Chat About Writers and Twitter Tonight!

Tonight, after a year or two of neglect, I’m dusting off and donning my chat moderator hat once again. (Some of you may recall the pink cowboy hat from the ‘old’ AQC days (see below). But don’t worry, this is an informal chat so the whip will continue to collect dust.)

Over on AgentQueryConnect tonight we’ll be discussing Twitter and what this form of social media can do for writers. We’ll discuss the ups, the downs, newbie errors, ‘expert’ tips, and more. If you have a question, this is the place to ask it.

If you are considering joining Twitter, are wondering how to use Twitter more effectively, or simple looking for tips and conversation, this chat is for you!

This chat is open to ALL AgentQueryConnect members (you have to be signed in to enter the AQC chat room). Membership is free and so is the chat. Moneyback guarantee. People are more than welcome to join AQC in order to participate or lurk in the chat. We’re an open and welcoming community of writers.

The chat starts at 9PM Eastern. That’s 8 Central, 7 Mountain, and 6PM Pacific time. (9:30 in Newfoundland.) It will last about an hour. Come early to shmooz with others and stay late to giggle and dance on chat room tables.

Drinks are free and so is the information.

Questions? Come One, Come All!

Literary agent Mary Kole of the Andrea Brown Literary Agency will be answering questions for all us writers this coming Monday (April 12th) over on AgentQuery Connect. She’s a savvy agent who loves young adult and middle grade books. AND her agency is ranked numero uno in terms of sales for these kinds of books. So, if you are a writer who has questions about these categories, she’s your gal, and AQC is the place to be. If you aren’t into writing those kinds of books, but are curious about the world of publishing and what the future may hold… Ms. Kole can help you out there too! Or, if your questions are more basic, such as, what do agents really want in a query letter, that works too.

You may have also heard of Ms. Kole due to her awesome-McAwesomeVille blog, Kidlit.com, which simply rocks. I think I’ve mentioned it a time or two….

Don’t miss out on this one-of-a-kind opportunity to have your burning writerly questions answered by an industry pro. Go over to AQC and become a member if you aren’t already (it’s completely free) and ask away in the dedicated Ms. Kole group. (Lurking is also allowed….)

Enjoy!

P.S. If you enter a dialogue with Ms. Brown (i.e. ask a question over on AQC) this can, in some cases, work as a jumping off point in a future query to her. (You know, make it a bit more personalized to help you stand out in the massive pile of queries she gets on a daily basis.) For example, “Dear Ms. Kole: Last week I enjoyed reading all your replies to my fellow AgentQueryConnect members. You had mentioned that you are looking for novels that X, Y, and Z in response to my question about what is hot in middle grade novels right now. I believe my story BEST THING EVER fits what you are looking for.” Etc., etc….

All Your Burning Writerly Questions Answered

Every month agent Jennifer Laughran (Andrea Brown Literary) over on her blog Jennifer Represents creates an open thread where aspiring writers can drop their questions and she will reply to them. It’s great! In fact, in reading the first ten or so comments/questions and her replies, I ended up with answers to many of the questions people have been asking over in the discussion boards on AgentQueryConnect.com. Nice.

So, if you have a few moments on your hands and are lookin’ to git yurself edu-ma-cated, pop over to Jennifer’s open thread. (And if you have a burning question for Ms. Laughran, scadoodle over to her blog at the beginning of February–she might just do another open thread.)

P.S. Scary fun fact: Ms. Laughran interned for THREE years in the business before becoming an agent. Wow! Talk about dedication to the field.

Online Chat With Literary Agent Kevan Lyon Tonight!

That’s right, AgentQuery.com is holding another literary agent chat and it is tonight!

Our agent guest is Kevan Lyon of the West coast agency Marsal Lyon Literary Agency. Kevan has twenty plus years in the publishing business, many of them in retail and distribution, making her a force to contend with when it comes to figuring out which books will sell and how to market them.

Curious about what Kevan is seeking in her submission pile?:

“Kevan Lyon works primarily with women’s fiction, with an emphasis on commercial women’s fiction and all genres of romantic fiction and young adult. Her particular interest is historical fiction of all types. She is also interested in non-fiction representing authors in the areas of memoir, pets, environment, parenting and current events.” As well, “Her authors in women’s fiction span a broad range of genres from more literary, commercial projects to all genres of romance including historical, contemporary, suspense and paranormal. With non-fiction projects she looks for topics that she is passionate about or that speak to issues of particular concern to women and families.” –From her AQ cafe chat area bio.

Join us tonight at 8PM Eastern! I will be serving as moderator so feel free to ask me chat related questions in the comment area. As well, there are more details posted in Kevan’s Chat thread on AQ Connect about the chat’s ins and outs as well as some handy timezone gadget links for those (like me) who find themselves in other timezones. The chat will be held in the AgentQuery Connect chat area and is free for all members. (Membership is free, but you do have to sign in to participate). The chat starts at 8PM Eastern and will last for one hour. If you have a question you’d like to ask Kevan, here’s your chance!

See you there.

“Write because you must, because it is your passion. Write for yourself, not to be published or for monetary gain.” Kevan Lyon.

A Writers Chit-Chat…Tonight!

Hey, are you a writer? Do you want to chat with other writers about writing, life, while enjoying some virtual eggnog and rum?

You do? Excellent. Join me tonight on AgentQuery.com in the open chatroom. I’ll be bringing eggnog and rum, a few munchies, and we’ll be discussing backstory and show vs. tell for about an hour and a half. (Or until people get too tired and sneak off to bed.)

Who: You and other writers.

What: We will discuss backstory and showing vs. telling. I can also guarantee that there will be general schmoozing and goofball antics to keep you entertained.

Where: In the open chat room on AgentQuery.com.

When: At 9:30 pm Eastern. On the left coast, that would be 6:30 pm. Tonight. (It’s okay to drop in late. We’ll save you some eggnog.)

Why: Because sometimes writing can be lonely and there is nothing like a real-time discussion to figure things out, share advice and tips and general support.

How: You will need to be an AQ member (that’s free) and log in and follow this chat room link. Once inside the chat room, click in your text box and begin typing. To send a message, hit ‘enter’ on your keyboard. Or, you can lurk, too. We don’t mind. BigBlackCat has agreed to create and post some of the transcripts from the chat on AQ by tomorrow, so if you miss out, you can check those out (you don’t need to be a member to view those). There is more discussion about the chat here.

I’ll be serving as tonight’s moderator. So, if you have any questions, let me know!