Monday, February 20, 2012

The 2012 San Francisco Writers Conference - a perspective

Heard best-selling author Lisa See (Snow Flower & The Secret Fan; Shanghai Girls)...that, besides Speed Dating with 17 or more Agents was the highlight of the event for me.  The theme of the 2012 conference was traditional publishing vs. self publishing. There appear to be two overwhelming trends in the writing and publishing industry: 1) Self-publishing has exceeded traditional publishing in the last three years; 2) E-books will overtake print in the next five years, leading many agents to actively seek out hybrid deals where they are willing and able to work with self-published authors.

For those desiring to undertake the joys of self-publishing, Smashwords or the newly launched, BookBaby, brother to CDBaby, offer easier options for the uninitiated.  If you choose to go the traditional route for your debut novel or non-fiction treatise, the best tip to come out of the conference: Writing Query letters that make Agents beg, should have: a premise; a fresh, interesting voice and some real authority to them.  And, a smidgen of humor never hurts!

13 comments:

  1. i can't wait to read this!! sounds amazing :))
    ~harnoor~

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  2. Wow !!! The write-up in itself sounds so interesting that I can only imagine how amazing the novel will be.

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  3. I'll be the first in line for a copy based on the snippets I've heard as the novel grew from an idea to a full-blown literary achievement. It's a powerful piece of writing by an exciting new voice!

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  4. how exciting!!! am waiting with baited breath for the book. would love to read it.
    My heartiest congratulations!

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  5. Very Exciting! Can't wait to read it!

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  6. Wow sounds amazing!! Can't wait for it to come out!

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  7. Anoop, it was good being at your lunch table & talking with you at SFWC 2012! It was my 2nd conference & I found it interesting that while the self-publishing talk was "in the air" but not so much featured last year, this year it was treated with growing respect. I chose that route as a result of last year's conf; I can tell you it's not "easier" if you want to get it right & succeed, just different. And maybe riskier! Since I'm tweeting your conference observations to my followers, I hope you don't mind if I share my blogpost link re: the conference. And I hope you find inspiration in it too!

    Best to you, stay in touch!

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  8. Congratulations Anoop! I am so proud to know my first author! Wishing you all the best on the book launch and tons of success in this venture.

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  9. Anoop – I am so excited for you! Congratulations! I’m looking so forward to reading the Book.
    Best Wishes Always

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  10. Congrats on your first novel, Anoop! The Rummy Club - interesting plot! Would love to read...when is it gonna be published?

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  11. Congratulations Anoop! Would love to read it....sounds very interesting. Wishing you much success.

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  12. Anoop

    what a surprise. Can't wait to talk to you about it and of course read the book. Congratulations..
    Kavita

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