October Meeting
Presenter: Cynthia Manson, literary agent and Caitlin Alexander
Cynthia Manson is a well-known and respected literary agent who represents a number of bestselling authors in a variety of genres. She graduated from Scripps College for Women in Claremont, CA. Manson has worked in both magazine and book publishing, including for Sterling Lord Literistic, Putnam, Bertelsmann, Scientific American, and Advertising Age magazine. She is well connected to the Hollywood community and has brokered numerous deals in the book-to-film-and-television market.
Cynthia is particularly interested in projects in the following commercial genres: thrillers/suspense/crime fiction/mysteries, science fiction and fantasy, historical fiction, upmarket women’s fiction, and newsworthy narrative nonfiction.
Caitlin Alexander has been editing books for more than fifteen years. She spent much of that time at Random House, where she acquired and edited New York Times bestsellers in fiction and nonfiction. She continues to edit bestselling and award-winning books as a freelance editor and can be found at www.editedbycaitlin.com.
Topic: Pitch Yourself to Publication
If you're serious about getting your book published, you'll need a compelling, convincing pitch to land the literary agent and publishing house of your dreams. For writers, this often presents a right brain–left brain dilemma: You've poured all your creativity and passion into your manuscript, and now you need to learn how to step back, look at your work objectively, and figure out how to best sell it and yourself into the current marketplace.
In this session, you'll learn how to pitch effectively in whatever situation you find yourself—whether it's giving a one-sentence elevator pitch, e-mailing a query letter, or having a face-to-face meeting at a writers' conference. Literary agent Cynthia Manson and editor Caitlin Alexander will break down what makes a "send it to me!" pitch, give you the tools and techniques you need to master any pitch situation, and share insider tips on what agents and editors are looking for.
