Writing Conference Overview

Attending writing conferences are expensive and completely beyond the budgets of many; however the information attained from conferences is valuable, and the ultimate payoff is learning more about the process and business of writing. Here’s a broad overview of a 2011 writing conference.

Debut authors are doing extremely well.
Industry is looking for best sellers.
Scaling back advances on picture books.
Know the marketplace and devise a plan to promote your book, online and directly to the public.
Write nonfiction as well as fiction.
Read the type of books you want to write.
Write stories kids want to read.
Children’s publishing is withstanding the economic downturn.
Picture books have taken the biggest hit because they are so expensive to publish.
Middle grade boys are reading, but most teen boys are not.
Make the reader wonder what is going on. Use foreshadowing.
Give readers more than what they expect.

Next week, I’ll have notes on what editors and agents are looking for in a picture book manuscript.

BOOK PROJECT: Becoming a Nurse
Creative Nonfiction is seeking essays by--and about--nurses, for a new collection, Becoming a Nurse: Real Stories of Nurses, Their Lives, and Their Patients.

We are looking for writers who can write dramatically and vividly about this profession for a collection of essays, which will be published by the new imprint CREATIVE NONFICTION BOOKS. Essays can be from 2500-4000 words (longer is possible) but should be written in a narrative form, with scenes, description, etc. To submit, please send your manuscript to:

Creative Nonfiction
Attn: Becoming a Nurse
5501 Walnut Street, Suite 202
Pittsburgh, PA 15232
Please include a word count on the first page of the essay, as well as your contact information. Any additional questions can be directed to information [at] creativenonfiction.org.
Deadline: November 30, 2011.