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Writing Conferences
Mayborn Literary Nonfiction Writers Conference of the Southwest
The 2007 Conference is passed.
This conference is typically
held in July of each year. This year's conference was held in
Grapevine, Texas. The keynote
speaker was Joyce Carol Oates. The conference is in part
sponsored by the University of North Texas.
Visit the Mayborn Graduate Institute of Journalism site »
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ArmadilloCon
29 Friday through
Sunday
Aug. 10-12, 2007
Doubletree Hotel
North 6505 N. IH-35
ArmadilloCon is
a literary science fiction convention held annually in Austin,
with several hundred attendees. The primary focus of ArmadilloCon
is literary science fiction, but that's not all we do -- we also
pay attention to art, animation, science, media, and gaming.
Every year, dozens of professional writers, artists and editors
attend the convention. Sometimes they come to make deals, but
more often they come to have fun! Three-day pass is $30 in advance
and $40 for at the door.
Visit the
ArmadilloCon site »
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2007 Maui Writers Conference
Labor Day Weekend
Friday,
Aug. 31-Sept. 3, 2007
P.O. Box 1118
Kihei, Maui HI 96753
(888)974-8373
(808)879-0061
Fax: (808)879-6233
E-mail: writers@mauiwriters.com
The
Maui Writers Conference offers something for every writer. While
the Conference highlights the fields of fiction, nonfiction,
and screen writing, we are also proud to present insightful specialty
workshops on the business of writing, journalism, food and cookbook
writing, YA and Children's, travel writing, and poetry, as well
as the ever popular one-on-one consultations with top agents,
editors and film execs.
The Conference
is four full days of speakers, workshops, and professional consultations
starting. The cost is $695 A la Carte Conference and $1,095 for
Gold Member. Once again we will be offering opportunities to
sit down one-on-one with publishing professionals. Consultation
sign-ups will begin Thursday afternoon at 4 p.m. by lottery only,
(no first come first served sign-ups are available for the initial
sales of the one-on-one consultations.) The fee for consultations
is $40 for each 10-minute session. Detailed information about
consultations is available in our Conference Handbook, which
will be mailed to you after you register for the Conference.
Consultations are available to registered Conference attendees
only.
Visit the Maui Writers Conference site »
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Wizards of Words Conference
Sept. 14-15, 2007
The Quorum
Hotel
700 N Westshore Drive
Tampa, Florida
Early Bird: $99 before
Aug. 31
The conference features
two full days of workshops with over 20 presenters and speakers,
featuring a workshop for young writers and also a children's
story time. Keynote speakers for the Saturday banquet will be
Tim Dorsey, renowned author with numerous published works, and
Heather Howard, author of "Chore Whore," which is being
made into a movie. Other headliners include international best
selling author John Strelecky, author of "The Why Cafe," Marilyn
Meredith, author of more than 16 books, and Linnea Sinclair,
winner of the national book award, the RITA, and published by
Dell and Spectra books.
There will also be an opportunity for
one-on-one agent/publisher interviews.
List of headliners: Tim
Dorsey, Heather H. Howard, Bob Sanders, John Strelecky, Linnea
Sinclair, Rita Milios, Marilyn Meredith, and Mallori McNeal.
Other
presenters: David Rosenberg, Mark Wirtz, E. Don Harpe, Caryn
Bruer, Claudette Milner, E. Robert Orn, Virgil Dickson, Susan
Haley, Ivor Page, Harvey R. Forester, A.J. Rodriguez, D'Maria
Scaglione, Betty Fasig, and Rebecca Buckley.
Visit the Wizards of Words Conference site »
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Austin Film Festival
Screenwriters Conference
Oct. 11-14, 2006
Driskill
(604 Brazos) and the Stephen F. Austin (701 Congress Avenue)
Hotels, Austin
Phone: (512)478-4795
E-mail: info@austinfilmfestival.com
The 14th annual Austin Film
Festival will focus on the writer’s unique creative contribution
to the film and television industries.
When the Austin Film Festival & Conference
launched in 1993, we were the first Conference to celebrate the
importance of narrative storytelling in film and the screenwriters
contributions to film & television. Thirteen years later,
you can't throw a stick without hitting a film festival or writers
conference. So, what makes the AFF & Conference different
from all the rest? Unparalleled access to the right people and
the tools needed to get your filmmaking/screen writing career
off the ground.
The conference offers registrants incredible
personal access to professional screenwriters, filmmakers and
high-level industry executives. In past years, the Austin Film
Festival and Conference has welcomed such notable guests as Owen
and Luke Wilson, Joel and Ethan Coen, Wes Anderson, Sandra Bullock,
Oliver Stone, Russell Crowe, Bryan Singer, Robert Altman, Barry
Levinson, Garry Shandling, Buck Henry, Judd Apatow, Harold Ramis,
Mike Judge, Robert Duvall, James Franco, Claire Danes, Jason
Schwartzman, Matthew McConaughey, Jeff Daniels, Ernie Hudson,
Mary Stuart Masterson, Donal Logue, Eric Stoltz, Sam Elliott,
and Gina Gershon, to name a few.
We produce over 80 interactive
panels over the course of our four-day Conference including:
Meet & Greets in a casual and intimate setting; Roundtables
where you'll meet at least 8 agents, filmmakers, or producers;
and the general Panels, some of which we limit to as few as a
30-person audience. And when the panels conclude in the evening,
panelists and registrants alike hang out together at the parties
and hotel bars. As our regular registrants know, it's not uncommon
to strike up a conversation with Bob Fisher and Steve Faber (Wedding
Crashers) while standing in line for a premiere screening. To
talk about writing and directing with Shane Black or John Lee
Hancock over drinks at the Driskill Hotel bar. To discuss industry
obstacles to watch out for with Barry Josephson or Harold Ramis
at the Texas Film Commission BBQ. Austin is a casual and laid-back
city and the AFF and Conference follow suit. No velvet ropes
or VIP rooms. Just a bunch of filmmakers and writers - of all
levels - gathered to talk about the art and business of storytelling
through film.
Visit the Austin Film Festival site »
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Abilene Writers Guild 2007 Annual Workshop
Saturday,
Oct. 27, 2007
Abilene Writers
Guild 2007 Annual Workshop will feature Amy D. Shojai. Her focus
will be on writing non-fiction/creative non-fiction/short articles
and marketing, marketing, marketing to build a platform for your
writing (develop a niche) for your writing. Executive Vice President
Nancy Robinson Masters says, "The past couple of years we've
tended to focus on writing books, and members have expressed
to me a desire to have something that focuses on writing for
anthologies, the web and magazines. I believe Amy will be just
the right person for this and we definitely all need to familiarize
ourselves with her website and start promoting this event to
folks with those pet-lover interests!"
Visit the Abilene Writers Guild site »
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Texas Book Festival
Nov. 2-4, 2007
State Capitol, Austin, TX
Benefiting Texas Public Libraries
(512)472-3808
E-mail: bookfest@texasbookfestival.org
The Texas Book Festival
celebrates authors and their contributions to the culture of
literacy, ideas and imagination. Over the last 11 years, the
Texas Book Festival has become one of the best literary events
in the country and has contributed more than $2 million to 669
public libraries throughout the state. In 2006, more than 45,000
visitors participated in a weekend of author readings and presentations,
panel discussions, book signings, and musical entertainment
at the State Capitol in Austin.
The Story Behind Texas Book
Festival
In late 1995, under the guidance of then-Texas
First Lady Laura Bush, a former librarian and an ardent advocate
of literacy, a task force convened to plan a book festival to
honor the state’s
long-standing literary tradition. In addition to celebrating
books and Texas authors, the Texas Book Festival would promote
the joys of reading and serve to benefit the state’s public
libraries. The first Festival took place at the Capitol in November
1996; the event has quickly evolved into one of the premier literary
events in the Southwest. Almost half a million people have attended
the Book Festival over the past eight years.
Mission Statement
The Texas Book Festival is a statewide program that
promotes reading and literacy highlighted by a two-day festival
featuring authors from Texas and across the country. Money raised
from the Festival is distributed as grants to public libraries
throughout the state.
Grants to Libraries
The Festival has contributed
$1.52 million to public libraries throughout the state, enabling
them to expand their book collections and reading programs. 516
of the state’s 561 libraries have received grants from
the Festival. A $2,500 TBF grant typically doubles the annual
materials budget of a public library.
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The Texas Book Festival
is currently the largest private funding source for Texas libraries.
Texas ranks 43rd in the nation in funding for libraries. Approximately
3.5 million Texans read on a fourth grade level (or less).
Authors
More than 800 authors, primarily from Texas, have participated
in literary programs free to the public in the historic state
Capitol.
Participation
The Texas Book Festival typically presents
between 125-150 authors, with approximately two-thirds coming
from Texas and the remainder from the United States and abroad.
Authors may participate in the festival as a reader, a panelist
or a panel moderator. Some may be asked to do all three. Of course,
authors may also serve as a festival volunteers if they wish
to help with the organization and administration of the event.
The 2002 Festival drew more than 30,000 visitors to Austin, so
anyone participating in the festival must be comfortable with
crowds and mingling with the public and media.
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How To Be Considered
To be considered for the Festival, please
send or have your publicist send us:
- One or two copies of a finished
book/galley/arc/manuscript
- A press kit with clippings and reviews
- Author biography and bibliography
- Information about your ability/willingness
to travel to Austin for the event
When should you submit a book?
We accept submissions of books
throughout the year, but preference is given to books submitted
prior to July 15 in the same year as the Festival. To be considered
a book must be published within 18 months of the Festival.
Where
do I send submissions?
Book Submissions
Texas Book Festival
610
Brazos, Suite 200
Austin, Texas 78701
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Who Decides Which Authors
To Invite?
An author selection committee comprised of publishing
and book professionals considers the submissions and chooses
who will be invited. The bulk of invitations go out between the
beginning March and end of July.
What Types Of Books Do We Consider?
- Fiction including all
genres
- Mysteries, westerns and romance novels
- Narrative
nonfiction -- history, biography, memoir, and essays
- Cookbooks
and food related titles
- Poetry
- Children’s
literature
- Art and Architecture
What Types Of Books Do
We NOT Consider?
The Texas Book Festival focuses on the promotion
of literature and Texas literary culture, as such, books on the
topics of self-improvement, how-to, or books strictly of academic
or religious interest will not be considered.
Should A Self-published/printed
Author Submit?
No. Because Barnes & Noble
is selling books at the festival, it is a requirement that one's
book be available through a major wholesale company that allows
returns, such as Ingram or Baker & Taylor. This means that
self-published authors must be excluded from participating. Please
consider this before submitting your work to the Festival. Self-published
authors are encouraged to participate in the festival as exhibitors.
Visit the Texas Book Festival site »
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North
Texas Romance Writers of America Annual Writers' Workshop
Usually held in early November at the Holiday Inn Select
in Irving, Texas, the
NTRWA mini conference has been an annual tradition since 2000.
That first year, the membership hosted the fabulous duo, Robin
Perini and Laura Baker with their workshop, Discovering Story
Magic. In 2001, the chapter was proud to have Harlequin author
Jo Leigh and her hard hitting, Story Structure 101. In 2002,
USA Today best selling author, Rachel Gibson came to Texas for
our third annual conference and local author, Vickie Taylor,
delivered her extremely popular Plotting Blob workshop. Deb Dixon
packed the house in 2003 with her Book-In-A-Day workshop. In
2004, author Tami Cowden joined us for a full day of Heroic Archetypes
and Their Interactions. This past November, Shirley Jump showed
how to turn your book from Gold to Sold. Holiday Inn Select DFW
Airport North 4441 W. Hwy. 114 @ Esters Blvd. Irving, Texas 75063
972-929-8181
Visit the NTRWA Annual Fall Writers' Workshop page »
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2008 Agents & Editors Conference in Austin
Probable
date: June, 2008
15th annual Agents & Editors Conference
The Writers' League of Texas, formerly the Austin Writers'
League, hosts an excellent authors, editors, agents conference
during the summer. The 13th annual Agents Conference was held
June 23-25, 2006, in Austin.
The conference will give writers
the chance to meet as many as 20 agents and editors at the three-day
conference. They also heard the latest in current market trends,
attended breakout sessions and panel discussions led by published
authors, and met one-on-one with agents and editors in a 10-minute
private consultation.
Other topics expected include genre writing,
young adult and children's books, marketing, and book proposals.
Visit the Writers' League of Texas site »
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Disclaimer
Various writing and author promotion opportunities come
to attention of the San Antonio Writers Guild. These opportunities
are NOT researched, thoroughly or otherwise. So if you pursue
any of these opportunities, please check them out carefully.
In your research if you find out anything about these opportunities
-- good or bad -- please email
us and tell us what you find out so we may pass that information
along. The guild is about people in and interested in the writing
profession helping each other.
