• Skip to main content
  • Skip to after header navigation
  • Skip to site footer

The Steve Laube Agency

Helping to Change the World…Word by Word

The Steve Laube Agency

The Steve Laube Agency

Helping to Change the World Word by Word

  • Home
  • About
    • Who We Are
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Interview with Steve Laube
    • Statement of Faith
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
  • Guidelines
  • Authors
    • Who We Represent
    • Awards and Recognition
  • Resources
    • Recommended Reading
    • Christian Writers Market Guide Online
    • Christian Writers Institute
    • Writers Conferences
    • Freelance Editorial Services
    • Copyright Resources
    • Research Tools
    • Selling What You Write
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • Twitter
  • FaceBook
  • RSS Feed
  • Get Published
  • Book Proposals
  • Book Business
  • Writing Craft
    • Conferences
    • Copyright
    • Craft
    • Creativity
    • Grammar
  • Fun Fridays
Home » Writing Craft » Conferences

Conferences

Ways to Delight a Literary Agent

By Steve Laubeon February 13, 2023
Share90
Tweet
14

Last week I highlighted some things that tend to annoy a literary agent. Let’s flip that around and reflect on a few things that get our attention.

Another drum roll please:

1. Follow the guidelines on an agency’s website. (Those are there for a reason. It helps sift, at one level, those who are wanting to be professionals and those who aren’t. Note they are “guidelines,” not “rules.” Every agency has them, and they are not always the same.)

2. Respect an agent’s time and the process. (Imagine fifty people lined up outside your door, each week, wanting your opinion on their work. Then, if you can’t get to them, fifty more get in line. After a few weeks, there are hundreds, all clamoring for attention.)

3. Do your best work. (We recognize good writing immediately. We can also see potential if what we have isn’t quite there yet. But slap-dash material is apparent even faster.)

4. Do your best to understand the industry and its nuances. (This can be done by reading various blogs, going to conferences, and broadening your understanding of the industry. Telling us that your book should be published by Zondervan because many titles in your personal library are from Zondervan isn’t a good idea.)

5. Understand what platform is and is not. Show us and a potential publisher that you want others to find and buy your ideas.

6. Remind me if we’ve met. It is always nice to have some connection, even if fleeting. You might be surprised by what we remember, even years later. (Yes, I still remember you, Xochitl, when you sat at the wrong table at the conference.)

7. Keep me reading. I may like the idea, but it is your writing that must keep me reading. It is what keeps an agent looking for the next one.

8. Be prepared with questions if we contact you. We don’t mind if you ask newbie questions. It shows interest, not ignorance.

There could be many more items, but I think you get the gist of the list. (See what I did there?)

 

Leave a Comment
Category: Agency, Agents, Book Proposals, Conferences, Pitch, Pitching, Platform, The Writing Life

12 Ways to Annoy a Literary Agent

By Steve Laubeon February 6, 2023
Share66
Tweet
15

This article is written in jest, but with decades of truth behind it. No, we agents are not infallible and aren’t always right. We try not to sound arrogant or snooty. We genuinely would like to see you succeed, whether we are your agent or not! Our hope is you learn from what others have done or done incorrectly. Drum roll please: 1. Call a week after sending your proposal to ask what we …

Read more12 Ways to Annoy a Literary Agent
Category: Agency, Agents, Book Proposals, Conferences, Pitch, Pitching, The Writing Life

Attend the 2023 Write-to-Publish Conference

By Steve Laubeon October 31, 2022
Share35
Tweet
9

I am very pleased to announce that the Christian Writers Institute (CWI) has taken over the operation and management of the venerable Write-to-Publish Conference (WTP) held every June in Wheaton, Illinois. This conference has been in operation for over 50 years, and we are very excited to add this event to the offerings of CWI. After owning and running the event for the last 28 years, Lin Johnson …

Read moreAttend the 2023 Write-to-Publish Conference
Category: Christian Writers Institute, Conferences

7 Tips for Pitching Your Idea

By Steve Laubeon August 29, 2022
Share67
Tweet
14

You have a chance to pitch your book idea to an editor or an agent at a conference. I’ve written about this before (see “That Conference Appointment”) but thought it may be helpful to come at the topic from a different direction. The pitch itself. These tips can help whether or not your appointment is virtual or in-person. 1. Relax. Seriously. Relax. This 15-minute appointment won’t make or break …

Read more7 Tips for Pitching Your Idea
Category: Book Proposals, Conferences, Pitching

Your After-Conference Checklist

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon June 16, 2022
Share40
Tweet
13

Since the conference season is in full swing, you may have just returned from a beautiful event of learning and fellowship. Or you may be planning to go to a conference soon. With that in mind, consider a checklist of what to do upon your return. 1.) Rest. Give yourself at least a day after travel to refresh and relax. I realize very few authors take this advice, but I offer it all the same. …

Read moreYour After-Conference Checklist
Category: Conferences

The Writers Conference Bell Curve

By Bob Hostetleron May 19, 2022
Share93
Tweet
19

I’ve attended and presented at Christian writers conferences for more than three decades. (I know, I don’t look anywhere near old enough to make that claim, and thank you.) I’ve sometimes served on faculty at as many as a dozen conferences in a given year. (I know, it’s hard to believe that many conference directors would actually book me for their event, no offense taken.) And so I suppose I’ve …

Read moreThe Writers Conference Bell Curve
Category: Conferences

The Conference Appointment

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon May 18, 2022
Share39
Tweet
17

If you’re preparing to go to a writers conference, here are a few tips based on questions authors have asked over the years about agent and editor appointments: 1. What do I wear?  Each conference has its own personality. Visit the conference website to glean information concerning accommodations and weather. Comfortable, flattering clothes that show polish are available at different price …

Read moreThe Conference Appointment
Category: Conferences

Six People You’ll Meet at a Writers Conference

By Bob Hostetleron May 11, 2022
Share52
Tweet
15

As an author and literary agent, I’m often asked for publishing advice. As I’ve mentioned before on this blog, my standard response to such queries is, “Have you been to a writers conference?” Because, for most of us, that is a major and necessary step toward writing for publication, for many reasons. One of those reasons is the variety and quality of people you’ll meet at a writers conference, …

Read moreSix People You’ll Meet at a Writers Conference
Category: Conferences

What Are You Doing This Summer?

By Dan Balowon May 4, 2022
Share5
Tweet
6

Writers conferences have been scrambling to maintain a connection to writers in two years of COVID restrictions, but maybe we are working our way toward a day when most can meet in person and get back to the best part of conferences: the planned and unplanned conversations that lead to inspiration and encouragement for everyone taking part. How will I spend some of my summer this year? May 11-14, …

Read moreWhat Are You Doing This Summer?
Category: Conferences

Writers Groups

By Dan Balowon April 13, 2022
Share35
Tweet
19

Writers need good, personal support structures because so much of the work is done in solitude. Christian writers conferences, whether they are held online or in person, are part of this structure, as one receives training; exposure to different ways of thinking; critical review; advice from people with experience they lack; and, most importantly, relationships. But another level of support is …

Read moreWriters Groups
Category: Communication, Conferences
  • Go to page 1
  • Go to page 2
  • Go to page 3
  • Interim pages omitted …
  • Go to page 11
  • Next
  • Home
  • About
    • Who We Are
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Interview with Steve Laube
    • Statement of Faith
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
  • Guidelines
  • Authors
    • Who We Represent
    • Awards and Recognition
  • Resources
    • Recommended Reading
    • Christian Writers Market Guide Online
    • Christian Writers Institute
    • Writers Conferences
    • Freelance Editorial Services
    • Copyright Resources
    • Research Tools
    • Selling What You Write
  • Blog
  • Contact

Copyright © 2023 · The Steve Laube Agency · All Rights Reserved · Website by Stormhill Media