Simon Presland, a writer and editor for twelve years, and an original staff member for Write! Canada, is an assistant at Mount Hermon (California) Christian Writers Conference.
Simon, you were part of the original staff of Write! Canada. To what extent has Write! Canada lived up to or surpassed your expectations?
From its inception, the conference has been a huge and ongoing success. It was sold out the first year and every year since, and has continued with the best teachers and classes available. The original group of volunteers was well organized, with Nancy and Les Lindquist and Wendy Nelles providing excellent leadership.
I have been connected to and have knowledge of many Christian writing conferences in the USA, and I can tell you first hand that Write! Canada ranks right up there with the best our American neighbours have to offer.
How can attendees get the most out of their time at a Write! Canada conference?
My advice to first-time attendees is don't be shy! The faculty and staff are here to assist in any way possible, and the editors and agents want to connect with you. During the conference, target classes and tracks that benefit your writing. It is tempting to take every class offered, but it is better to take a breather now and then and rejuvenate your energy and network with other writers.
What if an attendee has a completed book manuscript, or even just an idea for a book? Is there someone at the conference they can talk to about this?
If you have a book proposal and/or a finished manuscript, be aware that most publishing houses are "closed" to unknown authors. So it is imperative to connect with the editors and agents who are at Write! Canada by signing up for an interview time slot. Editors will invite you to send in your manuscript if they are interested, or they can recommend other publishing houses (this also saves the writer a lot of time and effort).
Agents are becoming the "go to" people in the publishing industry. They have connections the writer needs, and manuscripts the publishing houses are looking for. A good agent will help the writer prepare (not write or edit) his/her book proposal and manuscript to fit the needs of the publishing house. While they cannot guarantee publication, these men and women are vital to the entire publishing process.
At Write! Canada 2012 you will be presenting a workshop titled “Collaborating and Ghostwriting.” Who should attend this workshop and what should they expect to learn?
This workshop offers a solid overview on ghostwriting and collaboration for those who would like to enter these crafts. Both ghostwriting and collaboration take special skills such as the ability to listen, writing in someone else's voice, how to partner, interviewing, and research.
The attendees will receive class outlines and sample contracts. Speaking from personal experience I’ll give an inside look at
- the difference between authors, writers, and editors
- ghostwriting versus collaboration, their pros and cons
- payment fees
If time permits, I'll also discuss the pros and cons perusing full publication and self-publishing. The reason? The more the writer knows about the industry, the better his/her chances of becoming a ghostwriter or collaborator.
Read Part 2 of our interview with Simon
Simon was interviewed by Fred Ash, Co-lead of the Write! Canada PR team.
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