Get Conference-Ready: Perfecting Your Pitch to Literary Agents & Publishers

Querying a publisher or literary agent is almost harder than writing a book. The St. Louis Writers Guild’s April 7 workshop will explore the process from start to finish--how to find agents and publishers, how to contact them, how to pitch to them…and just what is a log line? This free workshop will be held from 10 a.m. to noon at The Lodge Des Peres, 1050 Des Peres Rd, St. Louis, Mo. 63131. 

Leading the workshop is someone who has sat on both sides of the pitching table—author, blogger, and lecturer Brad R. Cook. Participants will learn what goes in a query letter and a face-to-face pitch, as well as explore tools to find agents and publishers online and at conferences. Upcoming conferences include the Missouri Writers Guild conference in Columbia (May 19), and the St. Louis Writers Guild’s Gateway Con (June 15-17) and Penned Con (Sept. 20-22) in St. Louis. 

“I can’t guarantee you’ll find an agent, but you’ll have the tools to do so!” Brad said. For those who attended last year’s workshop, Brad said this talk is all new, incorporating tips he learned at last year’s Gateway Con.

Author of historical fantasies, The Iron Chronicles, The Airdrainium Adventures, and Tales of the Gearblade, Brad is a former co-publisher and acquisitions editor for Blank Slate Press. He is a SCBWI member and currently serves as Historian of St. Louis Writers Guild after three and half years as President. A founding contributor to The Writers’ Lens and The Sword Writers Academy, he can be heard weekly as a panelist on Write Pack Radio. He learned to fence at thirteen, and never set down his sword, but prefers to curl up with his cat and a centuries’ old classic. Find more @bradrcook on Twitter, Instagram, and tumblr. BradRCook.com

Learn more about the St. Louis Writers Guild at www.stlwritersguild.org. 

Learn how to track down an agent or publisher at March 7 workshop

Need help finding a literary agent or publisher? For many writers, it can be harder than writing their book. From 10 a.m. to noon, March 7, St. Louis Writers Guild President Brad R. Cook will discuss: “Querying and pitching: How to track down an agent or publisher.”

Held at the Kirkwood Community Center, 111 S. Geyer Rd, Kirkwood, Mo., the workshop is free to Guild members; $5 for nonmembers.

“In this workshop, we’ll explore the process from start to finish—how to find agents and publishers, how to contact them, how to pitch to them,” Brad said.

Participants will learn what goes in a logline and a query letter, what to say in a face-to-face pitch, as well as how to find agents and publishers at conferences and online. Brad will introduce online tools, with the hope of sending participants away with everything they need to query or pitch to an agent or publisher.

“I can’t guarantee you’ll find an agent, but you’ll have the tools to do so,” he said.

Author of a steampunk adventure, IRON HORSEMEN, Brad is an award-winning short story writer who began his writing career as a playwright. He joined the board of St. Louis Writers Guild in 2008, guiding the organization as president since 2011. He is a founding contributor to The Writers’ Lens, a resource blog for writers, and Write Pack Radio, a weekly podcast airing every Sunday. He wears many hats, as you will learn by visiting bradrcook.com or follow him on Twitter @bradrcook.

Learn more about the St. Louis Writers Guild at www.stlwritersguild.org.