2018 Agents & Editors Conference  
Update 5/15/18- FEATURED SPEAKERS
Keynote Luncheon Tickets Are Now Available.
Don't Miss Out on Agent/Editor Consultations.
And Book Your Hotel Room Now. 
Hello, 2018 A&E Conference Registrants!

Happy May! Hard to believe, but it's less than two months until conference time. As we get closer to the big weekend, we're excited to announce our featured speakers, starting with our Saturday Keynote Luncheon speaker: award-winning, bestselling author Alexander Chee. You can read more about Alexander and our two additional featured speakers below.

In this mailer, you'll also find the following:
  • information on purchasing Keynote Luncheon tickets (now available)
  • information on our Saturday Keynote Reception and our Saturday Opening Session speakers
  • a reminder about purchasing one-on-one consultations, and
  • a reminder about hotel room reservations (act fast, before our block sells out!)
  • a link to the Facebook event page (please join!).
Of course, if you have questions on anything here--or anything else A&E Conference related--give us a call at 512-499-8914. We're always happy to hear from you.

We're looking forward to seeing you in Austin soon!

-- WLT Staff
Introducing Our Featured Speakers 
Saturday Keynote Luncheon

We're thrilled to be bringing award-winning, bestselling author Alexander Chee to the 2018 A&E Conference for a Keynote Luncheon talk .

Alexander Chee started with a novel published by a small indie press and has become one of the best-selling literary novelists in the country. His latest book, How to Write an Autobiographical Novel, is receiving the sort of rapturous reviews one can only dream of.

"Two-thirds of the way through Alexander Chee's, How to Write an Autobiographical Novel, I abandoned my sharpened reviewer's pencil in favor of luxuriating in the words""
- NPR

Join us for the Saturday Keynote Luncheon to mingle with fellow conference participants, enjoy a 3-course meal, and hear Alexander's story firsthand.

About Alexander Chee
Alexander Chee is the author of the novels Edinburgh, the national bestseller The Queen of the Night, and the essay collection How To Write An Autobiographical Novel. He is a contributing editor at The New Republic and an editor at large at VQR . His essays and stories have appeared in The New York Times Book Review, T Magazine, Tin House, Slate, Guernica,  and Out , among others. He is winner of a 2003 Whiting Award, a 2004 NEA Fellowship in prose and a 2010 MCCA Fellowship, and residency fellowships from the MacDowell Colony, the VCCA, Civitella Ranieri and Amtrak. He is an associate professor of English and Creative Writing at Dartmouth College.

About the Saturday Keynote Luncheon
The luncheon is optional and is the only additional ticketed event at the A&E Conference. If you choose not to purchase a ticket, there will be a lunch break in the program during this time (12:15pm to 1:45pm) so that you can find food elsewhere (and take a much-needed break after a full morning).

All luncheon attendees will enjoy a three-course seated meal and will receive a copy of the speaker's essay collection How to Write an Autobiographical Novel. Tickets are available now for $45. 
Saturday Keynote Reception
 
Featuring viral vlogger, proud Texan, and debut memoirist
Melissa Radke

About Melissa Radke 
Melissa Radke is the author of the memoir Eat Cake. Be Brave. Her online videos have reached over millions of people on her Facebook page alone. Radke's "Upside Down French Braid" video has close to 10 million views and her "Red Ribbon" video has been viewed over 100 million times across multiple websites and media outlets. A Texan born and bred, Radke spent 15 years of her life in Nashville, Tennessee, where she worked as a studio session singer for Recording Artists after graduating from Belmont University. Since becoming a parent, she moved her family back to her East Texas hometown because the barbecue is better and the babysitting is free.

About the Saturday Keynote Reception
 
The reception (5:30pm to 7:30pm) is open to all conference registrants and is the perfect way to cap off a busy day: with snacks; a cash bar; mingling with writers, agents, and editors; and a story. Attendees will receive a copy of the Melissa's memoir Eat Cake. Be Brave. 
Saturday Opening Session 
 
A Conversation with Beth deGuzman, Vice President, Grand Central Publishing

Beth deGuzman is VP, Digital and Paperback Publisher at Grand Central Publishing, where she oversees eBook publications and trade paperback and mass market programs, and acquires fiction and nonfiction. She works with James Patterson and Michael Connelly; sits in meetings with David Baldacci, Sandra Brown, Harlan Coben, and Nicholas Sparks; and is proud to be attending this conference with her author and fellow Texan Melissa Radke.  Because she is a graduate of UT Austin, you should expect to hear her yell "Hook 'em, Horns!" all weekend long. Also, her favorite things begin with the letters B and C: the Beatles and barbeque, Cheetos and crossword puzzles.

About the Saturday Opening Session
We'll kick off our day on Saturday with a general session (9:00am to 10:00am) open to all conference registrants and featuring a conversation with Beth deGuzman, Editorial Director of Grand Central Publishing, who will be in conversation with WLT Executive Director Becka Oliver. 
A Reminder About Consultations

If you received a complimentary consultation by registering by April 2, do not forget to fill out the preference form that was emailed to you.  

If you registered after April 2, you have the option of purchasing one (1) consultation. For more information and a link to the Consultation Purchase Form, click here.

At this time, all registrants are limited to (1) consultation. We will offer the chance to purchase a second consultation (based on availability) later this month.

Everyone who completes their preference or purchase forms by end of day May 15 will be notified of their consultation schedule by June 4.
  • To meet our agents, click here.
  • To meet our editors, click here.
  • To read agent and editor Q&As, click here.
Reserve Your Hotel Room
The conference venue, the Hyatt Regency Austin, has set aside a block of discounted rooms for A&E Conference registrants for dates before, during, and after the event.
  • To learn about the hotel and book your rooms, click here.
The special group rate is available until June 1 or until the room block is full (and these rooms will fill up), so book now if you want to be assured a spot.
Conference Updates to Come
Be Looking for More Emails with This Information
We've created a Facebook event page for the 2018 Agents & Editors Conference where we'll be sharing updates, reminders, and more in the coming weeks. If you're on Facebook, we encourage you to join the event, click here.

Presenter and Panelist Bios: Nearly 100 authors, publicists, booksellers, and other industry professionals will speak at the conference. We'll be sharing information about these participants in the weeks leading up to the event.

A Sneak Peak at the Conference Program:
Panels, presentations, genre meetings, exhibitors, receptions, the Pitch Lab, and more. The conference program will be available on the website no later than June 15.

Finally, be sure to visit our website for past conference mailers and check out the A&E Conference FAQs for the answers to questions you may not even know you have. (And, remember, you can also call us at 512-499-8914 anytime!)


This project is supported in part by the Cultural Arts Division of the City of Austin Economic Development Department.
Visit Austin at NowPlayingAustin.com.

 
Writers' League of Texas classes and workshops are also funded in part by the Texas Commission on the Arts - Investing in a Creative Texas. For more information, go to  www.arts.texas.gov .  
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