by Cynthia Ruchti “Can we talk?” Among the things that surprise ACFW conference attendees are these: · It’s amazing how many writers consider themselves introverted. · It’s amazing how noisy introverts can get when set loose at a writers’ conference. Talk, talk, talk, talk, talk! We talk in the elevators, in the hallways, in the lobbies, in the classrooms, in …
Making the Most of Your Conference Experience
by Mindy Obenhaus Time is ticking away. In only six short weeks, hundreds of Christian fiction writers will converge on the Mile-High City for ACFW’s annual conference. Whoo-hoo! Whether this is your first ACFW conference or your tenth (though I’m pretty sure they haven’t had that many), you want to get everything out of your conference that you can. Take …
Relax-Yes, you too can enjoy those editor and agent appointments
by Belinda Peterson Really, you can enjoy them!! I promise. This is how you do it. Kidding. I can’t tell you HOW to do it, but I can provide some tips on making it a little easier on your nerves. At least I hope I can. The very first editor appointment I had was with Brenda Chin from Harlequin. I …
Five Reasons Historical Romance Authors Should Attend the ACFW Conference
by Kathy Fuller The annual American Christian Fiction Writer’s Conference is set for September 17-20 in Denver, Colorado. While that may seem a ways away, its really around the corner, so if you’re planning to attend, you should register and book your flight ASAP. For those of you on the fence, especially historical romance novelists, allow me to shove you …
Pitching with Success at the ACFW Conference
by Tiffany Amber Stockton Many know that I’m a member of ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers). It’s the premier Christian fiction organization, and I owe a great deal of thanks to the members for helping me get published. Every year, they hold a national conference, and this year it’s just about in my back yard. Denver, Colorado is only about …
Is Donald Maass worth $99?
By Debby Giusti Registration for the American Fiction Writers Conference is in progress and many of you have probably signed up for the workshops being offered this year. But what about the early bird session? Literary agent and story-guru Donald Maass is presenting the full-day program. Cost for the event is $99. With the economy in a downward spiral, money …
Conference Checklist from Rachelle Gardner
Many of us will be heading to the ACFW conference in about a week, so I wanted to give you a handy checklist of things to make sure you bring. Even if you’re not attending ACFW, you might find this useful sometime in the future for another conference. Some concise and fascinating answers to questions like, “So, what do you …
Why ACFW is always on my schedule
Here are Rusty Shelton’s thoughts on the conference. Rusty is with Phenix & Phenix Literary Publicists and a regular attendee at the conference. I started going to the ACFW conference three years ago and it has become one of my favorite events. When I initially made the decision to start attending the conference, it was partly due to the fact …
Fear for Breakfast???
I love the smell of fear in the morning. Just kiddin’. Conference time again. I gotta tell y’all, don’t be so worried about your appointments with agents and editors. I know it’s hard to believe, but we aren’t out to get ya. Some of us are even nice. Yes, there are a few pompous people. But being pompous, they don’t …
Secrets for Making a Great Pitch
Agent Rachelle Gardner has this advice. Today is my official post for the ACFW Blog Tour. Only 78 days left until the ACFW conference! Let’s talk about those all-important agent-and-editor pitches. As one of my blog readers wrote, we can probably all agree on the “don’ts” of pitching your project. Don’t pitch in the bathroom. Don’t pitch incomplete projects. Don’t …