Class Description
Are you hoping to get your big break at this year’s Muse or another writing conference? It could happen, but you will not have a shot at bonding with an agent or book editor unless you come prepared and find ways to make yourself shine. A veteran journalist, who’s also an experienced conference schmoozer and former public speaking instructor, will give tips on how to not only survive a huge writers’ conference but come away with contacts for a lifetime. In a three-hour session, you’ll learn ways to craft questions that resonate with a speaker rather than annoy them. You'll also get practice on elevator pitches you may find yourself giving to an agent or editor during the conference. You’ll get ideas on how to make the most of your time not just at workshops, but in the halls and at lunch, where the best networking often happens. Is it okay to approach that best-selling author sitting in the lounge chair? You bet. But do your homework.
Please bring - if applicable - a one-page copy of your elevator pitch for your book, your work, etc.
Part of GrubStreet's "Get Published" series, dedicated to helping writers navigate the publishing world. For more on this series' offerings, click here.
Thanks to the excellent literary citizenship of our donors, scholarships are available for all GrubStreet classes. To apply, click the gray "APPLY FOR SCHOLARSHIP" button. In order to be considered for a scholarship, you must complete your application at least one week before the start date of a class. Please await our scholarship committee's decision before registering for the class. We cannot hold spots in classes, so the sooner you apply, the better. Scholarships cannot be applied retroactively.
For more detailed information about GrubStreet scholarships, including how to contribute to scholarship funds for other students, click here.
This class will take place using Zoom videoconferencing. Please visit the Resources tab to access the video-conference link.
Zoom Participation:
Students are not required to turn their camera on, but are encouraged to participate any way they feel comfortable through functions such as the live chat, emoji reactions, and unmuting the microphone. Learn more about using Zoom here.
Zoom Accessibility:
We ask that instructors enable closed captioning and send a transcript of the session after class. You can also enable closed captioning at any time during the meeting. If your instructor forgets to send the transcript, just send ’em an email!