Author Heather McCorkle

With the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award contest fast approaching and submission season back in full swing, I felt compelled to give a writing tip about submitting and conferencing. First you must write an excellent book, of course, but the key after that is to be prepared. Tip: When attending conferences or submitting, come prepared. Bring a well polished query letter, synopsis, and up to the first fifty pages of your manuscript (though ten is usually enough). Bonus tip, when going to agent or editor meetings, bring a notepad and take notes based off what they say. Just be sure to stay engaged and make eye-contact periodically.  How about you, any writing tips to share that are related to submitting or conference going?

Amidst the craziness of debuting I managed to snag a few great tweets for you. Here is one from my writer friend Tori Scott about Amazon entering the publishing realm: @ToriScott All Eyes on Amazon Publishing: tinyurl.com/4ykrzsj #writetip Agent Vickie Motter brings a great opportunity to our attention: @Vickie_Motter RT: Inaugural Seattle Publishing Salon for Writers: wp.me/pRGY1-pr Agent Sarah LaPolla gives us a bit of query advice: @ sarahlapolla Writers, stop sending pre-queries & "Do you rep this?" emails. They waste everyone's time. Just query. Worst that happens is it's a no. Writer Monica B.W. announces another agent-judged contest on her blog! @Monica_BW Psst, Tweeps, by the end of the month I'm having another agent-judged contest on my blog!! Details + interview coming next Monday! :D Jane Friedman of Writer's Digest gives us valuable highlights from the Willamette Writers Conference: @JaneFriedman 3 invaluable tak...

If you don't know what WriteOnCon  is then you are in for a treat. It is only the most awesome phenomenon to sweep the literary online world ever. Okay maybe not ever, but it's close I have no doubt. Last year a group of amazing ladies (some with book deals, some with agents, others with just a lot of heart) got together to put on the first massive free online conference for young adult and middle grade writers. It was beyond awesome. Top agents and editors attended and contributed in vlogs, live chats, and blog posts. There were giveaways and contests every day, often several different prizes throughout the day. The prizes included books, query critiques, and manuscript critiques. At least one person that I know of ended up with an agent as a result of WriteOnCon 2010. See, awesome! It was such a huge success that they're doing it again this year. And guess what? It's already started! Monday marked the beginning of the fabulous prizes. Hurry over to the site. There...

My muse last week was the San Francisco Writers Conference. It was all the good things I'd heard about it and so much more. This first picture is the view from my room at night. I'm not a city girl but it's hard not to be inspired by so much life and activity. My first impression of coming in to San Francisco is that these people are afraid of the dark. I've never seen so many lights, and no I haven't been to Vegas but I have been to Reno. ;) The conference was big but the presenters (agents, editors, and authors) made themselves very accessible the entire time. There was a wonderful cocktail party where I had the chance to chat with agents Laurie McClean , Donald Maass, Jill Marsal and more. I was delighted to meet and hang out with my Twitter buddy Carol Valdez who in turn introduced me to Shannon Messenger . The two of them took great care of me during the conference and were sweet as could be. I also had the chance to meet agent Vickie Motter who's blog I...

This weekend I'm off to San Francisco for the writer's conference. Yep, another one. I know, I know, I just got back from the last one! One of my resolutions for this year is to continue to improve my craft and to network by attending workshops, retreats, and conferences. It's more than that though. I'm dedicating 2011 to finding the right agent and/or editor and I'm a firm believer in the power of meeting people in person. As you might have noticed by the link close to the bottom of my sidebar I've finally joined the SCBWI (Society Of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators) and thanks to a Twitter friend in April I'll be attending the SCBWI conference in Washington . I'll tell you all about that one in April. What made me choose the San Francisco Writer's Conference  this month was not only its excellent reputation but the fact that several friends of mine recommended it. It's a big conference with a lot of big name authors, agents, an...

It may seem odd that a writers' conference was my muse last week but it was a special kind of conference. There are no expletives that can accurately express just how great this conference was for me. I've been to several different conferences and this is the first time I've had this type of experience. The evening of our arrival we attended a no host cocktail mixer. I've been to these at other conferences before. Usually you stand around and chat with a few other writers and sip on your drink until you get bored and leave. Not at the San Diego State conference. Agents and editors (identifiable by the red lanyards they wore) wandered around and engaged people in conversation. The next day I was shocked to discover that the consultations were ten minutes long. Anyone who has participated in a pitch slam (1-3 minutes of an agent's time) can appreciate just how precious and rare ten minutes is. The lectures were informative and engaging as well. Lunch was another o...

This weekend my critique sisters and I are off to San Diego for the San Diego State Writers' Conference . It appears to be a conference of a different flavor. Like any other conference we'll get to attend lectures and workshops on the craft of writing and on the publishing industry. What seems to make it stand apart is the way they utilize meals and downtimes as further networking and mingling. During those times the faculty will be available to us on a casual basis to talk to. Most conferences I've been to are strict about not bothering the faculty at all when you aren't in a workshop or specific meeting with them so I'm really looking forward to this alternative way of conferencing. Another unique feature is what they call the Advanced Reading Appointment. If you add this feature to your conference experience then you get to send in the first ten pages of your manuscript and it is read by an editor often from a major publishing house of your choice. They read yo...

If you're submitting or getting ready to then I have a treat for you this week! I happened to catch a literary intern friend of mine who was handing out fantastic #querytips like Halloween candy! First a few other tweets I came across though. This one is by agent Weronika Janczuk and shows just how busy an agent's day can be: @WeronikaJanczuk To do: reply to client's ?s re: edits; reply to other emails; work on publicity/marketing hdbk; read slush mss, client ms, #queries; write. Agent Jennifer Laughran gives us a heads up on a YA Novel Workshop: @literaticat Kickstart Your YA Novel Workshop at Books Inc. with @kristen_tracy and @nina_lacour http://conta.cc/hxC7ey Here's something you'll hopefully need soon, an email list for marketing your novel: @AngelaAckerman How Authors & Writers Can Build An Email List For Marketing - http://bit.ly/cHxmc5 @thecreativepenn Writers Digest gives us a heads up on the awesome agents attending their conference th...

I spent a lot more time on Twitter last week. It helps me when I have writer's block, which I suffered from a little last week. Check out this interview with one of the authors that will be attending the Writer's Digest Winter Conference: @alicepope SCBWI TEAM BLOG Pre-conference Interview: Patricia Lee Gauch: The latest Annual Winter Conference faculty member... http://bit.ly/d04RXF My friend Julie shared this link of agent Joanna Volpe talking about her views on realistic teen dialogue. If you write young adult or middle grade you don't want to miss this: @juliemusil Agent Joanna Volpe On: Why Realistic Teen Dialogue Isn't Necessarily a Good Thing http://t.co/6G1G1nL  #amwriting #YA This is a fun one by Christi about staying organized while writing: @ChristiWhitney How do you organize all those little details that pop up during writing. Leave me a comment! Death By Post-It Notes http://t.co/sG4wFSZ Do you have a great Christmas story? If so check out ag...

Though Halloween is over I have a bag of treats for you! Last week was an excellent week for writers on Twitter. Registration for the Writer's Digest conference has opened! You can check it out here: @WritersDigest Registration is open for the WD Writer's Conference: http://ow.ly/2YPmX Chuck Sambuchino of Writer's Digest introduces us to another new agent. Like he says, new agents are a golden opportunity for writers seeking representation. @ChuckSambuchino New agent seeking writers! Denise Little of The Ethan Ellenberg Literary Agency http://tinyurl.com/2cdqcqu If you live in the New York area and are seeking a job in publishing be sure to check out this excellent link from ex-agent turned editor Colleen Lindsay: @ColleenLindsay taking resumes for awesome entry-level pub job. Love romance? Good writer? Online savvy? Read on: http://bit.ly/bAmYGD I always thought I was kind of strange because my characters talk to me. Now, agent Weronika Janczuk tells me I...

A little while ago I got to spend a few days with my critique partners the Scribe Sisters while they attended the  PNWA conference. We had a great time catching up and I got to see a bit of Seattle Washington. That's me on the right with Karlene Petitt in the middle and Linda Gray on the left. The fourth Scribe Sister, Jule Rowland, hadn't arrived yet when we took this picture. I didn't attend the conference because I didn't have time to stay for most of it but they did take me as a guest to the opening note dessert where I got to hear bestselling author Andre Dubus. Though I didn't agree with everything he said about writing he was a very dynamic speaker and I liked him so much I bought his book The House of Sand and Fog and got it signed by him. You can read my take on his opening note here . My friends each did fantastic at the conference pitch sessions. They were all asked for their novels by both agents and editors! A huge congratulations to the Scribe...

I learned nearly as much about the publishing industry just by going to New York as I did by going to the conference. Not to say I didn't learn a lot at the conference, I certainly did, but this was my first time in New York and I learned a lot about the people who live and work there by visiting it. I've been to Hawaii, Oklahoma, and now New York attending writer conferences and this is the first time I felt like I really got what the publishing industry was all about. The publishing industry can feel like a very cold, callous place at times, what with all the form rejections and good writing that is passed up. Much of what I've been told about New Yorkers reflects that. But I have to tell you, they aren't the rude stereo types you've heard about. There are a lot of people in New York and everyone is busy rushing off to do something so there isn't time for small talk and niceties. Until you see New York you can't grasp the scope of just how many people a...

Since I was at the NYC Pitch conference most of this last week my muse was the publishing houses themselves. I couldn't possibly fit them all on here so I picked three. Despite being nearly one minded in my pursuit of pitching and selling to an editor, I actually managed to get a bit of writing done on the plane rides over! Ten new hand written pages of The First Dragonwatcher await entry into my computer. I won't keep you waiting breathlessly, the conference was an interesting experience. I met a lot of really fantastic people that I know I'll stay connected with. I hope to see their books on the shelves some day very soon, along with my own of course! This was my first trip to New York and I learned a lot merely by visiting the city. Knowing how New York works and how it's culture is will really help me on this journey. I expected it to be very business-like and abrasive. In a way it was, but underneath it you can tell the people have good hearts, they're just...

If you're a regular here on Heather's Odyssey you've probably heard me rave about how you really should attend a writer's conference to help advance your writing career. You've heard me go on and on about everything I've learned at conferences and the wonderful connections I've made. And some of you, unfortunately, are bound by responsibilities or financial budgets and haven't been able to take my advice on attending conferences. My heart breaks for you, literally, because I hate to see people held back because they can't attend a conference. Today my heart is very happy though because I have an exciting announcement to share. A group of six great authors have come up with the fabulous idea of putting on a free  online writer's conference for kidlit writers. Elana Johnson , Casey McCormick , Jamie Harrington ,  Lisa & Laura Roecker , and Shannon Whitney have put their heads together to create  WriteOnCon . There are already a bunch of agen...

"...there are a few things you can do to that may get you into a better pile-or at least a better position within the slush." ~ The First Five Pages by Noah Lukeman . As my friends are all arriving at William Bernhardt's annual writing workshop my thoughts have turned to approaching the right agent. Your querying success depends so much upon this that I cannot stress the importance of it enough. With the state the economy and everyone's finances lately this becomes even more important when choosing which conference you should attend. Before registering for a conference because it's in a convenient location or is an old favorite, make sure there are agents attending that you want to~or more importantly, should~see. If the conference can't guarantee which agent you get to see that is a serious downside and a reason you may want to reconsider that conference. Let's face it, driving or flying a great distance, at great expense, just to end up seeing an a...

As the NYC Pitch & Sell Conference approaches I've been thinking a lot about an author's image, mine in particular. What am I going to wear to the conference? How should I do my hair? What should I take with me? All of that reflects who I am. First impressions can make or break you, especially in a situation like this and I'm acutely aware of that as I rifle through my wardrobe. Those of you who have attended a conference know just how much stress this can cause. Should you worry about your appearance? Yes and no. You are who you are and the agent or publisher isn't buying into you, they're buying into your work. Ah but wait, now days an author doesn't get to sit around the house in a pair of comfy sweats, drink coffee, and write their life away. Don't worry, there's much of that to be done, but an author has to wear more hats now than ever before. Publishers are doing less and less promotion. That is falling to the author more every day. You'...

This June I'm attending the NYC Pitch and Sell Conference in New York, which means I'll be pitching my manuscript to editors. Editors . Just typing that, let alone saying it nearly makes me break out in a sweat. This is a different kind of conference. There aren't any tutorial workshops here save for the one's on perfecting your pitch, and there are no agents in attendance. This conference is for writers who have a highly polished manuscript that is ready to put in the hands of editors who work for publishing houses. I know what you're thinking. You already have an agent Heather, why bother? Surely he'll be pitching it to them. True, he has pitched it to them. In fact, it's sitting on the desk of five of the attending editors. So why am I bothering? I met my agent at a conference and I think that person to person conversation made a world of difference. I knew immediately how professional and hardworking he was, and I knew that we clicked. If I hadn't...

It's conference season! In celebration of that I thought I'd spotlight a conference that I'm hoping to go to this year. Over the last few years I've searched and searched for the best conferences to spend my money on, looking for something with the right opportunities and the right attendees. For those of you who've done your own searching you know this can be a daunting task. Not every conference is right for everyone. You need to decide what you want to get out of a conference first, then you can narrow it down. Do you want an agent, an editor, to improve your novel, to sell your novel, or just to network? For me that answer is easy this year. I've gone to conferences to network and I've gone to retreats to improve my writing skills. Now I have an agent and my work is on submission to editors. It's time for me to concentrate on selling my work. 'But you already have an agent, why would you bother?' you ask. Because, I want to be active in the...

Once you're able to do this your chances of finding representation explode. However, before I tell you how to do it you must understand that no matter how well you get to know an agent, they are only going to represent you if they love your book. Like your mother taught you, no means no and when an agent says it that means its time to move on, not plead your case. They will not love it more if you can just explain it to them in person. It's your writing you're trying to sell them on, if it didn't convince them in the first place the spoken word certainly won't. Even if an agency lists their phone number on their site you should never call them unless you're invited to or you become a client of theirs. Once you get to know an agent and think they will be perfect for your work, it's even harder when they say no. This is especially true if you think you'd work well with them. I'm speaking from experience here folks. But, be noble and take it like a pro ...

Why the heck should you care what I'm reading? Well, because it's fabulous. Alas, that is not the point of my post, though I'll come back to it. At the retreats and conferences I go to I keep hearing this great piece of advice so I thought I should pass it on to all my writer friends: read! Seriously, that's it. More to the point though, know what's selling in your genre, get a feel for the competition. I love reading fantasy to the point where I read it almost exclusively. But, when I started writing my YA novel I realized I had to read YA first. I'm glad I did because it has helped tremendously! So, back to what I'm reading. I just finished Aprilynne Pike's Wings (which has since hit the bestseller list, whoo hoo!), but it was so great I have to rave about it too. If your writing YA you should really read this book because it's fresh, different, and has already become hugely popular. Aprilynne captures the 'voice' of a 16 year old girl so ...