I was able to attend the
American Christian Fiction Writers conference in St. Louis in September and here
are a few random observations:
For me, the best part
of conferences is meeting authors, whether at an appointment, sharing a meal,
or waiting for the elevator. And I had some great conversations with a number
of editors. It’s energizing to be around so many creative types.
As I met with my
appointments I discovered that the range of genres represented was very
diverse. I never knew what story an author was going to pitch: A cowboy love
story? A deaf musician? A boy who rides dragons? A young pick-pocket who goes
to work for the police? A story of racism in a farming community? A story featuring
a major Biblical character? It’s almost like digging into a box of chocolates
(without hearing Tom Hank’s voice). As a short-attention-span person, I really
enjoyed it.
I found the number of
writers who are writing YA and/or YA fantasy amazing. It seemed like every
fourth person had a YA fantasy to pitch. Obviously a lot of people are reading
that genre. It’s a shame that they are so hard to sell. I tried to be as
encouraging as I could, because it seemed that nearly every editor at ACFW was
NOT looking for for YA or fantasy/sci-fi. Although I did read a blog today from
an editor who acquires YA fantasy for a general market publisher and her advice
was to write from your heart, not to what is trending. Great advice!
So to all the authors
that pitched to me at ACFW – thanks! You were the highlight of my day(s)!
Especially those who had their proposals, one sheets, samples and manuscripts
on a flash drive.
One author handed me a flash
drive business card, which I had never seen before. I had to wait until she got up from the table to
try and figure out how to open it. I would suggest to every writer who has to
make a pitch to stop what you’re doing now and google ‘flash drive business
card’. It was a pretty impressive piece of tech, one that’s probably been
available much longer than I realize.
And it was especially
great to be able to share a meal…..and a long walk…..with a nice group of our
Hartline clients. A special thanks to those that helped push Mom’s scooter
across the street as it’s battery began to die. (That’s one way to work off a
plate of lasagna).
Because Joyce and Linda Glaz were both nominated for the ACFW
agent of the year award we were anticipating the
awards banquet. The saying "two out of three ain't bad" says it all! And though the award was presented to Chip MacGregor there
were a lot of authors in the room rooting for our Hartline agents!
And now…..back to
reading the proposals and samples that I picked up at the conference!
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