All About Book Fairs, from Heather

Hello everyone!  As you might know, this week we wrapped up the Bologna Book Fair!  So, we thought it would be handy to give a little insight as to what happens at these international book fairs, in advance of Gemma’s more detailed report next week. These fairs (the biggies being Bologna, London, and Frankfurt – with others cropping up and growing around the world as well) are used for all aspects of publishing (sales, publicity, exposure, finding representation, etc.), but mainly are a way for the international publishing industry to do some heavy lifting when it comes to foreign sales –sales for translation into other languages.

Big houses, medium houses, and small houses in every country will attend the event, along with loads of agencies (especially from the US and the UK), to meet with contacts they can’t see on a regular basis, due to the rather large bodies of water or land masses in-between. Foreign-rights deals go down throughout the year, but these fairs still remain the pinnacle of selling books overseas.  The buzz and excitement of showing-off your authors bumps sales up during the fair.  Due to the hoopla, there are always a few books that wind up being heatedly fought over for the right to translate – and thus, the hot books of the fair are born!

So, who is attending these meetings when it comes to foreign-rights?  Mainly editors from all over the globe will meet with foreign-rights people(representing both publishing houses and agencies) from different countries, to see what books they’re selling and hopefully buy translation rights, to what they think will do well in their territory, or even be the next big hit internationally.  Schedules are thusly packed to an intense degree, starting at breakfast, and continuing with half-hour meetings throughout the days of the fair, and then pushing on into drink meetings in the early evening, dinner plans later on, and finally desert or disco. (Yes, disco happens. And no, it’s not pretty).  Sleep doesn’t happen for about a week, but who needs sleep when there’s proper espresso around every corner?

Throughout the fair, when you’re not in a meeting, you’ll find cocktail parties, dinner parties, quick coffees, hotel drinks, gelato runs, cheap convention food, and even a shared bottle of water, to bring people together to talk about books.  Each fair has a tone of its own, a feeling – Bologna is one of my faves.  It’s fun, lively, set in an ancient walkable town, and fully packed with beautiful books and gorgeous illustrations that absolutely crush you.

In an age where books are bought and sold globally throughout the year thanks to email, phone, and Skype, I think it’s a solid salute to the book industry that these traditional yearly meet-ups still exist.

Stay tuned for more details about this year’s meeting in Bologna!

From the Archives: Successful Schmoozing with Agents at Conferences--a post by Jenny

To round off our month of blogging about conferences, we have a post from the archives from Jenny...

Say you are an author looking for a literary agent and you go to a conference.  And there are literary agents at this conference, perhaps even literary agents that you are interested in representing your work. How can you best maximize this opportunity? I'll talk you through a few steps.

1. Prepare, prepare, prepare. Before you go to the conference, really research all the agents who will also be there. Check out their websites, their page on Publisher's Marketplace, their recent deals. Get to know their client lists. Is there a client they represent who writes books that are similar to yours? Or a client that they have who you particularly admire? Make a mental note of it. Check out their twitter feeds. Do they like candy (hmmm, wonder who that could be)? Dogs?   Jogging? Keep it in mind. It's not stalking, it's PREPARING.  
2. If you have a pitch session with the agent, begin it by showing you have a familiarity with their list. Say something like, "I'm so glad I'm sitting down with you.  I know you represent so-and-so and I really love their work." It may feel like sucking up, but the agent will really appreciate that you did your homework. 
3. If you meet the agent at the bar, or at a meal, or outside having a cigarette (I don't smoke anymore, but when I did, it was a great way to chat informally with writers), don't automatically start pitching. Have a fun, social chat. Agents are people too, and we like just hanging out at conferences, meeting people informally, basically just chilling out and having a little break from the work stuff. Most of the time, the agent will eventually ask YOU what you write so you don't have to pitch them first.   
4. While you shouldn't pitch the agent in an informal setting, you should definitely demonstrate that you know what they rep. That's probably the best way to get them to ask you what you're working on. It's the same as when you pitch--just say, "oh, it's so nice to meet you, I love your list, particularly the work of X writer." Something casual like that.
5. If the agent's panel or workshop at the conference was useful to you, don't hesitate to tell them.   Again, if it's genuine, it's not sucking up. We work really hard on our presentations, etc., and we love hearing that it was helpful for you.
6. Volunteer to help at the conference. Pick up an agent at the airport, for instance.  It's another great way to meet them informally and I know a surprising amount of agents/editors who met clients that way.  
7. Relax and be yourself. I know the stakes are high, I know this is a really big deal, and believe me, I get that this whole thing is stressful. But truthfully, as I said above, we are just folks, and conferences often make us nervous too. Most people in the publishing industry are introverts just like most writers are introverts and conferences can be hard just in the sense that there are so many PEOPLE around. We welcome the chance to meet a friendly person and just have a casual chat. 
8. And finally, I do hear a lot about agents being snobby or whatever when they meet authors at conferences. I have only this to say--often shyness can come across as snobbery.   One of the kindest, most special agents I ever knew was painfully shy and I think a lot of people thought she was unfriendly. Not!  She just took a while to warm up to people. So it could be a case of that--again, most people in publishing really are natural introverts. Or maybe the agent is just a jerk.   In that case, it's probably not a good fit and chalk it up to a learning experience. But again, conferences are stressful for everyone, so take every experience with a grain of salt.  

Okay, that's it for today.  Good luck and hopefully I'll see you at an awesome writer's conference soon!

Jenny 

P.S. And check out our links to the conferences we'll be attending on the lower right hand corner of this blog!  

This was originally posted in August 2013.

Be a Sponge: Advice from a Veteran Conference Planner

As a part of this month’s focus on conferences, we reached out to Kim Turrisi, the Director of Special Projects at the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, as she’s been working alongside Lin Oliver, the SCBWI's Executive Director, for over 15 years, helping to plan and learning the ins and outs of two of the biggest conferences in children’s books (SCBWI’s Annual Summer and Winter Conferences).  Her advice works for any writer, regardless of audience.  See below for some wisdom about how to make the most of your conference experiences. 

You’re the Director of Special Projects at SCBWI.  Can you tell us a bit about how you came to be at SCBWI, and what you do there?

I started my career with Lin Oliver in film and television production focusing on family entertainment and, as you know, she is the Executive Director of SCBWI. Lin drew me into the SCBWI circle. At first, I only worked the National Conferences where I oversaw the one-on-one manuscript and portfolio consultations in Los Angeles and the writer roundtables in New York.

It didn’t take me long to fall in love with the organization and all it stands for before I asked for a more full time position.  Lin and I created a job which allowed me to, among other things, oversee many special projects such as our publications guide and as liaison with the publishing community along with Lin. The most rewarding and exciting part of my job is when one of our authors or illustrators is published as the result of a pairing I have done at the conference.

What are some important things that writers can take away from a conference?

Meet as many SCBWI members as you can. There is an incredible community of children’s book writer’s and illustrators. Both regional and national conferences and other events are fantastic opportunities to connect. So many friendships and critique groups form as a result of our conferences.

Listen.

Be open to revising your manuscript/portfolio and learning as much as you can about your craft.

Wait to query agents or editors right after the conference.  Sit with all the information from workshops and keynote speakers, process it, and make your manuscript even stronger BEFORE you query.  Don’t be in a rush.

What’s the best way for writers to plan for a conference?

Research the people teaching the break out sessions so you choose the best possible ones for yourself. 

If you are having a consultation, read the guidelines carefully and don’t wait until the last minute to submit.

For our LA and NYC conferences, if you have any questions about what might be suited for you, call our office and ask. We’re here to help.

What objective should authors keep in mind when attending a conference?

Be a sponge.  You are around creative people and have the opportunity to hear agents, editors and published authors impart their wisdom and experiences. Soak it in, take notes. 

What should writers NOT do at a conference?

Put an editor or agent on the spot by trying to slip them a manuscript.  While all of our faculty are open to queries after the conference, they can’t take a manuscript that isn’t solicited. It’s also not proper etiquette in the publishing world so you put yourself at a disadvantage opening with that.

Don’t pitch multiple ideas when given the opportunity to pitch an editor or agent during a session.  Focus on the one you are most passionate about.

Is there such a thing as conference burn-out?  When do know that it’s time to stay home (does that ever happen?)?

Well, I certainly haven’t noticed that. I think every writer and illustrator, published or unpublished, can always use inspiration and current information about the marketplace as it is ever changing.  As artists, I think you are always learning, evolving and improving your craft. Our conferences are designed to do just that.

You’ve seen some amazing writers speak at various conferences.  What advice sticks with you? – this could be for conferences specifically, for writing, or just for life.

Wow, there have been so many.  Here are a few that I have up in my office.

“My only advice is to stay aware, listen carefully, and yell if you need help.” Judy Blume

“Just say yes!” Kwame Alexander

“Revise fearlessly again and again.” Kate Messner

“Love what you write. Write what you know. Write honestly because everything counts.”  Sara Shandler

You’re a writer too!  What can you tell us about projects you’re working on?

I’m fortunate to work for two writers in Lin and Steve Mooser who foster creative spirit. Our offices are filled with books and every wall is a different color.  It’s hard to be around that much creative energy and not want to dive in. I’ve been working on a young adult book for several years on weekends and nights like most other writers. I’m currently revising my revision. I keep notebook with ideas that I’ve kept for years.  What’s really great is that nearly everyone in our office writes or illustrates. In our spare time.☺

Kim Turrisi is the Director of Special Projects at The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, a position she has held since 2002.  In addition to her work at SCBWI, she wrote Pretty Dirty Secrets, a web series for ABC Family’s hit show Pretty Little Liars. In 2011, she won a Daytime Emmy for a web series she wrote and executive produced.  She is obsessed with reading anything YA, college football and her dogs. You can follow her on Twitter @KimmyT22

The most important thing you've learned at a conference - TBA client post

This month is all about conferences on the blog, so we’ve asked some TBA clients a question:

“What is the most important thing you’ve learned at a conference?”

Lori Roy  Edgar-award winning author of BENT ROAD and the forthcoming LET ME DIE IN HIS FOOTSTEPS Twitter: @LORIROYauthor

Ten years ago, while taking part in a workshop at a writing conference, I learned one of the most important things I would learn as a writer. As often happens when writers are workshopping manuscripts, the conversation had become rather impassioned, although I, still new to the process, sat quietly and listened more than I talked. We had reached that portion of the class where the author of the work that had been workshopped was getting his chance to speak. He chose to use his opportunity to challenge the advice he had received and to defend, explain and justify his work. The class rallied around him and reassured him we had all attended the conference to receive similar advice and criticism, and he should appreciate and not resent it. The argument continued until another student, nearly as quiet thus far as I had been, spoke up. “We need to humble ourselves to the craft of writing,” he said.  

The gentleman’s comment ended that particular workshop. To say that we needed to humble ourselves to the craft was to say we needed to earn our confidence and resist our egos. We needed to learn the rules and guidelines of the craft, understand them, appreciate their importance and only then could we break them. We needed to respect all the work that had come before us, and in doing so, we would be able to respect the amount of time and commitment our writing would demand. 

I have recounted this story a number of times and the only thing missing is the name of the gentleman, who so perfectly said what needed to be said. His sentiment remains among my favorite lessons learned. Many times over the years I have rifled through my email in search of his name as I would very much like to credit him.  So far, no luck.  

Jen McLaughlin/Diane Alberts 

NY Times & USA Today Bestselling Author of OUT OF LINE

Twitter: @DianeAlberts 

One of the most important things I’ve learned at conferences is that while it’s a whole lot of fun and games—the friends, the books, and the drinks—it’s so much more than that. Never forget that those conferences offer valuable opportunities. Editors, agents, readers, and fellow authors are all around you, so you don’t want to be that drunk girl puking in a potted plant in the lobby.

Have fun, but don’t forget to network smartly while you’re there. I’ve made a few book deals and plans happen at conferences…in the lobby, in the hotel coffee shop, and even at the blackjack table in Vegas at midnight. You never know what’s going to happen, so make sure to mingle, have fun, and be ready for anything! And if you see me at one, please come up to me and say hi!

M.J. Pullen

Author of THE MARRIAGE PACT 

Twitter: @mjpullen

Before I viewed writing as a full-time career, I attended many professional conferences in other fields: psychology, counseling, marketing and fundraising. But never writing. For some reason it only seemed “legitimate” to attend a conference or pursue continuing education for a job I already had, rather than the passion I was slowly, quietly pursuing.

In April 2014, I was finally persuaded to attend The Atlanta Writer’s Conference, where I was fortunate to meet and pitch to Nicole Sohl, now my editor at Thomas Dunne/St. Martin’s Press. Aside from that relationship and the contract offer that followed, the conference gave me an important reminder.

There is so much to know about writing that none of us can know it all. But any time I sit with other writers, whether in a workshop or across the lunch table, I learn a little more. That conference reminded me, not just how much I still have to learn about the craft (always) but how valuable my connections with other writers are. And, even though I had been writing professionally for a couple of years; investing in the conference marked a shift in the way I view my writing. No longer just a hobby or fantasy, that conference truly helped me view writing as a professional-level pursuit, worthy of serious attention. The shift was completely internal, but it’s made a difference in the way I approach my writing every day since.

Ruth Fitzgerald

Author of EMILY SPARKES AND THE FRIENDSHIP FIASCO 

Twitter: @writingruth

The most important thing I learned was at the SCBWI conference when Cathy Cassidy said she can't write if she plots first. If she has a plot it ruins it and she can't write the book. This made me feel much better as I write in the same way. I always felt a bit inadequate when I saw authors with post-it notes all over the wall and complex diagrams and pages of notes. The most I ever do it a bit of a spider chart or mind map and that's it. Then I just have to write and see where the characters take me. Every time I try to plot in advance I feel that there's a lack of spark about the writing. So what I actually learned was there's no 'right' way to write, you have to find out what works for you.

And some less serious, but fun responses to our question: 

Stephanie Kate Strohm

Author of PILGRIMS DON'T WEAR PINK

Twitter: @StephKateStrohm 

[How about] that time I sat down next to Margaret Peterson Haddix on the bus to the Rochester Teen Book Festival, realized who she was halfway through the conversation, then started freaking out and embarrassingly fangirling because JUST ELLA was one of my favorite books as a kid.  I also stole another author's cheesecake at dinner and showed David Levithan that I could do a split, so it was a memorable event all around.

Kat Ellis 

Author of BLACKFIN SKY 

Twitter: @el_kat

Even if you find yourself within poking distance of Neil Gaiman, DO NOT POKE NEIL GAIMAN.

From conference to new client - an interview with Mo O'Hara and her agent Gemma Cooper

This month on the blog we are talking conferences – how to act, what to expect — and we’ll also be sharing some great stories about what our clients have learned at various conferences. To kick us off, I’ve interviewed my client Mo O’Hara about our first meeting. I hope this interview shows that by being relaxed and just enjoying talking to people, you can make great connections at conferences.

Mo and I first met in September 2011, about two weeks after I became an agent. Mo was a volunteer at the 2011 SCBWI British Isles conference and her official title was ‘speaker coordinator’.

M: The first three chapters of what became Zombie Goldfish, prompted by a SCBWI Slushpile Challenge prompt about Frankenstein, were written in May 2011 and I went away on the Scoobie (UK term for SCBWI’ers) retreat to try and finish it! It was nearly complete by the time I met you, but I knew it wasn’t ready to submit.

I thought, “I’m schmoozing and meeting people at the conference,” but with the idea of contacting people in February or March of the following year when the book was more polished. So I wasn’t sharking agents immediately, plus I was on duty. I was there to facilitate other people having a good time. I had booked these speakers and I didn’t want them to stand around looking bored!  I wanted to make sure they had full glasses of wine and that they were having a good time.

G: So, you were in charge of making people network?

M: Yep, I was scooping up people who looked like they were lost and putting them together with other people, and explaining they might know people in common and that sort of thing. And then we met at the bar...

G: Yes, talking about people who look like they are lost...! So my memory of our first meeting – it’s my first ever conference, I’d been an agent for about two weeks. I was being my usual self in my head — “I’m okay, I’m good at stuff like this, I’m fine” — but I remember walking in, and the party was much more glam than I thought it would be. I remember standing there being a little bit intimidated and you immediately walked up and said, “Hi I’m Mo,” and then, “Would you like a drink?” You might not remember those as your first words to me, but I do!

M: Yeah, start as we mean to go on! (We are sitting with a glass of wine doing this interview)

G: Exactly. So then you walked me to the bar and got me a drink.

M: And then I remember introducing you to someone else.

G:  So you were trying to dump me?

M: You were an agent, you were here to meet writers! 

G: You were a writer! We did chat for a while in the end though, and we talked about a number of things... and then I finally asked, “What are you writing now?’

M: And I said, “Well it’s not really finished, but I’m writing a book about a Zombie Goldfish.”

G: You must remember my reaction? “SEND IT TO ME!!!”

M: Yes, because you had a goldfish! You told me about Brady and how he was named after a pub in NYC...

G: God, I must have been so boring.

M: No, I thought, ‘That’s weird that I’ve ended up talking to the person with a goldfish obsession.’

G: A week after the conference, you hadn’t got in touch.

M: Yes, I was in post-conference mode, and you emailed with the subject line...”Why isn’t there a fish swimming around in my inbox?” 

G: So, you sent me the first 50 pages a few days later and I gave you editorial feedback and said send the final ASAP.

M: I worked on them over Christmas.

G: And you sent the ms. in late January, and I read it that morning on the train on my tiny phone screen. Then I rang you, and said “It needs a bit of work, but I love it and I absolutely want to take you on.”

M: You were really cute because you said, and I remember exactly, “I laughed out loud on a commuter train, and everyone stared, so that gives me the right to sign you up.”

G: You were taking a risk on a new agent. Nobody else saw the book. Without the conference, you might never have queried me, so I’m so pleased I went.

M: Seriously, there is a lot to be said for the first introduction from your agent not being a random email but being standing there with a drink in your hand, knowing you can have a joke with this person, a laugh with them, really get them. You get that feeling of “I think I could work with that person.” An email exchange doesn’t tell you as much.

G: That’s the key thing: I was new. This book would have been a hot commodity if you’d waited and queried in the spring when it was ready.

M: But I connected with you. I knew I could stand there and have a laugh with you over a glass of wine and that’s really important! I didn’t want a stiff agent. And you immediately sent me feedback and I agreed with it. I understood what you intended, I got your vision of the book. And I agreed. You were honest. Coming from theatre, I don’t want a million and one smiley faces. Tell me if it’s bad. I can take it!

For people going to conferences — you will meet loads of people and other writers and that’s great. It’s a non-high pressure scenario. You can turn it into a high-pressure scenario, and you can work yourself up, but it doesn’t have to be like that.

G: If you are a volunteer it’s a lot easier, isn’t it, to have interactions?

M: It’s easier as you have that other hat on. But even if you don’t, you can go around with the thought “I’m here to enjoy the conference, and everyone is just another human being.” Take the pressure off yourself.

The next SCBWI British Isles conference is 21st and 22nd November 2015. More details for follow later in the year - http://britishisles.scbwi.org/

Mo O’Hara is the author of New York Times Bestselling MY BIG FAT ZOMBIE GOLDFISH chapter book series, published by Macmillan Children’s in the U.K. and Feiwel & Friends in the U.S. The series has been translated into 7 languages so far. Mo's debut picture book, set in the Zombie Goldfish world, will publish in 2015, and a stand-alone picture book, MORE PEOPLE TO LOVE ME, will follow in 2016. As well as her stories for children, Mo has also written for radio and theatre and has performed her own comedy material in London and Edinburgh.