Schedule subject to change.

Thursday, May 24 – Agent-Author Seminar Day

Thursday Agents: Jeff Kleinman, Becky Vinter, Nicholas Croce, Brooks Sherman, Meredith Barnes, Rebecca Strauss, Paul Lucas, Josh Getzler, Jennifer Weltz, Scott Hoffman, Molly Jaffa, Carrie Pestritto, Jason Yarn, TBA

8:00 to 9:00 – Registration

9:00 to 9:45 – Agent Panel

10:00 to 10:45 – Agent Panel

11:00 to 12:30 – Query Letter Workshops

12:30 to 2:00 – Lunch (on your own)

2:00 to 4:00 – Opening Pages Workshops

4:00 to 4:30 – Mixer

4:30 to 5:30 – Agent Panel

Evening Workshop, Thursday, May 24, 6 – 7:30 p.m.

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

(PLEASE NOTE: This workshop costs $45, and is not included in your program registration.)

Friday, May 25 – Two-Track Conference Program

Friday Agents: Stéphanie Abou, Katharine Sands, Janet Reid, Jeff Kleinman, Josh Getzler, Laney Katz Becker, Carrie Pestritto, Jennifer Laughran, TBA

Editor: Christina Rodriguez (Assistant Editor, Little, Brown and Company), TBA

This year, in addition to our small-group workshops on Thursday, Backspace is offering registrants pre-scheduled 10-minute one-on-one critique sessions with select literary agents on Friday, May 25.

These sessions will run concurrently with the conference program. Authors can book as many sessions as they like for a small fee (to cover the expense of renting the room, as well as providing coffee and light refreshments). CLICK HERE to learn more.

8:00 to 9:00 – Registration

9:00 – 10:00 – Track One: Agent Panel; Track Two: Agent Panel

10:00 – 11:00 – Track One:  “Debuting Over 40″ with Randy Susan Meyers, Ellen Meeropol, Nichole Bernier, Jessica Keener, Keith Cronin; Track Two: Young Adult Panel with Greg Logsted, TBA

11:00 – 12:00 - Track One: Women’s Fiction Panel with Keith Cronin, Jael McHenry, Susan Henderson, Leora Skolkin-Smith, Jessica Anya Blau; Track Two: The Author-Agent Relationship with Julie Wu, Stéphanie Abou, Priscille Marcille Sibley, Laney Katz Becker

12:00 – 1:30 – Lunch (on your own)

1:30 – 2:30 - Track One: Agent Panel; Track Two: Agent Panel

2:30 – 3:30 - Track One: Panel: “The Perils of Fictionalizing Your Family” with Jessica Keener, Susan Henderson, Leora Skolkin-Smith, Jessica Anya Blau; Track Two: Workshop: “Self-publishing vs.traditional publishing: Get the inside scoop from an author who has been on both sides of the fence“ with Maria Murnane

3:30 – 4:30 - Track One: Panel: “The Writer as Marketer: Using Social Media and Digital Tools to Build a Platform, Connect with Readers and Grow Your Community Online” with Colleen Lindsay, Lauren Cerand, Dan Blank; Track Two: “The Rewards and Challenges of Writing International Settings” with David L. Robbins, Lorenzo Carcaterra, Karen Dionne

4:30 to 5:30 – Keynote Address: Lauren Baratz-Logsted - ”The Resilient, Happy Writer; or What I’ve Learned”

5:30 – 9:00 p.m. – Group booksigning, followed by a cocktail reception at the conference hotel.

Saturday, May 26 – Back-to-Back Workshops

8:00 – 9:00 – Registration

9:00 – 12:00 – Workshop: “The Art of the Narrative” - David L. Robbins, bestselling author of 8 novels; creative writing instructor, the College of William and Mary

12:00 – 1:00 – Lunch (on your own)

12:00 – 1:00 – NOONTIME BONUS! Spotlight Interview with New York Times bestselling author Darcie Chan

1:00 – 5:00 – Workshop: “Writing the Breakout Novel” – Donald Maass – President of the Donald Maass Literary Agency

Thursday Agent-Author Day query letter and opening pages workshops:

Writers are broken up into small groups of no more than 12 authors based on their genre. Each group consists of two literary agents actively seeking material in that genre. The writers take turns reading their query letters (morning) and opening pages (afternoon) and the literary agents respond in turn, providing honest, objective feedback, critiques and/or reviews of each writer’s work.

Should any writer’s query or opening pages catch the interest of an agent, the agent either asks to see more, or the writer is encouraged to arrange to send more material to the agent(s).

Writers read their query letter in the morning to two literary agents, and their opening pages to two different agents in the afternoon.

What to Bring:

Each registrant should bring 15 copies of their query letter and 15 copies of their opening two pages to their assigned workshop. We realize this number might seem excessive if your group currently has less than 12 authors assigned to it, but we’re still accepting registrations, and by the time of the seminar, your group’s size will increase.

QUERY LETTERS should be one page. For the purpose of this workshop, you may begin with the generic “Dear Agent.”

OPENING PAGES should include your genre and a one-sentence logline/description of the book in the header area at the top in order to give the reading context. Pages should be double-spaced, with one-inch margins. You may start the text at the top of the first page, rather than dropping down a number of lines to begin a chapter in standard manuscript format. Please staple each set of 2 pages together.

All materials should be in 12pt Times New Roman. Be sure to include your name, book title, genre, and contact information in the header area at the top on BOTH your query letter and opening pages. Agents frequently bring their copies back to their offices for review, and they need to be able to get in touch with you if your project catches their interest. Since your contact information will be included on each page, there’s no need for a cover sheet.

Still not sure about the opening two pages format? Check out a sample here.

“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

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

Nonfiction Writers Click Here
Do you write nonfiction? Discover why the Backspace Writers Conference is for you.