Of course you’d like to think your work speaks for itself, and largely it does. But, as professional writers, it’s imperative to develop and hone your personal brand. Everything from how you present yourself, to how you tell stories, to your hobbies, to the causes you support, rolls up into the reader’s perception of the entire package–not just your latest novel. Consider whether your personal brand is aligned with the style, tone or theme of what you yourself are penning or how you’re presenting yourself to your readership.
While it may be a bit strange at first to think of yourself as a brand, the Brand You workshop is where you will get a crash course in the importance of personal brand. Christine Tieri, President at Idea Agency, will utilize her skills as a Certified Brand Strategist to take participants through the various steps to hone their personal brands and help to make you– and your books–stand out in the marketplace.
Highlights:
Price included in registration
Attendees will be assigned to a roundtable (ten to a table) staffed by an agent or editor and a published author. You’ll receive your table number when you check in for the conference. Participants will bring a single sheet of paper with their title, subgenre*, a logline ( a summary of 35 words or less), and the first page of their novel (standard double-spaced 12-point Times New Roman). The published author will read the sheet aloud (unless you prefer to read yourself), and then the agent or editor and the published author will offer feedback. If the agent or editor is interested in seeing more, he or she can make a note and communicate with participants afterward.
*subgenre: category of crime fiction, such as traditional, hardboiled, noir, police procedural, private eye, historical, thriller, medical, legal, psychological suspense, romantic suspense, western, paranormal, military, technological, political, forensic, espionage
Limited to 100 participants
Price included in registration
Preregistration required
Participants line up (quietly, please!) for the agents and editors they want to pitch. First come, first served. Pitches will be strictly limited to three minutes. Some participants may decide to increase their number of pitches by choosing shorter lines. Others might decide to wait in a longer line for that special agent or editor. If the agent or editor is interested in reading your work, he or she will tell you how to submit it. Please don’t bring your submissions with you to the session! As the conference approaches, we will be updating the website with the bios of the agents and editors who will be receiving pitches.
Limited to 150
Price: $15
Preregistration required
It's all about comfort at the Pinewood Broiler: comfort food, comfort flannels, comfort frolic. Heap up your plate with grub guaranteed to warm your heart and your belly no matter how fierce the cold winds of the Northwoods blow. Show off your Sunday-best self in your Pendleton shirts and jeans and Sorel boots, with or without deer stalkers. And rhyme your way into the cold hearts of Minnesotans and mystery writers alike at the most exciting Saturday night out east of Garrison Keillor:
Door Prizes • Name the Moose Limerick Contest • Ugliest Flannel Shirt Awards
Registration: You must register for the dinner in advance. It frequently sells out.
Pricing: $60 per person.
Guests: You may register up to 2 guests.
K9 trainer, handler, and retired game warden Roger Guay and his partner, Saba, will take you on a journey to show you how canines use their capabilities to find both people and evidence, including tracking fleeing suspects, locating spent shells, discarded handguns, hidden money and buried bodies. You will learn how canines are invaluable at solving both human and wildlife crimes. During his 25 years as a Maine game warden, Roger worked on hundreds of searches and recoveries utilizing canines. His agency’s canine teams became some of the best in the country at tracking, evidence recovery, and cadaver searches. Maine is heavily forested and searching for evidence or a body is often like looking for the proverbial needle in a haystack. That lore can readily translate to city parks, parking lots, or other crime scenes where human resources can become overwhelmed. Roger & Saba will show you the science behind the scenes, the tools, and how canines play the most important role in these daunting operations.
The podcast Crime Writers On... started when husband and wife true crime authors Rebecca Lavoie and Kevin Flynn got some fellow writers together discuss the blockbuster podcast Serial. That was in December of 2014 and it has since morphed into a broader conversation about true crime, journalism, and pop culture. It has also garnered a viral following of approximately 100,000 listeners per episode that includes fans in the U.S., Canada, the United Kingdom and even Australia. In the spring of 2016, the podcast secured regular sponsorship.
