Note: All activities will take place at the Westin Atlanta Airport Hotel on May 5-6, 2023 except the Pre-Conference Edits, which will be managed entirely via email (through February 2023). The activities are described in detail on the Conference Activities page. For participants who will be virtual, all interactions with agents and editors will occur via Zoom. Due to the ever-increasing expense of the audio-visual equipment and personnel involved and the ever-dwindling number of virtual participants, only the query letter critiques, manuscript sample critiques, pitches, and the award ceremony will be offered with the Zoom option. The workshop, Q&A panels, educational sessions, and mixer will only be available for in-person participants.
Note that all times given below are US Eastern.
Friday, May 5, 2023
11:00-6:00 p.m. Book Fair open to all attendees, with participants who have books available doing sales and signings all day in a designated meeting room (registration for table/countertop space on a first-come, first-served basis; complete details here),
12:30-1:30 p.m. Editor Q&A Panel with all participating acquisitions editors (in-person only).
1:45-5:00 p.m. Query Letter Critiques with two editors/agents (either in-person or via Zoom) assigned to participants at random, but with no overlaps with any Saturday meetings, offering critiques and suggestions during sessions of about ten minutes based on printed copies of a query letter brought to the hotel (or submitted by May 1, 2023 for virtual participants).
2:00-2:45 p.m. Mini-Seminar by Tonya Todd: “Literary Citizenship: How to Become a Pillar in Your Writing Community” (in-person only).
3:00-3:45 p.m. Mini-Seminar by Tonya Todd: “Read Like a Pro at Public Events” (in-person only).
4:00-6:00 p.m. Workshop by Tonya Todd: “Crafting Diverse Characters for Inclusive Literature” (in-person only).
6:00-8:30 p.m. Free time for participants.
8:30-11:30 p.m. Mixer with musical entertainment and the editors and agents who are comfortable in a close-contact environment for casual conversations and networking among participants (in-person-only).
Saturday, May 6, 2023
9:00-10:00 a.m. Agent Q&A Panel with all participating literary agents (in-person-only).
10:15 a.m.-1:00 p.m. Manuscript critique meetings: One-on-one meetings (either in-person or via Zoom) of about 13 minutes each between the editors/agents and those who submitted their work for critique by the April 3, 2023 deadline. Participants will receive summary comments a day or two before the conference.
10:30-11:30 a.m. Mini-Seminar with Lauretta Hannon: “The Power of Self-Negating Words: My Writing Story Told Through a TEDx Talk” (in-person only).
11:45 a.m.-12:45 p.m. Mini-Seminar with Lauretta Hannon: “Deep & Simple (Over Shallow & Complex) Writing Exercises” (in-person only).
12:45-2:15 p.m. Free time for participants.
2:15-5:30 p.m. Pitch meetings: Participants pitch an editor/agent (either in-person or via Zoom) one-on-one for ten minutes each, based on a printed copy of a query letter brought to the hotel (or submitted by May 5, 2023, at 10 p.m. Eastern for virtual participants).
2:30-3:45 p.m. Mini-Seminar with Jorjeana Marie: “Character Deep-Dive” (in-person only).
4:00-5:15 p.m. Mini-Seminar with Jorjeana Marie: “Mastering Marketing” (in-person only).
5:45-6:30: Giveaway drawings and award ceremony: giveaways for the next conference and more will be conducted by drawing raffle tickets. Then, all participating agents and editors will announce their awards for Best Manuscript Sample and Best Pitch, with certificates for the winners (the award ceremony will be broadcast via Zoom).
Questions?
Please contact George Weinstein at awconference@gmail.com.
Ready to register?
View the Registration page for instructions.