In celebration of this distinction, Maine Writers & Publishers Alliance invites you to attend a FREE reading and discussion with the author.  The event is free, but Maine Writers & Publishers Alliance will host a reception for Phil Hoose at 6:00 PM. 

Tickets for the reception are $25 and proceeds will benefit the Maine Writers & Publishers Alliance Fall Retreat Fellowship Fund.  This fund will help emerging writers with limited financial means to participate in the October event.  To reserve your ticket, please contact Frontier Café directly at www.explorefrontier.com. 

About Phil and his award-winning book

Phillip Hoose's book, CLAUDETTE COLVIN: TWICE TOWARDS JUSTICE is a biography of young Claudette Colvin, a 15-year-old girl who refused to give up her bus seat to a white women in segregated Montgomery, Alabama. Colvin's act of defiance in 1955 (nine months before Rosa Park's celebrated act) was followed a year later by Colvin's courageous testimony in the Browder v. Gayle court case. That case ended segregation on Montgomery buses and struck a fatal blow to segregation throughout the Jim Crow South.  Colvin's story was virtually unknown until the publication of Hoose's book.

Copies of the book will be available for sale and signing at the event, courtesy of Gulf of Maine Books.

Business of Writing Conference

REGISTER ONLINE HERE

Maine Writers & Publishers Alliance is hosting its annual Business of Writing Conference at the Regency Hotel in Portland, Maine.  Join us for this daylong series of seminars designed to provide the tools for new and emerging writers to succeed in Maine's creative economy.

SCHEDULE

8:30-9:15 

Keynote Address

9:15-10:30 AM

Marketing and Social Media

Twitter, Facebook, Blogs:  Learn how building an online platform for yourself will advance your writing career.

OR

Q&A with Maine Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts

Unsure about the difference between a sole proprietor and an LLC?  Have other legal questions specific to the writing life?  Ask a representative from the MEVLA.

10:45-Noon

Writing Regionally:  Capitalizing on the Maine Brand

Representatives will be available from Maine Ahead, Bangor Metro, Maine Home & Design, and Maine magazines.  Meet editors who are actively seeking freelance work.

OR

Genre Writing in Maine

Q&A with James Hayman, author of The Cutting.  He will discuss his process and offer advice for writing (and selling) genre work in Maine.

OR

A Place for Maine Poets

Are you a poet?  Connect with other Maine poets in this Q&A.  Alice James Books, The Cafe Review, and Moon Pie Press have been invited to attend.

Noon-2 PM

Lunch Break:  ON YOUR OWN

2-3:15 PM

What Next: Your Year Ahead
Make a plan for your writing life in the year to come. This hands-on seminar will help you assess your writing goals, create an action plan, and find ways to build your current network of contacts in the literary community.

3:30-4:30 PM

Meet the Literary Agents
Finding representation can be difficult.  Learn tips for success from three successful literary agents:  Christina Ward from Christina Ward Literary Agency, Colleen Mohyde from the Doe Coover Literary Agency, and Maine's own Edite Kroll from the Edite Kroll Literary Agency. 

 4:45-6 PM

SPECIAL BONUS SESSION:  Practice Pitch

For those participants attending the following day's Pitch Session, this is an opportunity to receive feedback on the 7-minute pitch. 

REGISTER ONLINE HERE

This is your opportunity to network, face to face, with professionals in the publishing industry. We provide 7 minutes to pitch your manuscript or book idea directly to literary agents and acquisitions editors who are open to new clients. While there are no guarantees, a personal connection can only help advance your publishing goals.

Please note: Space is LIMITED to the first 75 participants received.  Materials will be processed and pitches assigned in the order of receipt.

Scheduling

Maine Writers & Publishers Alliance will assign participants specific time slots in order of registration material receipt. Because MWPA is scheduling 7-minute sessions for 75 participants, timing is key. Please plan to arrive on time. Absolutely no latecomers will be permitted into the event.

Expectations

Participants should expect three possible results:

1) The professional hears your pitch and declines. While disappointing, publishing is a subjective business and the “no” may be for any number of reasons, so please do not take this response personally. On the positive side, a direct answer saves times and energy and allows you to move on to the next potential match.

2)The professional hears your pitch and offers personal contact information for a follow-up. This is excellent, as it gives you a frame of reference for future contact and pushes you up from the dreaded slush pile.

3)The profession hears your pitch, and is interested enough to ask if you brought sample material. This is also excellent, as you are putting your project directly into the hands of someone who has shown interest.

Preparation

Participants should arrive with a polished, engaging pitch. Since sample material may be  requested, MWPA suggests being prepared with a synopsis of your project with contact information, as well as sample chapters. It is rare that a literary agent would request a full manuscript, and typically, sample chapters will suffice.

Research

The brief summaries of literary agent interests listed here are just that--brief summaries, meant in no way to be inclusive. MWPA highly recommends detailed research of each literary agency, to include reviewing recent sales and author lists. Most of the scheduled literary agents have websites that are easily accessible via standard search engines.

Literary Agents and Editors Scheduled to Participate*

Robert Astle, Robert Astle & Associates Literary Management Inc. Robert worked for 25 years in professional theater in Canada, and toured his acclaimed one-man-shows around the globe. He taught for nine years in the playwrights’ unit at the National Theatre School of Canada, (Canada’s Julliard) and was an adjunct professor in the Theatre Department of Concordia University. He has written and published extensively and is author of three plays, and a work of non-fiction. He has edited over 20 plays, written adaptations for radio, for which he was nominated the prestigious Prix Italia.  Robert’s interest in publishing began when successfully negotiated subsidiary rights with Grove Press in 1988. He worked briefly at an established New York literary agency before opening his own agency. Robert is widely read, traveled extensively, and can be called eclectic in terms of interest in fiction and non-fiction. The agency is actively seeking writers who have a fascinating voice, fully formed characters that are believable, have an arc, and write stories that are timely, engaging, informed, and speak to the times we are living in.

Amy Canfield, Editor, Islandport Press Likes: Maine-based nonfiction, fiction, and young adult material.  Does NOT represent: Titles that are not affiliated with Maine or the New England brand.

Ann Collette, Helen Rees Literary Agency Likes: FICTION--literary, mystery, thrillers, suspense, medical, commercial & upscale women’s-pretty much everything! NONFICTION-memoir, narrative non-fiction, issues of race & class, humor, inspirational, and pop culture.  Does NOT represent: Sci-fi, fantasy and YA. Good matches: In category/genre fiction, I like to see compelling characters that are well developed, a fast pace, crisp prose and, of course, a great plot full of twists and turns. In literary fiction, I’m looking for beautiful language and characters I am truly moved by.

Sorche Elizabeth Fairbank, Fairbank Literary Representation Likes: Our tastes tend toward literary fiction and topical/narrative non-fiction, with a strong interest in women’s voices, quality of life issues, class, race, war and its psychological effects, and the intersection of art and science. We are most likely to take on works that are socially significant and newsworthy, and that speak to the human quest for meaning beyond mere escapism -- although we also enjoy a smartly conceived pop-audience book. Does NOT represent: Please do not submit any romance, poetry, science fiction, young adult, vampire or pirate stories, historical novels set before 1900, or children’s books.  Good matches: At present, we are actively seeking literary fiction, Latina/Latino works, biographies, one-subject narrative non-fiction, current events, history, art and architecture, food and wine, sports, science, and pop culture.

Edite Kroll, Edite Kroll Literary Agency Likes: General fiction, nonfiction, some children’s/young adult.  Humor is a definite plus.  

Colleen Mohyde, Doe Coover Literary Agency Colleen established an affiliation with the Doe Coover Literary Agency in 1992 after a decade as an editor at Little, Brown & Company. She represents an eclectic and wide-ranging list of authors, including Pulitzer Prize winners, PEN Award recipients, and New York Times bestsellers. She is first and foremost interested in gifted storytelling, whether in literary fiction or narrative non-fiction, and is also interested in biography, business, psychology, health, sports, music, history, and politics.

Joe Spieler, The Spieler Agency Likes: General fiction, Mystery, Juvenile fiction, Reference, Biography, Business/investing/finance, History, Religious, Mind/body/spirit, Health, Travel, Children’s books, Sports, African-American, Science, Psychology, Current Events, Environment/Ecology, Middle-Grade and Young Adult novels

Michael Steere, Editor, Down East Books Likes: Will consider all genres that are Maine-based or have a significant Maine appeal.  See the Down East website for examples of titles that match our interests.

Christina Ward, Christina Ward Literary Agency Christina (Kit) Ward, a literary agent in the Boston area since 1992, was previously an editor with Little, Brown and Company. As an agent, she represents a diverse list that includes such nonfiction subject areas as biography, narrative history, psychology, travel and nature writing, creative nonfiction and memoir, and a variety of practical nonfiction. Her fiction list ranges from literary fiction to mystery and suspense. Kit finds her editorial background to be a particular asset in helping writers shape and develop their work in progress. 

*FINE PRINT Maine Writers & Publishers Alliance presents this event as a professional networking oportunity, and makes no guarantee of representation or publication in any way. Because the publishing ndustry is a fluid and ever-changing entity, and because individual schedules change, some of the scheduled professionals may cancel or send representatives in their place. While this is the rare exception, it has happened at previous pitch sessions. In the event of a substitution, participants will be notified of the change and given the option of: accepting the substitution, switching to another available professional, or receiving a refund. MWPA makes its best effort to represent the event accurately and fairly.  Past literary agents report requesting approximately 50% of material presented at the pitch session, with offers to new clients at approximately 10%.