Workshop with Scott Reintgen: How to Find an Agent & Get Published
Earlier this month, I had the opportunity to attend a workshop given by author Scott Reintgen.
I've participated in writing/craft workshops and conferences before, but this was the first time I've signed up for an event that specifically focused on the traditional publishing process after your book is finished.
Class Title: How to Find an Agent and Get Published
Initial Impression: I thought it would be helpful to hear how an author, whose debut novel was recently published, went through the traditional process of submitting query letters to agents and then working with his acquired agent to secure a book deal.
Final Thoughts: The information provided was straightforward and cleared up many of the questions we (the attendants) had during the the Q&A period. Scott even took his own time at the end of the workshop to speak individually with us and sign our copies of Nyxia.
As an English and Creative Writing teacher, Scott has a leg-up on many of the other presenters I've seen. He has experience speaking to groups of students and was able to fit all of the material, plus our Q&A session, into the time we had. We even had time to break off into small groups to analyze the materials provided and give our own feedback.
My key takeaway from this experience: Pay attention to query guidelines. The presentation included a breakdown of how quickly your query letter can be dismissed, or not read at all, if you don't follow the guidelines required by the agency you're querying. These rules can include anything from how many pages to send with your letter (or no pages at all), to what genres agents are specifically are (or not) requesting. You wouldn't send twenty pages of a science fiction epic to an agent who specializes in hard-boiled mysteries and prefers to request pages. Sounds like it would be common sense, doesn't it? But I was amazed at the number of letters Scott's agent received in one year that completely ignored these rules.
Overall, I'm glad that I signed up for this workshop and I'm now building my own spreadsheet of potential agents to query once Book Project #1 (working title: Tom's Story) is ready for submission. I'll be recording my own results and will share here on the blog once I start to receive replies.
More information about Scott, his work, and any upcoming events can be found on his website.
Have a great weekend, everyone!
*Cost key: $-Very affordable; $$-Moderately affordable; $$$-Expensive*
I've participated in writing/craft workshops and conferences before, but this was the first time I've signed up for an event that specifically focused on the traditional publishing process after your book is finished.
 |
| Scott (it's pronounced ran-kin) Reintgen |
Class Title: How to Find an Agent and Get Published
Duration: 2 hours
Cost: $
(i.e. – Very affordable.)
Materials Provided: In addition to the presentation given by Scott, we also received copies of two of his previous query letters. One that did not result in an agent/book deal, and the letter that led to the publication of his debut novel, Nyxia.
Extra Perks: A copy of Nyxia, and a pre-order for the sequel, Nyxia Unleashed.
Final Thoughts: The information provided was straightforward and cleared up many of the questions we (the attendants) had during the the Q&A period. Scott even took his own time at the end of the workshop to speak individually with us and sign our copies of Nyxia.
 |
| Nyxia Unleashed, the sequel to Nyxia, is due for release on July 17, 2018 |
As an English and Creative Writing teacher, Scott has a leg-up on many of the other presenters I've seen. He has experience speaking to groups of students and was able to fit all of the material, plus our Q&A session, into the time we had. We even had time to break off into small groups to analyze the materials provided and give our own feedback.
My key takeaway from this experience: Pay attention to query guidelines. The presentation included a breakdown of how quickly your query letter can be dismissed, or not read at all, if you don't follow the guidelines required by the agency you're querying. These rules can include anything from how many pages to send with your letter (or no pages at all), to what genres agents are specifically are (or not) requesting. You wouldn't send twenty pages of a science fiction epic to an agent who specializes in hard-boiled mysteries and prefers to request pages. Sounds like it would be common sense, doesn't it? But I was amazed at the number of letters Scott's agent received in one year that completely ignored these rules.
Overall, I'm glad that I signed up for this workshop and I'm now building my own spreadsheet of potential agents to query once Book Project #1 (working title: Tom's Story) is ready for submission. I'll be recording my own results and will share here on the blog once I start to receive replies.
More information about Scott, his work, and any upcoming events can be found on his website.
Have a great weekend, everyone!
*Cost key: $-Very affordable; $$-Moderately affordable; $$$-Expensive*
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