Agent Fest Online 2024: Schedule

Click here to register!

Agent Fest Online 2024: Nov 6 – 9

[ALL SESSIONS EASTERN TIME]

Practice Pitch Sessions – Here’s your chance to practice your pitch in a judgment-free, learning-only zone. Volunteers can give their pitches and receive feedback from members of the board and other attendees. [attendees only; not recorded]

First Page Read – Love It or Leave It – Submit the first page of your manuscript and it might just get read to a panel of literary agents for feedback! First Pages are anonymous and chosen at random–we cannot guarantee your page will be read. Click here for details on how to submit.

Please note that at Agent Fest Online 2024 we do NOT record the First Page Reads in order to protect your intellectual property. If you submit a First Page, it may or may not be drawn at random to be read and discussed during one of the First Page Read sessions.

Wednesday, November 6, 2024

[ALL SESSIONS EASTERN TIME]

10:00 am – 11:00 am: Welcome, Introduction of All Agents
11:30 pm – 12:30 pm: Practice Pitch Session
2:00 pm – 3:00 pm: How to Pitch; Common Mistakes; What Not to Do – MWW Director Leah Lederman will offer up different pitches to a panel of agents (Mariah Stovall and Jessica Berg) who will offer their feedback on what went right and what went wrong.
3:30 pm – 4:30 pm: How to Pick Comp Titles and Why They Matter with Jessica Berg, Rosecliff Literary – Learn how to select comp titles that resonate with your story and audience, enhancing your book’s appeal and clarity in the market. Understand the importance of these comps in highlighting your unique narrative and connecting with readers and industry professionals.
7:00 pm – 8:30 pm First Page Read – Love It or Leave It with Leticia Gomez, T.S. Ferguson, Erin Hosier Please note that at Agent Fest Online 2024 we do NOT record the First Page Reads in order to protect your intellectual property. If you submit a First Page, it may or may not be drawn at random to be read and discussed during one of the First Page Read sessions.

Thursday, November 7, 2024

[ALL SESSIONS EASTERN TIME]

10:00 am – 11:00 am Practice Pitch Session
11:30 pm – 12:30 pm Creating your Goals, Motivations, and Conflict with Shannon Snow, Creative Media Agency – How do you make certain your protagonists have a purpose? How do you figure out why they’re chasing that purpose? How do you make certain you’ve put obstacles in the way to make their struggle truly engaging? In this session, we will explore how to craft your story’s goals, motivations, and conflict, as well as how to structure them into the story, use them for pitching your story, and more!
2:00 pm – 3:00 pm How to Research, Query, and Work with a Literary Agent with Reiko Davis, DeFiore & Company – In this session, Reiko Davis seeks to demystify the process of finding and working with a literary agent. This seminar will explore the ins and outs of the relationship between author and agent, beginning with guidance and best practices on how to approach an agent about a book project. We will discuss the process of signing with an agent, preparing a submission to publishers, and beyond. We will cover author/agent communication, agency agreements, the editorial process, book deal negotiation, and the agent’s role once an author’s project is sold to a publisher.

She’ll cover topics such as how to:

- Research literary agents
- Craft a successful query letter and navigate the querying process
- Vet and sign with an agent
- Develop a positive, enduring relationship with an agent
- Ensure you feel heard and empowered as you move through your career as a writer

3:30 pm – 4:30 pm First Impressions: How to Write a Great 1st Sentence, 1st Paragraph, and 1st page with T.S. Ferguson, Azantian Literary Agency – T.S. Ferguson will go over what, in his experience, makes a great opening sentence, paragraph, and first page and give examples, and talk about what to include in your first page, what grabs his attention as an agent, and how to think about your opening page as the first impression distracted readers (be they agents, editors, or folks at the bookstore/library) will have of your work when deciding whether to keep reading.
7:00 pm – 8:30 pm First Page Read – Love It or Leave It with Jessica Berg, Reiko Davis, and Shannon Snow Please note that at Agent Fest Online 2024 we do NOT record the First Page Reads in order to protect your intellectual property. If you submit a First Page, it may or may not be drawn at random to be read and discussed during one of the First Page Read sessions.

Friday, November 8, 2024

[ALL SESSIONS EASTERN TIME]

10:00 am – 11:00 am Practice Pitch Session
11:30 pm – 12:30 pm Unpacking the Submission Package – Query Letters with Maggie Sadler, Corvisiero Agency – Whether you’re firmly in the trenches and looking to spruce up your query letter or just finding your footing in the querying process, associate literary agent Maggie Sadler will provide insight into the elements that support a strong query letter, from proper formatting and etiquette to establishing a rapport with an agent and curating an “I needed this yesterday” feeling that will have an agent eager to devour your sample pages.
2:00 pm – 3:00 pm Traditional Publishing vs. Independent Publishing with Leticia Gomez, Dafina/Kensington Publishing Corporation
3:30 pm – 4:30 pm The Pitch Inside the Proposal with Erin Hosier, Dunlow, Carlson & Lerner Agency – Erin Hosier will cover the elements that make up the proposals she’s sold, with an emphasis on its ultimate purpose, which is to convince publishers that you understand the audience for your book and are the best advocate for its message (in addition to the great writing).
7:00 pm – 8:30 pm First Page Read – Love It or Leave It with Mariah Stovall, Maggie Sadler, Carrie Howland, and Amy Giuffrida Please note that at Agent Fest Online 2024 we do NOT record the First Page Reads in order to protect your intellectual property. If you submit a First Page, it may or may not be drawn at random to be read and discussed during one of the First Page Read sessions.

Saturday, November 9, 2024

[ALL SESSIONS EASTERN TIME]

10:00 am – 11:00 am Practice Pitch Session
11:30 pm – 12:30 pm The Agent Phone Call with Amy Giuffrida, BelCastro Literary Agency
2:00 pm – 3:00 pm How to sell yourself before, during, and after publication with Mariah Stovall, Trellis Literary Management – A frank discussion of how writers can empower themselves by embracing the business, marketing, and community sides of publishing. Topics will include strategies for how to directly and indirectly make yourself appealing to agents, then to publishers, and finally to booksellers, reporters, readers, and beyond.
3:30 pm – 4:30 pm Closing Panel/Final Q&A

Every effort will be made to adhere to this schedule; however, all programs and times are subject to change.