MAY MINI-CONFERENCE

May 17, 2008 from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Location:  845 Chestnut St. Escondido  Ca  92025
Cost:  $35 for members of RWASD, $40 for other RWA members and $45 for the general public

Pitch Sessions: The agents and editor will be taking a limited number of appointments for 5 minute  individual pitches on a first come, first served basis.
The cost for each pitch is $10.00 (this cost is in addition to the cost of attending the conference).  See below for more information on signing up for pitch sessions.

The Conference...

Ever wonder what agents and editors were thinking?  Ever want to have a few minutes to ask those questions that have been nagging you about the market and the work  of publishing professionals?  Ever want to sit down, one-to-one, and showcase your completed manuscript for an agent or an editor?  Well, here's your chance.   Harlequin/Silhouette editor Natashya Wilson and agents Laurie MacLean of the Larsen-Pomada Agency, Kelly L. Mortimer of the Mortimer Literary Agency and Kevan Lyon of the Sandra Dijsktra Agency will be joining us for an afternoon of open and honest discussion about the romance publishing industry.  Also on hand will be Victoria Fraasa of COS Productions to talk about book trailers and what they can do for your book.

Our speakers...

Harlequin/Silhouette Natashya Wilson has been a romance reader ever since she picked up Jennifer Wilde's Love's Tender Fury at the age of nine.  She's been hooked ever since! 

With the exception of a few years in the middle, Natashya has been on the editorial staff at Harlequin since 1996.  Currently, she is an editor and acquires for the Silhouette Romantic Suspense line. SHe loves her authors and is always on the lookout for fabulous new writing talent.

Kevan Lyon has been with the Dijkstra Agency since 2004.  She handles women’s fiction, with an emphasis on commercial women’s fiction and all genres of romantic fiction.  Her particular interest is historical fiction of all types.  She is also interested in non-fiction representing authors in the areas of memoir, environment, parenting and current events.  Kevan holds an MBA from the Anderson School of Management at UCLA and comes to the agency with 17 years of experience on the retail and distribution side of the publishing business.  Her background on the buying and retail side of publishing affords her unique insight into what types of books will sell and how to market them.

At Larsen-Pomada Literary Agents in San Francisco, Northern California's oldest literary agency founded in 1972, Laurie McLean represents adult genre fiction, especially romance. She also handles middle-grade and young-adult books. She looks for great writing, first and foremost, followed by memorable characters, a searing storyline and solid world building. She is passionate about marketing and publicity, negotiating, editing and a host of other business-critical areas. She is also a novelist herself, so she can empathize with the author's journey to and through publication. 

Kelly Mortimer started Mortimer Literary Agency with one thought in mind: There were too many great writers who couldn't get their foot in the door. She's only 5'4”, but she wears a size 8-1/2 shoe, so she thought she could help. And she has, selling manuscripts for her first two clients in the same week.In her agency's first full year of business, the American Christian Fiction Writers nominated Kelly for their "Agent of the Year" award. Kelly’s ranked #6 on the Publisher’s Marketplace list of “Top 100 Dealmakers – Romance Category.” Boo-Yah!

After graduating from Florida State University, Victoria Fraasa worked in New York City for the next ten years in various film industry jobs including a camera woman for CNN, film stage manager, and producer of music videos and commercials. After years of successfully producing high end music videos and commercials, she turned her efforts to developing and directing short films. Victoria, with her cinematographer husband Steve Fraasa, is owner of Fraasa Films, Inc. which produces and directs infomercial's, commercials and short films for the book industry.

Conference Schedule:

8:30 to 9:00 -- Registration & Social Time (with coffee, teas and pastries)
Cost:  $35 for RWA-SD members, $40 for RWA members, $45 for non-members

(NOTE:  pitches will be assigned prior to the meeting, so don't wait to register)
 
9:00-9:05 --  Welcome & Announcements

9:05-10:05 -- Laurie McLean with the Larsen-Pomada Agency, speaking on "The State of the Romance Market"
 
10:15-11:15 -- Kevan Lyon from the Dykstra Agency, speaking on
"Editor/Agent/Author Relationships"

11:25-12:25 -- Victoria Fraasa with COS Productions, speaking on "Video Book
Trailers"

12:25-1:10 -- Lunch, Announcements, Raffle

1:10-2:10  --  Kelly Mortimer of the Mortimer Agency, speaking on "The Perils
of Publishing"

2:20-3:20 -- Natashya Wilson, editor at Harlequin / Silhouette Books

3:20 3:30 -- Wrap up &  Goodbye 

**Pitches to agents and editor will take place during the program at assigned times

To Enroll: 

1 Pay for Conference - You have to pay for the Mini-conference to be eligible to sign-up for te agent/editor pitch sessions (see below for information regarding the editor/agent pitches).

The fee is $35 for RWASD members, $40 for RWA members and $45 for everyone else.  (Join our chapter.)  

By Check:

Make your check payable to "RWASD" and indicate that the payment is for the May Mini-Conference.  Please include your email address if you want a pitch session with the editor or an agent. Send to:

RWA San Diego
Attn: May Mini-Conference
PO Box 711677
Santee, CA 92072-1677

By PayPal:

General public - $45 fee:

RWA members - $40 fee:

RWASD membes - $35 fee:

2 Agent/Editor Pitches - If you want to have a pitch session with the editor or an agent, there is an additional $10 fee for that session.  The sessions are awarded on a first come, first serve basis, and are only allotted after you have paid for the Mini-Conference.  You must have a completed manuscript in order to pitch.  You must also include an email with your Mini-Conference regsitration, so that we can contact you to schedule the pitch session. 

PLEASE NOTE:  The number of  pitches are limited and there will not be enough slots for all attendees.  No one is guaranteed a pitch session.  You should register and pay for the Mini-Conference early to have a better chance of getting a chance to pitch.  Once your pitch session is tentatively scheduled, you will receive information on how to confirm the slot by paying for the pitch session prior to the Mini-Conference.  Failure to pay for the Mini-Conference or the pitch session prior to May 17th and within the time required by RWASD will result in your pitch session slot being given to another individual.