Instructors: Cynthia Manson & Caitlin Alexander
Length: 1 session, $150
Saturday, October 31, 9:30 AM - 12:30 PM
 
You've written the Great American Novel, workshopped it, revised it, poured your heart and soul into it, and you feel it's ready to send out into the world. Now what do you do? Time to find an agent and get it published, that's what!
 
In this interactive panel, an experienced literary agent and an accomplished editor will share their insider tips to help you navigate the world of publishing in today's marketplace. We will discuss the role of an agent, how to find the right agent for your work, and what really goes on behind the doors of a publishing house once your book has been acquired. We will examine the different publishing options available in a shifting business environment: traditional legacy publishing, small presses, packagers, self-publishing, and the emergent possibilities of e-book publishing—as well as what you can start doing now to build an effective platform from which to promote your work.

Cynthia Manson is a well-known and respected independent literary agent with a small, successful list of published authors. She graduated from Scripps College for Women with a BA in English Literature and Fine Arts. She also attended the Radcliffe Publishing Course, where she was inspired by Sterling Lord. Two years later she joined the Sterling Lord Literary Agency. Manson has worked in both magazine and book publishing, including Putnam, Bertelsmann and Scientific American. Currently she is a consultant for Advertising Age magazine and other Crain Publications as well as representing authors in a variety of genres.
 
Caitlin Alexander spent eleven years at Random House, where she edited New York Times bestsellers such as The Year of Fog by Michelle Richmond, Homer’s Odyssey by Gwen Cooper, and the Nina Wilde/Eddie Chase series by Andy McDermott, as well as RITA Award winners, Thriller Award winners, and Edgar Award nominees. In 2012, she started her editorial services company and can be found atwww.editedbycaitlin.com.