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INTERVIEW OBSERVATIONS BY AGENTS "Any first time author can be made to look "fabulous" -- it's all about how an agent, author and publisher present the author. Every author has a background and a story, which can be told to the book- sellers and public in a boring way or a way that is spectacular."   Barbara Zitwer "If an author is a terrific writer and has a voice or perspective or style that's not been seen before, there is a far greater chance it will have a place in the literary market. Though it's true that it can be tough to get a first book published, agents and editors are always looking for the next voice or story. That's why we go to writer's conferences."   Elise Capron

Writer Events at Glance (more below) Feb. 19-21: Write and Pitch, SF/CA, $329, 60-100 attendees (MS Analysis + pre-event work) March 18-21: NYC Pitch and Shop, NY, $595, 45-60 attendees March 24-28: Algonkian Park Workshop, NY, $865, 10-12 attendees May 12-16: Fisherman's Wharf, SF/CA, $495 - 15 attendees EVENT COMPARISON NOTES

Only a few hundred of the 50,000+ writing first novels in this country have any chance whatsoever of being published by a reputable house or press. If you search for precisely what you must know before you can conceive, market-test, and write a competitive novel ms, and perhaps even have it taken seriously by publishers like Penguin or Norton (or even good independent publishers like Copper Canyon), then attend an Algonkian workshop or event. Why? Because, you will learn to apply fiction craft and market smarts learned from the best authors and publishing professionals.

Our goal, simply put, is to place you on a realistic path by teaching you how to place yourself in the upper .001 of those who have an actual chance of becoming published authors. We stress the writing of great novels, not mediocre ones.

Our New "Write and Pitch" Conference      In today's market environment, you will face more obstacles than ever. An aspiring author attempting to write the breakout novel must not only create a high concept novel premise that rings with "ca-ching" but must avoid all the common pitfalls in title, hook, early character development, prose craft, and ongoing narrative composition. Sound complicated? Well, it is. Welcome to reality! Writers unable to fulfill the many and picky demands of discriminating agents and editors will be rejected every time, and usually within seconds after reading the first page (or even the first line--no kidding). Everyone is looking for reasons to reject, and why shouldn't they? Hundreds of projects are right behind yours, all clamoring for publication, all written by ambitious yet soon-to-be-disillusioned writers who believe all they ever needed for success was Writer's Digest and their local critique group to get it all straight. After working with writers for many years, we know that isn't true. Algonkian has recently developed a new event, the Write and Pitch Conference, that addresses all of the concerns above in detail; and by combining extensive pre-event work with a suitable three-day venue in the suburbs of San Francisco, we are able to cut costs and offer the conference to participants at a reasonable rate. Though meant to be significantly larger than the usual Algonkian workshops, we combine the event with smaller workshops and offer pre-submission novel screening to allow for additional personal attention.

The Write & Pitch Conference Feb 19-21, 2010. OPEN TO APPLICATIONS. Tuition $329 The only conference to evaluate your novel or work-in-progress before you arrive. A new conference designed by Algonkian to provide writers with all the information, materials, and guided training they must have to realistically take their novel to the next level. Attendees receive a pre-event novel analysis by NYC editors as well as the Algonkian 80 page study guide prior to arrival.

New York Pitch Conference Mar. 18-21, 2010. OPEN TO APPLICATIONS. Tuition $595 Writers workshop their novel before pitching it to major publishers such as Scribners, Penguin, Random House, Holt, St. Martins, and more. See NYC Pitch and Shop NEWS for latest. Book publicity pros and top workshop leaders from Algonkian and NYC.

	Algonkian Park Workshops - lodging incl. Mar. 24-28, 10. OPEN TO APPLICATIONS. Tuition $865 Beside the waters of the Potomac, writers go to the fireplace with lots of coffee and hunker down for five days of intensive novel and fiction crafting with Michael Neff, Robert Bausch, and Paige Wheeler.

Fisherman's Wharf Writers Conference May 12-16, 09. OPEN TO APPLICATIONS. Tuition $495 "From the Heart, but Smart - Premise, Platform, Market and Execution" beside the San Francisco Bay ... Agent sessions With Michael Larsen, Elizabeth Pomada, Amy Burkhardt and Scott Hoffman; structure and narrative workshops with Michael Neff; Short Fiction Workshop, Novel Into Film. Author Kathi Goldmark and Editor/Author Sam Berry.

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