Thursday, May 24


Agent-Author Seminar - a full day of panels and small-group workshops and agent critiques with ONLY literary agents on the program! Limited to 100 authors.

Friday, May 25


Two-track program with keynote speaker Lauren Baratz-Logsted, one-on-one agent and editor critiques, booksigning and evening cocktail reception, and much more!

Saturday, May 26


Advanced writing classes with Donald Maass, President, Donald Maass Literary Agency, David L. Robbins, bestselling author and creative writing instructor.

Can’t come to the entire conference?

Consider attending for just one day! Single-day registrations are now available for all three days.  REGISTER HERE!

Wondering when the NEXT Backspace event will take place? CLICK HERE.

Keynote Speaker

Lauren Baratz-Logsted, multi-published author of children’s, young adult, and adult fiction

 

Workshop Instructors

Donald Maass, President, Donald Maass Literary Agency – “Writing the Breakout Novel

David L. Robbins, bestselling author of 9 novels; creative writing instructor, the College of William and Mary

Katharine Sands, Sarah Jane Freymann Agency – “Making the Perfect Pitch: How to Catch a Literary Agent’s Eye

 

Literary Agents

Jeff Kleinman, Katharine Sands, Stéphanie Abou, Becky Vinter,  Janet Reid, Nicholas Croce, Brooks Sherman, Rebecca Strauss, Paul Lucas, Kristin Nelson, Jennifer Laughran, Josh Getzler, Jennifer Weltz, Scott Hoffman, Molly Jaffa, Laney Katz Becker, Carrie Pestritto,  Jason YarnVictoria Marini, Sarah LaPollaSarah Levitt, Rachel Vogel, Lois Winston, Michelle Brower, Gina Panettieri, Sandy LuLiza Dawson

 

Editors

Christina Rodriguez (Assistant Editor, Little, Brown and Company), Abby Zidle (Senior Editor, Gallery|Pocket Books)

 

Authors

Jessica Keener, Keith Cronin, Priscille Marcille Sibley, Julie Wu, Jael McHenry, Karen Dionne, Randy Susan Meyers,  Ellen Meeropol, Nichole Bernier,  Maria Murnane, Darcie Chan, Susan Henderson, Leora Skolkin-Smith, Jessica Anya Blau, Lorenzo Carcaterra, Sara J. HenryLois Winston

 

Publishing Professionals

Colleen Lindsay, Lauren Cerand, Dan Blank

 

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:

Which method is better for you?Pitch Sessions vs. Small-group Workshops  -  Which approach is better for YOU? 


Which method is better for you?Do I need to be a Backspace member to attend the conference?


Which method is better for you?Do I need to have a finished manuscript to register for the Backspace conference?

 

Which method is better for you? Why do agents “really” attend conferences?


Which method is better for you? Can a literary agent really expect to understand the intricacies of a novel from just a query letter and the first two pages?

“The Fall 2009 Backspace Agent-Author Seminar was the most phenomenal conference I have ever attended. The mixers with agents were wonderfully informal and comfortable, nothing like nerve-wracking pitch sessions. They provided a great opportunity to network with agents and other writers. I recommend this conference to all my writer friends.”

– Lisa Iriarte

I love being associated with you guys. Such a class act. Backspace is the pre-eminent writers organization because you guys have made it so. Always innovating, thinking outside the box, and just generally doing conferences bigger and better than they have been done before. I’m just honored to have been there from the start.”

– Kristin Nelson, Nelson Literary Agency

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“Unquestionably the best of all writers conferences, this two-day annual conference has leaped to the top with its emphasis on quality, not quantity. There are no formal pitch sessions. Instead, you’ll have the opportunity to attend quality workshops and mingle with some of the best editors, agents and other publishing professionals in the industry in a comfortable, non-aggressive atmosphere.”

Bibliobuffet

Did you know?

Did you know that in addition to our real-world conferences, Backspace is also a vibrant, online writers community?

If you’ve been looking for a large, diverse group of talented writers who talk about writing and the challenges and successes involved in getting published in a private, unGoogleable corner of the Internet, this is it.

  • Over 1,600 members in a dozen countries.
  • One-third of the membership is agented and/or published.
  • Nearly 200 members log into the discussion forums every day.

To learn how to join, CLICK HERE.

“(Backspace is) an incredible online writers community THAT YOU SHOULD JOIN IMMEDIATELY! GO! NOW!” – Colleen Lindsay, formerly of FinePrint Literary Management

“Backspace is my favorite.” – Jeff Kleinman, Folio Literary Management

Questions?

Check our Frequently Asked Questions section, or write to Backspace Administrators Karen Dionne or Christopher Graham. You may also telephone Chris at 732-267-6449