Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Moonlight and Magnolias: Submit your requested materials!

Angela Quarles and me
The illustrious Angela Quarles, whose manuscript Must Love Breeches finaled in the Maggies, the Golden Pen, the On the Far Side contest, the Molly contest, the ECO contest, AND the Heart of the West contest, poses with me at Moonlight and Magnolias. Oh, and just because you should know how very awesome this lady is: all that, and she's a Browncoat, too!

I had a fantastic time: met fabulous people (See the picture? PROOF), attended fantastic classes, pitched to agents, and danced at the Steampunk and Corset Maggies Ball until my poor lil' feet blistered and my legs strongly discouraged any kind of bending, squatting, or kneeling.

Now it's time for the follow-up. For those of you who have had the opportunity to pitch at a conference, here's your chance: Actually (e-)mailing in your requested works puts you ahead of the game. Agents complain that their pitches rarely follow through, meaning that when a writer does, the query gets a serious look.

Show how professional you are and send that requested manuscript/partial manuscript in. It shows you're professional enough to follow through, and you're serious about your career. So do it! The usual time frame I hear is to send in within 1 month maximum, giving you just enough time to make last-minute fixes with whatever you've learned at conference.

Who else went to Moonlight and Magnolias? What did you learn?

2 comments:

  1. I learned that the dreaded synopsis (a 4-6 page outline of my entire manuscript) does not have to be as dull as dishwater. Also, agents & editors are real people just looking for an author like me LOL! I enjoyed this intimate conference and hope others attend them.

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    1. Now if only I can figure how to write one without dishpan hands! ;D It's easy to be scared off by the idea of agents, but you're right: they were all really nice. Can't wait for M&M 2014!

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