Thank you for your interest in joining us! Below are descriptions of the many ways you can choose to participate in WriteOnCon 2019. If you have any questions about any of them, please don’t hesitate to email us at [email protected]!

Information for Conference Participants

PRE-SCHEDULED EVENTS

BLOG/VLOG POSTS: We hope to have a broad selection of posts covering a diverse range of topics pertaining to writing craft, career, and the publication process. These will be pre-scheduled to post at half-hour intervals throughout the conference and could be prepared at your leisure between now and January 27. Blog posts should be ideally between 800-1500 words; vlogs no more than 15 minutes.

WRITER ROUNDTABLES: We will be inviting participation in group blog posts discussing six pre-selected topics. If you are interested in taking part, we will provide you a list of questions for you to answer. We will then compile these into a single roundtable post to be scheduled for the conference. Answers may be prepared at your leisure between now and January 20. One of our topics is about advances and writer income; all answers for this topic will be collected via anonymous Google form to protect authors’ identities.

PODCASTS: These 30-minute interviews are recorded with one of our team members at a time convenient to your schedule between now and January 20. We invite you to pick a topic you’d like to chat about; we’ll prepare some questions for prompts as necessary, but the chat will be very casual and conversational. These are audio-only (no video). You will need about 45 total minutes available for the recording session.

LIVE EVENTS

Only one live event will be scheduled per hour during the 3-day conference. This means we are limited to just 39 slots. If you would like to participate in a live event, please RSVP soon to ensure your spot. You must be available for at least 1.5 HOURS during the conference dates for a live event. All live events are overseen by a WriteOnCon moderator to assist you and help field questions from attendees.

Live Events are run using YouTube live-streaming, which requires a Google account. If you feel strongly about being on video, we have the option to turn your camera off so the interview operates like a live radio program. All four types of live events are scheduled to be approximately 50 minutes long, with the option to continue beyond this at the speaker’s discretion.

LIVE Q&A: These sessions take questions from attendees using a text-based submission form. You have the option to designate a topic for your Q&A (recommended) or leave the session open. Focused topics often receive stronger attendee engagement.

LIVE PITCH SESSION: Due to confusion and attendee disappointment with the first-come,-first-served approach used in previous years, all pitch sessions will take submissions prior to the event this year. We will randomly select a certain number of pitches to forward to you. You can choose to read and comment on these pitches live or review them prior to your event and then present your thoughts live. These sessions may be either true pitch sessions or “first impression” feedback sessions. You may specify the length of the pitches you wish to receive and how many we should randomly select for you.

LIVE PANEL: We plan to hold nine multi-person video panels this year. These will cover a variety of topics and will operate like the Live Q&A events, taking questions from attendees. We will do our best to select a time convenient to all participants. We only have room for 4 participants per panel, so please RSVP soon if you’d like to participate in a panel.

LIVE WORKSHOP: These craft-development sessions will allow attendees to work alongside an industry professional in a virtual classroom-like setting. The speaker will present via live video; attendees will participate through text/comment feeds. We have two approaches: 1) You present a tutorial for about 15-20 minutes at the start of the session, then take questions regarding the material presented, or 2) You present your material with two or three incorporated pauses to allow attendees to try applying what was just taught, followed by 10-15 minutes of open questions at the end. These sessions tend to run the full allotted hour due to the amount of material and activities to get through.

A NOTE ABOUT TOPICS

Topics are available on a first come, first served basis. We will try not to have multiple events on the same topic unless the two events are discussing distinctly different aspects of that topic.

Please check to see what topics have already been signed up for this year.

Possible Topics for WriteOnCon Speakers

These are just ideas – feel free to suggest whatever interests you!

GENERAL WRITING ADVICE

Writing craft (eg. dialogue tips, sentence/paragraph structure, word choice, etc)
How to choose which shiny new idea to write
Outlining techniques
Basics of plot & story structure
Finding the story’s beginning
Pacing
Author’s voice
Character voice
Creating believable/complex characters
Creating a strong antagonist
Developing character arcs
Writing from multiple POVs
Pros & cons of 1st and 3rd person POV
Building romance and character chemistry
Setting as a character
Revision techniques and tips
Finding the heart of your story
Diversity and identity
How to write Other (eg. how to do your research)
Sensitivity readers (incl how to find)
Critique partners (eg. how to be one, how to find one)
Sex and/or swearing in YA
Researching historical fiction
Creating strong fantasy/sci-fi worlds
How to write humor
What is magical realism
Building a strong whodunit
Unexpected plot twists
Pulling inspiration from real life
Tips on writing picture books
Children’s book illustration
Graphic novels
Designing a strong trilogy
How many books should your story be
Using your book idols to grow yourself as a writer
Standing out from similar stories/ideas (eg. what makes your book unique)
Strengthening a sagging middle

ASPIRING WRITERS

Pen names pros & cons
Tips for submitting and selling short stories
How to set up an effective personal website/blog
Rejection (eg. handling it, using it for growth, how COMMON it is)
Patience (eg. the myth of the overnight success, average timelines in publishing, perseverance)
The life of the unpublished writer (eg. how to find writing time around Life, making sacrifices)
Writing with children (eg. balancing writing with full-time motherhood/fatherhood)
Mental health as a writer (eg. how to manage anxiety/OCD/depression)
Different publication options pros & cons (eg. self, small, big presses)
Market trends (eg. what’s past, what might be coming, but also, not to write to them)
Is your manuscript query-ready
Writing a good query letter
Writing a synopsis
How to choose which agents to query
Query contests, pitch sessions, and mentored contests
Manuscript Wish List (eg. how to use it, what NOT to do)
Setting short-term and long-term writing and career goals

AGENTED WRITERS (AND THOSE WITH OFFERS)

What to look for in your agent contract
What your agent will (and won’t) do for you
The editorial agent
The submission process
The Book Deal (eg. what to expect, both with process and also financially)
If your first book doesn’t sell
Leaving your agent (eg. when and why to do it vs when and how to stay, steps to take)
Building community connections

PRE-PUB WRITERS

After the book deal (the year before release)
Marketing yourself / publicity ideas / building hype
Tips & things to know for author photos/headshots
The anatomy of a cover (eg. how covers are created & chosen, how much input an author has)
A look at a debut’s year

POST-PUB WRITERS

The financial side of being a writer (eg. royalties, advances, taxes)
Building a writing career
Tips for preparing for bookstore events / school visits / etc
What it *really* means to be a NYT bestseller (eg. reality of sales figures, impact on future career options)
How to write the second book (eg. handling the pressure/expectations)
How to avoid middle-book syndrome
When your editor / house doesn’t buy your next book

MISCELLANEOUS

A day/week in the life of an agent (many writers have no idea how busy agents are or what they do!)
The subjectiveness of querying/submissions
Writing in multiple genres / age categories
How booksellers / libraries work
Online behavior for aspiring (and published) authors
Overview of or tips & tricks for various writing programs (eg. Word, Scrivener, etc)

SUPERHEROES

Industry professionals are invited to browse the critique forums during the three-day conference and leave feedback on users’ queries and pages. All Supers will be provided an official account to comment with during the conference; agent and editor accounts will be anonymous, while author accounts will show your alter ego name. You must meet the eligibility criteria outlined here to participate as a Superhero.

Agents and editors are encouraged to make requests for manuscripts that interest them. Requests should be made through the forum’s Private Messages using your anonymous account. We ask that you reveal who is requesting to the writer when you do so. We will never post or share the identity of anonymous Supers ourselves.

Authors are encouraged to add a signature (post footer) to the account we provide. This offers an opportunity to link to your website or showcase your books. Please note that we request no active self-promotion in the forums, but passive promotion through signatures is acceptable. If you would like to participate as an author but would prefer to remain anonymous, we can accommodate this when we set up your official account.

It means a lot to attendees to receive Superhero feedback on their work. Even if you can only pop by for an hour or two, even if you only leave a few quick sentences of broad-stroke feedback, whatever you can offer will be incredibly valued by the recipient.

Information for Fundraising Campaign Participants

PROFESSIONAL CRITIQUES

During our early-bird fundraising campaign we offer attendees the opportunity to purchase critiques of their writing from industry professionals. The following length options are available at these set payment rates:

Query critique – $20
First 2 pages – $20
First 5 pages – $30
First 10 pages – $50
First 50 pages – $100
Full PB manuscript – $100
Sensitivity read – $350
Full manuscript (MG or YA) – $500 up to 70k; $0.007 per additional word
Red pencil session – $50
Personal phone call – $30
Story consultation – $50
Sensitivity consultation – $50

About specialty services:

RED PENCIL SESSIONS: These are essentially professional 5-page critiques with the added element of a Skype/Hangouts or telephone call to discuss your feedback. These include a brief written critique and 15-minute call.

PERSONAL PHONE CALLS: Attendees may purchase 15-minute long, one-on-one Skype/Hangouts or telephone calls with an industry professional. The subject of the call can be open or on a specific topic.

STORY CONSULTATIONS: The professional acts as a sounding board for a writer looking for feedback or guidance on a challenging aspect of their story. These can be conducted by email (may require multiple emails back and forth) or by Skype/Hangouts/phone call.

SENSITIVITY CONSULTATIONS: Red Pencil Sessions meet Story Consultations, but to review the diverse elements of a story and discuss potential problems or pitfalls. This includes reviewing 10 total pages (as a combination of short synopsis/outline and manuscript excerpt(s)) illustrating the diverse element. All feedback is provided during either a 15-minute Skype/Hangouts or telephone call, or by brief email exchange.

RAFFLE DONATIONS

We hold two raffles during WriteOnCon: one at the end of our early-bird campaign, open to all supporters who bought admission or a critique; and the other at the end of our conference, open to all attendees who bought admission following the close of our early-bird campaign.

We are extremely grateful for anything you might offer us for our raffles. Previous examples of donations include:

Query or first 2 pages critiques
Phone calls
Books or ARCs
Swag (eg. signed bookmarks)
Free software or subscriptions
Anything else that a writer might enjoy!

Professional Participation Options for WriteOnCon 2019