Note: All activities will take place at the Westin Atlanta Airport Hotel on November 3-4, 2023 except the Pre-Conference Edits, which will be managed entirely via email (through August 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 dwindling number of virtual participants, only the query letter critiques, manuscript sample critiques, and the pitches will be offered with the Zoom option. The workshop, Q&A panels, educational sessions, award ceremony, and mixer will only be available for in-person participants.
Note that all times given below are US Eastern.
Friday, November 3, 2023
11:00-5:00 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 assigned to participants at random (either in-person or via Zoom), 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 October 30, 2023 for virtual participants).
2:00-2:45 p.m. Mini-Seminar by Bonnie Friedman: “The Use of Reversal and Recognition to Power Your Fiction and Nonfiction” (in-person only).
3:00-3:45 p.m. Mini-Seminar by Bonnie Friedman: “Writing from the Senses” (in-person only).
4:00-6:00 p.m. Workshop by Bonnie Friedman: “Mastering the Crucial Emotional Side of the Writer’s Life” (in-person only).
6:00-8:00 p.m. Free time for participants.
8:00-11:30 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, November 4, 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 October 2, 2023 deadline. Participants will receive summary comments a day or two before the conference.
10:30-11:30 a.m. Mini-Seminar with Estelle Erasmus: “What I Wish Someone Had Told Me About Writing a Book That I Can Now Tell You” (in-person only).
11:45 a.m.-12:45 p.m. Mini-Seminar with Estelle Erasmus: “Tips on Building a Better Partnership with Your Publisher from a First-Time Author” (in-person only).
12:45-2:15 p.m. Free time for participants.
2:15-5:30 p.m. Pitch meetings: Participants (either in-person or via Zoom) pitch an editor/agent one-on-one for ten minutes each, based on a printed copy of a query letter brought to the hotel (or submitted by November 3, 2023, at 10 p.m. Eastern for virtual participants).
2:30-3:45 p.m. Mini-Seminar with Robert Gwaltney: “Building Courage to Write Your Story” (in-person only).
4:00-5:15 p.m. Mini-Seminar with Robert Gwaltney: “A Midlife Journey to Publication” (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 (in-person only).
Questions?
Please contact George Weinstein at awconference@gmail.com.
Ready to register?
View the Registration page for instructions.