a pitch appointment? Will I be pitching by myself or in a group?
Pitch appointments last ten minutes. You will have a one-on-one meeting with the agent or editor in a private conference room.

 

Should I bring a copy of my manuscript to the pitch appointment?
No. If the agent or editor is interested in your manuscript, s/he will give you further instructions.

 

How do I prepare for my pitch appointment?

The best way to prepare for your pitch is to attend our Pitch Perfect Master Class on Friday morning, April 27. Carrie “The Pitch Witch” Lofty will lead this interactive, hands-on workshop that will help you craft a stellar pitch.

For more pitching tips, refer to these links at Writer’s Knowledge Base: http://hiveword.com/wkb/search?q=pitching

 

I have questions about pitching that aren’t answered here. What should I do?
Email us at conference@chicagospringfling.org and we will reply as soon as possible. Best of luck with your pitch!

 

Clara Kensie

Interview with Shauna Summers

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Shauna Summers, executive editor at Ballantine Bantam Dell, will be participating on our editor/agent panel and taking pitches at Spring Fling 2012. Please welcome her to the blog!
Tell us about your publishing house, Ballantine Bantam Dell.

Ballantine Bantam Dell is part of the Random House Publishing Group.  We are an all-purpose, all-format publisher with a diverse and vibrant list.  We publish all kinds of fiction, both literary and commercial, including most genres, as well as a variety of nonfiction.  Some of our bestselling authors include Janet Evanovich, George R. R. Martin, Dean Koontz, Danielle Steel, Mary Balogh, Karen Marie Moning, Lee Child, Diana Gabaldon, Steve Berry, Lara Adrian, Suzanne Brockmann, and Karin Slaughter.  Next year we will be publishing our first novels by Debbie Macomber. Our mission is to find the best books that we can and help them find the widest audience possible in whatever format the reader wants.  A couple of recent examples of this include THE PARIS WIFE by Paula McClain and HOTEL ON THE CORNER OF BITTER AND SWEET by Jamie Ford.  We are always looking for new voices, and to that end, will be debuting six new authors to our romance list in 2012.

How did you become an editor? What are your favorite and least favorite aspects of your job?

Like most editors, I started as an editorial assistant and worked my way up from there.  I love finding new authors, and working collaboratively through all stages of the editorial process.  It’s especially gratifying to watch an author grow as a writer and storyteller, getting better with every book.  The worst part of my job is delivering bad news or having a book that I love and know is wonderful not find an audience.

What kind of manuscripts are you actively seeking? What are you tired of seeing? What is your dream manuscript?

I’m always looking for great books of all kinds—historical, contemporary, paranormal, as well as mainstream women’s fiction.  It’s hard to describe my dream manuscript, I just know it when I read it—well-written, great characters, fresh storytelling, and overall compelling and unputdownable.

When reading sample pages, typically how soon can you tell if you’ll request more or if you’ll reject the manuscript? What’s the number one thing that makes you reject a manuscript?

It varies, but I can usually tell pretty soon, usually by the first chapter, though I will usually read more than that to be sure.  The number one thing that makes me reject a manuscript is not wanting to read further.  The details for why that is varies a lot from book to book.

Do you have a favorite element of writing, such as voice or dialogue?

I think voice is key, and along with that, it’s always about the characters for me.

Do you work with your authors on publicity and platform? Is it important to you that a potential client has established a social media presence before you sign them?

We do work with authors on publicity and platform, and our marketing team is terrific and very savvy, always looking for and thinking of new ways to help our authors connect with readers and find new fans.  It isn’t necessary that a potential author has an established social media presence before we sign them, but it certainly doesn’t hurt.

What advice can you give to those pitching to you at Spring Fling?

Be as concise as possible, giving me the hook of your story and characters.  Also, relax.  So long as the book sounds appropriate for our list, I will probably request material from you.  But at the end of the day, it’s all about the writing and the book itself, not the pitch.

What’s the best book you’ve read recently? What’s your favorite book of all time?

I couldn’t possible name a favorite book of all time!  Over the holidays I read RULES OF CIVILITY by Amor Towles and loved it—one of the best historical novels I’ve read in a long time.  I also loved the memoir BLOOD, BONES, AND BUTTER by Gabrielle Hamilton, as well as the Sara MacLean “Love By Numbers” trilogy. One of my favorite books from last year was THE NIGHT CIRCUS by Erin Morgenstern, and I’m really looking forward to Veronica Roth’s next book, INSURGENT, this year.

Besides books, what are your passions?

Travel, food, time with friends and family, exercise.  And I watch way too much television.

Thank you, Ms. Summers! We’re all looking forward to meeting you in person at Spring Fling.

Clara Kensie

Interview with Scott Eagan

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Please welcome literary agent Scott Eagan to the Spring Fling blog! Mr. Eagan will be presenting a workshop at the conference, taking pitches, as well as participating on our editor/agent panel.

Tell us about your agency, Greyhaus Literary Agency.

Greyhaus Literary Agency focuses exclusively on the romance and women’s fiction genre. It was my belief, when I first opened the agency, that it was important for an agent to focus on one area of expertise and really learn and grow with it. I also work to maintain a one-on-one relationship with my authors. I want them to know they can come to me at any time with questions regarding their writing. It is that reason that I have also not expanded to have other agents at the agency, or to have other individuals, other than myself, reading submissions.

How did you become an agent? What are your favorite and least favorite aspects of your job?

When I opened the agency, I was actually between careers. I was always interested in writing and with my background in Literature, Writing instruction and so forth, it became a nice fit.

When it comes to my “favorite” aspect of the job, it would have to be working with writers and helping them learn and grow. It is this reason that I try to attend as many conferences as I can to not just network, but to really work with opening lines of communication between the authors and the publishing professionals.

As far as my least favorite aspect, I would have to say it is dealing with a lot of the subjectivity. Yes, I do understand that the likeablity of a story is subjective, but I do believe that with agents, editors and contests, we can establish an objective criteria and analyze a story without simply saying I like it or I don’t like it.

What kind of manuscripts are you actively seeking? What are you tired of seeing? What is your dream manuscript?

I am actively looking for all authors wishing to write for Harlequin. This is an awesome company and I love working with the editors there. I am also looking for single title women’s fiction that focuses on real women in real situations. I am really tired of seeing the following:

  • Romantic suspense that has the traumatized heroine falling in love with the cop
  • Paranormals with vamps, werewolves, demons and angels. Also, psychics just don’t cut it with me.
  • Women’s fiction that reads like Nicholas Sparks (sorry, it isn’t women’s fiction)
  • Stories that are carbon copies of things already out there. This is especially true with writers wanting to work for Harlequin. We want similar themes, not similar plot lines.

When reading sample pages, typically how soon can you tell if you’ll request more or if you’ll reject the manuscript? What’s the number one thing that makes you reject a manuscript?

I can generally see within the first three pages, sometimes up to a chapter. For the most part, it stems from writing that is forced. In other words, the author is using the techniques for writing, but not really sure why they are using the techniques. I also tend to reject because the writer shows no depth in terms of character or plot development. In many ways, this is that whole telling vs. showing argument.

Do you have a favorite element of writing, such as voice or dialogue?

No. I do not believe there is one write way of using dialogue or voice. I want to see a story where the author “inherently” knows what they are doing in the story and why they are doing it. It is like watching a great swimmer. You can swim the butterfly technically perfect but it doesn’t look good. When Michael Phelps does it, you can see a fluency in the swim. The same for writing.

Do you work with your authors on publicity and platform? Is it important to you that a potential client has established a social media presence before you sign them?

I do not actively work with authors on the publicity side of things. I do make suggestions and certainly spend a lot of time talking about them publically, but the PR side of things, I believe, should be between the author and the publisher as well as the author and a PR person if they wish to hire one. I would rather focus on the writing and business side of things.

In terms of social media and a web presence, I have always said that there is NO REASON for an author to promote a book if it isn’t published yet. You are selling a product you don’t have. Should you be involved with social media to gain information and knowledge? Yes! But in terms of promotion, I would rather see an author learn their craft first.

What advice can you give to those pitching to you at Spring Fling?

Know your target publisher and brand.

Know what things I like and don’t like.

Know where you see your writing going in the future.

Be professional! This is a job interview so treat it as such. Pitching to an editor or agent is no different than having a job interview with a large corporation. What you do at one is the same you would do with me.

What’s the best book you’ve read recently? What’s your favorite book of all time?

Just got hooked on Brad Metzler which is really different because I am not big into that type of writing. Other favorites: Irony and Ecstasy, The Witching Hour, Piers Anthony’s Xanth series, and any of my own authors.

Besides books, what are your passions?

Love cooking and traveling (I hang out on Travel Channel and the Cooking Channel), Disneyland, Officiating at USA Swimming Meets, hanging out with my kids and their activities (swimming, horse riding and dance).

Thanks for the interview, Mr. Eagan! We’re all excited to see you at Spring Fling.

Clara Kensie