Faculty Appointments

Advance Booking for Faculty Appointments – Submission deadline was Midnight, June 9th, 2010

We cannot take any more bookings by email; however, conference registrants will be able to sign up for additional appointments at the conference with faculty who still have open slots.

After your register for Write! Canada, you will receive a separate Appointments and Critiques Information Package by email. The package contains a full explanation of how appointments operate, as well as the Advance Booking Form you will need to fill out. Once you've reviewed that information, you'll be able to request up to three, free, one-on-one, 15-minute appointments with representatives of various newspapers, magazines and book publishing houses, as well as with the authors, freelance writers and editors who are leading workshops and sitting on panels.

You may pitch the person an article, column or book proposal, ask questions about his or her area of expertise, request marketing advice, etc. These free appointments are separate from any appointments you may have booked for paid manuscript critiques.

Choose the right faculty member for your appointments

Be sure to make appointments with a people who are appropriate for you. Before you book, read through the biographies on our Web site to learn who would be best to connect with, do some research about the organization that the faculty member represents, the writing or editing they have done, the genres that are of interest to them, etc.

Be sure to study the Faculty Appointments Expertise/Interests Chart we've put together to help you find out what kinds of materials they are most interested in. Choose based on your level of development and your needs. (Note: this chart will be updated periodically as we receive additional information from faculty, so check back occasionally to see the latest version.) The chart is small but it can be increased in size using the zoom feature. It can also be printed.

The deadline for booking appointments is midnight, June 7, 2010. However, the earlier you get your request in, the higher your chances of being assigned the faculty members of your choice. Send the form electronically, as an attachment in an email, to the Appointments Coordinator Jayne Self.

If you register for the conference after June 7, do not complete the Advanced Booking Form. The appointment sign-up sheets will be posted on the Gymnasium wall at the conference centre during registration. You will be able to see what faculty appointment slots remain open. Registrants who have not obtained faculty appointments in advance may sign up prior to the first coffee break for up to three unfilled slots.

If you cannot get an appointment with someone you want to meet, consider other options. You may sit at the faculty member's table during meals, or approach him or her during coffee breaks, for informal conversation; or ask for a business card and state that you would like to e-mail him or her after the conference with a proposal idea.

Choosing Appointments for Beginning Writers

If you are an aspiring or beginning writer, or if you have questions related to self-publishing or marketing your work, instead of trying to make appointments with book publishers or literary agents, it may be more helpful to talk with an experienced writer, author or freelance editor who is a few steps ahead of you. Be sure to study the tips below which coach you on how to prepare for appointments.

How to Prepare for Your Appointments

Face-to-face meetings with editors are invaluable opportunities to market your work. Publishing houses and literary agents receive many unsolicited book proposals; most will accept only proposals they have requested. Magazines and newspapers are more open, so meeting with representatives may be more productive, but keep in mind they also receive high volumes of unsolicited submissions. A brief meeting at the conference saves time compared to the usual route of querying or finding an agent. The meeting also lets you make a personal impression where an editor or agent is more likely to remember you.

1. Identify your target

Make a list of people you'd like to write for and ask yourself why you have chosen them. Try to choose the editor or publisher whose publication or company uses the type of material you write. Proposing a devotional column to a news magazine or an autobiography to an academic publisher wastes everybody's time.

2. Research the markets

Familiarize yourself with the needs of each publishing house and magazine you are interested in. Check their Web sites for writers' guidelines. Study back issues of magazines for writing style, type of material used, topics, etc. Study publishers' book lists to learn what they are producing currently.

3. Prepare your pitch

Condense your pitch into a 30-second summary. Write it out; polish it; practice it. Be prepared to answer questions about your audience, your purpose, your expertise, and similar material that is on the market.

4. Take back-up materials

An editor cannot be expected to read and comment on an article or a book proposal in these short interviews. Editors who want to pursue your idea further likely will ask you to mail it in later. However, you should be prepared to offer your business card or one-sheet, or a query letter or book proposal, if it is ready. (Be sure it meets that publisher's criteria!) If you have sample chapters or the article is written, take copies but do not present them unless requested.

5. Don't expect an acceptance on the spot

If an editor is interested in your idea, he or she probably will need to explore it in more depth than can be done in a 15-minute conversation. The editor will probably ask you to send a query letter or proposal.

6. Follow up

Be sure to follow up on any interest the editor shows. Send a query letter promptly, and address any aspects the editor asked about. Editors say that many people to whom they give positive feedback never get back to them.

7. Be flexible

Avoid telling an editor that God has told you that your work must be published in its current form and by that publisher. If God has spoken to you, trust Him to also speak to the right editor. Present your idea and then listen to the editor's suggestions. If your idea does not match this editor's needs, you might pick up useful information on how to repackage it or whom else it might suit.

8. React positively to rejection

Don't be discouraged if your idea is not a match for the editors or agents to whom you speak. Rejection is part of the writing life and it doesn't mean that you can't write or won't eventually have success. Be polite. Thank the editor for his/her time. Remember the rejection is for this particular item and not for you as a person.

If you have any questions about faculty appointments, e-mail the Coordinator Jayne Self.