THRILLERFEST 2011
06/08/11 20:34
I’ve just attended my fourth Thrillerfest – an annual convention of thriller writers and readers that’s held in New York City every July. It’s a wonderful resource for learning how to writer thriller and suspense novels, and for networking with authors who are shaping the business: Ken Follett, Steve Berry, James Rollins, David Morrell, Heather Graham, Douglas Preston, Lisa Gardner, Gayle Lynds, (am I dropping enough names?) and this is just a partial (and some might say prejudicial) list from this year’s event.
However, my absolutely favorite, yet most reviled, part of the 4-day experience is AgentFest, two-and-a-half hours of speed dating with agents, that requires a lot of research, forethought and planning by writers, if they want to pitch to the most receptive agents during the time allow. There were about five dozen agents, although judging from the participants I spoke with, the average writer only got to talk with 10 to 14 of them. So it was important to choose wisely.
It’s my favorite part, because when multiple agents ask for a full manuscript, it really lifts your spirits; but it’s reviled, because it’s NERVE-WRACKING and the potential for failure looms large.
I got a lot of interest in Evangeline’s Ghost, YAY! But of course, someone asked me for a full synopsis (longer than the three sentence synopsis I provided on my one-page handout) so I’ve got to work on that, and someone else asked for the outline of the next book in the series (which I’ve got to hunker down and create, because while I’ve got an outline for another book in the Code Name: Evangeline series and a partial outline for A Force of Angels, there’s none for the next installment of Evangeline’s Ghost).
So the work never ends. But that’s what I want, isn’t it?
Yes. Definitely, yes.
However, my absolutely favorite, yet most reviled, part of the 4-day experience is AgentFest, two-and-a-half hours of speed dating with agents, that requires a lot of research, forethought and planning by writers, if they want to pitch to the most receptive agents during the time allow. There were about five dozen agents, although judging from the participants I spoke with, the average writer only got to talk with 10 to 14 of them. So it was important to choose wisely.
It’s my favorite part, because when multiple agents ask for a full manuscript, it really lifts your spirits; but it’s reviled, because it’s NERVE-WRACKING and the potential for failure looms large.
I got a lot of interest in Evangeline’s Ghost, YAY! But of course, someone asked me for a full synopsis (longer than the three sentence synopsis I provided on my one-page handout) so I’ve got to work on that, and someone else asked for the outline of the next book in the series (which I’ve got to hunker down and create, because while I’ve got an outline for another book in the Code Name: Evangeline series and a partial outline for A Force of Angels, there’s none for the next installment of Evangeline’s Ghost).
So the work never ends. But that’s what I want, isn’t it?
Yes. Definitely, yes.