Do you want the chance to earn a contract directly with a publishing acquisitions editor or with a literary agent who will represent you to publishers?
Do you want editors and agents to tell you what you’re doing wrong and doing right in your manuscript, synopsis, and query letter?
Would you like to discuss your writing project with editors and agents to see if there’s any interest in the marketplace?
Do you want to learn more about the publishing industry and the business and craft of writing?
Do you want to build your network of industry professionals and writing colleagues?
If you answer, “Yes,” to any or all of these questions, then the Atlanta Writers Club (AWC) has designed a conference for you:
On Friday, May 5 and Saturday, May 6, 2023, the Atlanta Writers Club will present its 28th Atlanta Writers Conference, in-person at the Westin Atlanta Airport Hotel. We will now only offer a virtual option for critique and pitch meetings with the agents and editors, due to the ever-increasing expense of the audio-visual equipment and personnel involved and the ever-dwindling number of virtual participants. The goals of this conference are to give you access to eighteen top publishing acquisitions editors and literary agents actively seeking new clients, help you get your work ready for them, and educate you with a workshop and talks by experienced authors and other industry professionals. The Conference Activities page details each activity you can register for: select them all, only one, or some number in between–it’s entirely up to you, so you can craft the conference experience that will be best for your growth, interests, and budget.
All guest agents and editors plan to participate in-person at the conference hotel. If any guests change to virtual participation, we will update their listing on our Editors and Agents page and inform those who have selected that individual.
When registering for the conference, you will indicate whether you will participate in-person at the conference hotel or prefer a virtual experience via Zoom, which is only available for critique and pitch meetings. If the latter, online links for the agent/editor meetings will be sent with your personalized schedule about two weeks before the conference.
During the conference, you might be asked by agents and editors to send an entire fiction manuscript or nonfiction proposal for review. Following that review, you could be offered a contract based on the materials you’ve submitted: after nearly every conference some AWC members sign with conference guests and realize their dream of publication (see Testimonials page). You certainly will know more about how your work is perceived by industry professionals, and you’ll gain valuable experience interacting one-on-one with them.
Our Friday workshop will feature:
Author and actress Tonya Todd is invested in Own Voices writing and diverse representation in both the literary and cinematic worlds she inhabits. During her four years on the board of Henderson Writers Group, Tonya spearheaded education for authors at all levels. Her involvement in the literary, theatre, and filmmaking communities provides a platform to champion marginalized artists and contributes toward an environment that embraces a variety of voices.
In her “Crafting Diverse Characters for Inclusive Literature” workshop, she’ll cover why diversity matters and how to better incorporate it when writing fiction. This class will assist authors interested in expanding their content by educating them on how to do so with empathy and compassion. Attendees will leave class inspired to be more inclusive in their writing and educated enough to get started.
We also will present separate Q&A panels by the guest acquisitions editors and agents, two days of educational talks, our Friday-night mixer, and our award ceremony with giveaway drawings, where each editor and agent will select participants for the best manuscript sample submitted for critique and for the best pitch, and hand out award certificates to the winning individuals. Most testimonial providers were awarded a certificate and you can see how it helped to change their lives!
Our guest editors and agents love the Conference as much as the participants. Previous Conference guest Alicia Sparrow, acquisitions editor for Chicago Review Press, raved, “The Atlanta Writers Conference is truly what all other conferences should aspire to be. As an editor, being able to really connect and chat with so many writers was such a wonderful experience. The environment was welcoming, creative, and constructive so if you ever get the chance to go, do it! You won’t regret it.” Kat Kerr, agent for the Donald Maass Literary Agency, said, “The Atlanta Writers Conference was such a joy! I really appreciated how smoothly the conference ran and getting to meet such wonderful people! Highly recommended for anybody looking to attend.”
READ ALL CONFERENCE DETAILS BEFORE YOU REGISTER!
Please click the tabs at the top of the screen to read the descriptions on each of the accompanying pages and decide which activities you want to register for. If you want to meet in-person or have online Zoom meetings with one or more agents and/or editors, please read the descriptions they provided on the Editors and Agents page to identify the individual(s) who are a good match for your writing project(s). Likewise, the Pre-Conference Edit freelancers have provided their bios and areas of expertise so you can get your work ready for the manuscript sample critique and pitch activities.
When you have decided on what you want to participate in and, if applicable, the agents and/or editors who are a good fit for you, go to the Registration tab to read the instructions there, enter the registration system, and make your selections and payment.
NOTE: You must be a 2023 Atlanta Writers Club (AWC) member to participate in the conference (i.e., your dues need to be current through May 6, 2023). If you are not a current member or need to renew your membership, the registration process will add $60 in nonrefundable annual dues for the Atlanta Writers Club (AWC)–with membership valid for 365 days–to the total amount for the conference activities you select. The membership period of 365 days grants you access to two annual conferences, monthly AWC meetings, free workshops, and an annual writing contest with cash prizes. If you are not interested in the benefits of AWC membership, consider the $60 to be a nonrefundable conference registration fee.
You will submit your payment at the end of the registration process. Payment via credit card, debit card, or PayPal is required to complete your registration (checks are not accepted and payment cannot be delayed). Simply follow the prompts to finish this transaction.
Please complete this registration and payment process within 60 minutes of starting it.
If you have any questions after reviewing all of the pages on this website, please contact Atlanta Writers Conference Director George Weinstein at awconference@gmail.com.
I’m thrilled and proud to be a part of the Atlanta Writers Club. This conference is so unique in that it offers us writers an opportunity to have our work critiqued by an agent and to pitch an agent. I have attended two of these conferences and have found the experience to be incredibly educational and inspiring. I highly recommend it!
I went to my first conference in November 2017, met with several agents, and received positive and helpful feedback. At a round table discussion, every agent recommended conferences as an excellent way to meet agents one-on-one. It’s time well spent!