There are two ways to register for the 2010 Backspace Writers Conference and Agent-Author Seminar:1. MAIL REGISTRATION: Print and complete the REGISTRATION FORM. Send it along with your check or money order made payable to Backspace, LLC via regular post to: Backspace, LLCP.O. Box 454Washington, Michigan48094 2. CREDIT CARD REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE for shopping cart options. Please note: The information you provide is considered personal. Under no circumstances will it be given to any individual or organization. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to call or email Chris at chrisg@bksp.org or 732-267-6449. REGISTRATION FEE: EARLY BIRD REGISTRATION DISCOUNT (through February 1, 2010): $50 off the regular price of the Agent-Author Day (May 27th) – $225$50 off the 2010 Backspace Writers Conference (May 28th & 29th) – $445$120 off the conference/seminar combination package – $650 Extra reception tickets may be purchased for $125 each. PLEASE NOTE: This early registration

      Opening Pages Workshop Format In small groups of no more than five authors, two agents react to the author’s material as the author reads aloud as though they’d received it as a submission, stopping the reading when the material stops working for them, and then explaining why. Authors should be prepared for honest, objective feedback. Naturally, if an agent loves the work, authors are welcome to submit their material at the agent’s invitation. But if suggestions for improvement are offered, as is most often the case, authors should not be discouraged. Because these are workshops and not pitch sessions, authors whose materials were not as well-received as they had hoped can apply the suggestions that resonate and submit to these same agents later, according to the agents’ regular querying process. At the end of each small-group workshop, there will be an opportunity for general discussion and questions.

Participating agents: Paul Cirone, Elana Roth, Lois Winston, Rebecca Strauss, Jeff Kleinman, Kristin Nelson, Jamie Brenner, Suzie Townsend, Gwendolyn Heasley, Jenny Bent, Alanna Ramirez, Kirsten Neuhaus, Eric Myers, Blair Hewes, Marisa Corvisiero, Joe Veltre, Molly Jaffa, Elizabeth Evans, Jason Allen Ashlock, Natanya Wheeler PLEASE NOTE: While the following schedule has been confirmed, due unforeseen circumstances, individual program parts are subject to change NEW! Bella Stander and Ron Hogan will teach their always popular “Polish Your Pitch!” workshop May 27 from 6-7:30 p.m. The workshop is an intensive 90-minute course that covers the principles of formulating an effective and concise pitch for your book. Eight participants will be randomly selected to have their pitches individually critiqued in class. Cost for the 90-minute workshop is $45.   Thursday, May 27 9:00 – 10:15 “Query Letters That Work” – agents panel – Paul Cirone, Elizabeth Evans, Lois Winston, Rebecca Strauss, Eric Myers, Gwendolyn

Participating agents: Friday: Joanna Stampfel-Volpe, Scott Hoffman, Elana Roth, Jeff Kleinman, Kristin Nelson, Kathleen Ortiz, Suzie Townsend, Diana Fox Saturday: Jamie Brenner, Kathleen Ortiz, Suzie Townsend, April Eberhardt, Diana Fox, Marisa Corvisiero, Molly Jaffa, Jason Allen Ashlock, Rebecca Strauss, Donald Maass PLEASE NOTE: While the following schedule has been confirmed, due unforeseen circumstances, individual program parts are subject to change Friday, May 28 9:00 – 10:30 Track One (Ballroom A/B): Say Goodbye to the Slushpile: Writing the Perfect Query Letter Pitch for your Novel – workshop – Kristin Nelson 10:30 – 12:00 Track One (Ballroom A/B): Crafting the Perfect Hook: Part Two  – workshop -Jeff Kleinman, Joanna Volpe, Kristin Nelson Track Two (Ballroom C): Agent panel: “What Literary Agents Want” – Elana Roth, Kathleen Ortiz, Suzie Townsend, Diana Fox 12:00 – 1:00 Lunch (on your own) 1:00 – 2:00 Track One (Ballroom A/B): Agent-Author Relationship: Scott Hoffman, Norb Vonnegut, Jeff

The  Bob Kellogg Good Citizen Award for Outstanding  Contribution to  the  Internet  Writing Community   2005 Award Recipient:   Lee Child 2006 Award Recipient:   J.A. Konrath 2007 Award Recipient:   Kristin Nelson 2008 Award Recipient:   M.J. Rose 2009 Award Recipient:   David Morrell Bob Kellogg Author, Mentor, Friend (1934 – 2004)   The Internet writing community suffered a loss on October 23, 2004 when Bob Kellogg collapsed and passed away while participating in a charity run near his Del Mar, California home. Across numerous web sites and message boards, Bob was known for his gracious, gentlemanly demeanor and his informative and entertaining posts. He had both aspirations and humility, a rare combination, and was always willing to encourage his fellow writers. Bob wasn’t a best-selling author, but those who knew him like to believe he would have been. His first mystery, Murder on the Run, was released in October

  Saturday Morning Group 1 -Literary Fiction (Ballroom A/B) April Eberhardt, Jason Allen Ashlock 1.    Matthew Oleniuk2.    Roger Letso3.    Melanie Suggs4.    Susan Moger5.    Homa Zaryouni6.    Ed Howle7.    Lynette Eklund8.    Margaret Ann Spinella9.    Zarina Zabrisky10.     Marilyn Oser11.    Sanna Levine12. Group 2 – Mystery/Thriller FULL (Ballroom A/B) Marisa Corvisiero, Rebecca Strauss 1.    Kourtney Heintz2.    Leon Shure3.    Beverly Purdy4.    Susan Paturzo5.    Wendy Ball6.    Angelique Briand7.    Nora LeDuc8.    Christi Fallon9.    Archie Povzikov10.    Ben Sharpton11.    Peter Glassman12.    Heather Pemberton Group 3 – Young Adult (Ballroom A/B) Kathleen Ortiz, Molly Jaffa 1.    Hayley Morgan2.    June Goodwin3.    Jonathan Schramm4.    Weronika Janczuk5.    Melissa Hamilton6.    Kim Kurz7.    Jamie Foster8.    Amelie Tyler9.   J.P. McNeill                                    10.    Jennifer Tellier11.    Merridith Allen12. Group 4 -Sci Fi/Fantasy FULL (Chelsea B) Diana Fox, Suzie Townsend 1.    Russ Viola2.    Jennifer Milligan3.    Miriam Rosen4.    Cathy Riesterer5.    Denise McKee6.    Meredith Letso7.    Megan Fickling8.    Ken Kraus9.    Karen Bynum10.   Marc Graham11.   Lory  Kaufman12.  Darin Kennedy13.  Jeffrey Hetzel14.  Carl Mullin15.  Brian

Thursday Group 1 – Literary Fiction(Ballroom A/B) Morning session: Rebecca Friedman, Michelle Brower; Afternoon session: Natanya Wheeler, Jason Allen Ashlock 1.    Penda Aiken2.    Sarah Cypher3.    Marney McNall4.    Michael Cooper5.    Lucille Payne6.    Debra Eder7.    Anderson Washburn8.    Ashley Murray9.    Harold Suretsky10.   Ryan Nolan11.   Catherine Agnew12.   Raymond Fuentez13.   Sanna Levine14.   Beth Ballentine (am)15.   Irene Turner FULL Group 2 – Commercial Fiction 1/Memoir (Ballroom A/B) Morning session: Kirsten Neuhaus, Jenny Bent; Afternoon session: Kathleen Ortiz, Stephany Evans 1.    Marcelline Jenny2.    Stephen Maitland-Lewis3.    MaryAnn Kempher4.    Edward Samson5.    Elliott Baker6.    Richard Goode-Allen7.    Priscille  Sibley8.    Robert Fortner9.    Patricia Gibson10.    Carol McAfee11.    Anthony Blumfield12.    Laurie Silver13.   Susan Nadathur(am)14.   Nadina LaSpina15.   Tiffany BurnsGroup 3 – Commercial 2 (Ballroom A/B) Morning session: Rebecca Strauss, Jason Allen Ashlock; Afternoon session: Jennifer DeChiara, Jenny Bent 1.    John Cooker2.    JoAnn Kienzle3.    Ken Zemsky4.    June Goodwin5.    Benjamin Yablon6.    David Kritz7.    Diane Owens8.    Roberta Boatman9.    Vanessa Gil10.   Rebecca Burrell11.   Harjinder Dhillon12.   Robert Kelly13.  

There are two ways to register for the 2010 Backspace Writers Conference and Agent-Author Seminar:1. MAIL REGISTRATION: Print and complete the REGISTRATION FORM. Send it along with your check or money order made payable to Backspace, LLC via regular post to: Backspace, LLCP.O. Box 454Washington, Michigan48094 2. CREDIT CARD REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE for shopping cart options. Please note: The information you provide is considered personal. Under no circumstances will it be given to any individual or organization. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to call or email Chris at chrisg@bksp.org or 732-267-6449. REGISTRATION FEE: EARLY BIRD REGISTRATION DISCOUNT (through February 1, 2010): $50 off the regular price of the Agent-Author Day (May 27th) – $225$50 off the 2010 Backspace Writers Conference (May 28th & 29th) – $445$120 off the conference/seminar combination package – $650 Extra reception tickets may be purchased for $125 each. PLEASE NOTE: This early registration discount price

. 2013 Backspace Writers Conference Registration Form PLEASE TYPE OR PRINT CLEARLY – this is especially important for your email address, since all conference correspondence is by email. QUESTIONS: feel free to email Backspace at chrisg@bksp.org or karendionne@bksp.org. you may also telephone Christopher Graham at 732-267-6449. First Name     _______________________________________________________________ Last Name     _______________________________________________________________ Address     _________________________________________________________________ City     ____________________________________________________________________ State/Prov.     ___________________________           Zip Code     ______________________ Email   ___________________________________________________________________ Phone      __________________________________________________________________ Genre (Choose One: Literary Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Historical Fiction, Women’s/Book Club Fiction, Mystery/Thriller, Young Adult, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Nonfiction/Memoir) ________________________________________________ . Amount Enclosed (Check All that apply): . REGISTRATION FEE : . ________ Backspace Writers Conference & Agent-Author Day, May 23rd – 25th – $720 Includes: Thursday, May 23th Agent-Author Day: All literary agents, all day. Small-group workshops and panel discussions with over 25 top literary agents. Friday, May 24th Conference Program: A two-track conference program including literary agents, editors, authors and other publishing industry pros.

Step #1. TALK to fellow participants. A couple of months ago I whined about how tough it was to get a project that was really ready to go – a project with a great voice, great writing, great concept. Do you realize what a huge boon you have at these conferences, literally tripping over published authors and – possibly even more intriguing – other wannabe writers who could be an enormous asset to you – reading drafts of your manuscript, offering a different perspective on your work? I always feel that authors are so focused on the editor-agent thing that they forget about the people sitting right next to them, the other writers who could actually be of huge assistance to them. I honestly think that it’s not at all a bad idea to ignore the editors and agents prancing around and just sit down in the hotel lobby with