general information for writers conference


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GENERAL INFORMATION FOR WRITERS CONFERENCE

April 3-7, 2009 Major Morning Tracks: Check out the Tracks available and choose the one you would like to be part of. (There is no sign-up ahead of time except for the Intermediate Writer Mentoring Tracks for both Fiction and Non-Fiction which require an additional $50 charge and an application process. Read carefully the requirements for Mentoring tracks on our Major Morning Track page.) On the first full day of the conference, go to the Track of your choice and stick with it the entire conference. If after the first session you find it's not what you anticipated, you may transfer to another track. There is only one transfer possible, so make sure you've read the descriptions carefully (see the following pages of descriptions). Afternoon Optional Workshops: There are 70 afternoon workshop options to choose from, ten per session. These are valuable times of instruction by experienced publishing house representatives, magazine editors and seasoned, published authors. You do not have to sign up ahead of time nor do you have to participate in all workshop opportunities. Free Pre-Conference Critiques (Available only for registrants): Any registrant may send the first 20 pages of two manuscripts or two articles, 2 children's books or 5 poems or 3 devotionals ahead of the conference for critiquing OR editorial review. Editorial review is by an editor of your choosing to see if your project is something he/she might be interested in for their company. It does not include critiquing. Critiquing is done by published freelance writers, with years of expertise in your area of writing, who assess your work, offering concrete observations and advice. (If you have never been published, you should choose critiquing instead of editorial review.) All submissions must be in hard copy and must be postmarked by Saturday, March 28, 2009, and/or received at Mount Hermon at the latest Tuesday, March 31st. Check Guidelines under FORMS for the explanation of proper formatting. NOTE: Bring along several copies of your manuscript in case there is a second opportunity for submitting mid-conference. Critique Team: This year's critique team consists of Gayle Roper (Chairman), Jim Scott Bell, Joseph Bentz, Brandilyn Collins, Barbara Curtis, Ethel Herr, Mona Hodgson, Kathy Ide, Randy Ingermanson, Karen O'Connor, and Christine Tangvald. The team will be available throughout the conference, Saturday-Monday afternoons, in the Multipurpose Room from 4:00 pm until 6:00 pm for walk-in critiques, first-come, first-served. Meal Service: All meals are served buffet style at set times in Mount Hermon’s Dining Hall. Registrants eat at faculty tables at noon and dinner. PLEASE NOTE: WE CANNOT PROVIDE SPECIAL DIETS OF ANY KIND, but our director of food service will work with those who have food allergies by advance arrangement only. Please inquire of Shannon Taimani in Registration if you have a special need. Our Fountain (snack shop) is open afternoons and evenings. Complimentary refreshments each morning and afternoon between sessions. CD's & MP3's Available: All general sessions and most workshops are professionally recorded and available for purchase from O.T. Studios of Whittier, California. Most are available for purchase to nonregistrants by mail after the conference, beginning May 2009. Check the website for the icon after that time.

NEW! Conference Binder: In an effort to “go green” for our 40th Anniversary, there will be no binder handed out this year. Instead, two weeks before the conference, there will be an icon on the writers website where the entire binder will be available for download for just those fully paid registrants. You will be given the password when you have fully paid. The icon will be deleted the day Writers Conference begins, April 3. It is recommended that you read through the information, and if you want to have hard copy, print off only those pages that are of importance to your workshops and tracks and make yourself a small binder to bring along. Keep the resource material on your computer for future use. There will be a few sample binders in Hospitality during the conference for reference. If you are bringing a laptop, why not download the entire binder (or those pages you want) and bring your laptop to the conference, with the workshops and tracks. You can actually type into the workshop outlines anything you want out of the instruction in class. (Humorous aside, we lovingly call this BYOB . . . Bring Your Own Binder!) :>) Book Sales: Conferees who are published authors may bring their own books to place on consignment (20% fee) at our writers conference bookstore. All books must be pre-priced. Click the "forms" button on the menu above for an Excel consignment form. You may give your book information to us in two ways: 1) download consignment form, fill it out and e-mail it as an attachment to Bookstore Chairman, Joy Harrison, [email protected], OR 2) download, fill it out and bring it with you and make sure to give it to Joy when you deliver your books to the bookstore. What to Bring: Casual clothes are the rule for the week, with comfortable walking shoes. Weather this time of year is erratic. Dress for warm, wet, cold, or beautifully sunny! Layering is the operative way to go. Laptops are not necessary but useful as we have Wi-Fi in various locations around campus. Travel Arrival Shuttles: Three Options 1) Head Start Mentoring Clinic shuttles run 1:30-5:00 PM, Wednesday, April 1st. Dinner marks the beginning of the mentoring clinic. 2) Early arrival shuttles run 1:30-5:00 PM, Thursday, April 2nd. Dinner available, and breakfast on Friday. See below for info. 3) Writers Conference shuttles run between 8:00 and 11:30 AM on Friday, April 3, 2009 from San Jose International (SJC). The conference begins at lunch that day. Arrival shuttle service is available from the San Jose International Airport only by advance arrangement through Mount Hermon. You must fill out the shuttle form to receive this service, and return it by March 27th at the latest. See FORMS section. Cost is $75.00 per person, round-trip from San Jose. We are unable to provide shuttle service from San Francisco. If you must arrive after 11:30am on April 3rd, please think about renting a car for the week. Directions: We are off Route 17 between San Jose and Santa Cruz, the ocean side of the coastal mountains. Exit at Mount Hermon Road to the right, which goes through Scotts Valley and dead ends at Graham Hill Road (3.5 miles). Turn left on Graham Hill, and just past the small shopping mall on the left is Mount Hermon's "little sign." Turn left up the hill (Conference Dr.) which takes you into campus. (If getting directions to Mount Hermon on Google Maps or any other direction service on the web, input Felton, CA for best results.) Directions with maps are available here.

Departure: The conference ends after lunch Tuesday, April 7th, with airport shuttle service beginning at 1:15 PM. Please plan any flight departure for 3:00 PM or later to allow for shuttle travel and necessary time in the airport before your flight. Extra Night Option Want to come a night early on April 2nd to enjoy the beautiful Santa Cruz area and our McAfee Fieldhouse before the conference? Or maybe you live across the country and can't get in on Friday before noon. Consider this great way to be rested and ready for the conference. Dinner, overnight housing, and breakfast on April 2nd are available for $87. A cozy fire, wireless availability, and a pleasant gathering spot await early arrivals in Central Lounge. Enjoy the historic Roaring Camp Railroad within walking distance, and the Pacific Ocean beaches, Boardwalk, and fabulous bakeries and restaurants of Santa Cruz, just six miles away. Carmel-by-the-Sea and Point Lobos State Reserve are 60 minutes south, and San Francisco is 90 minutes to the north. Virgin redwoods are within easy walking distance in Henry Cowell State Park. Our McAfee Fieldhouse gym and exercise room are open for use as well. There is no program planned on Thursday, except a free two-hour optional "pitching your project" workshop Thursday evening…see below. Check the box on your registration form if you want the early night option. We cannot provide transportation once you’re at Mount Hermon so why not consider a rental car or carpooling with other early arrivers to enjoy the area opportunities? Two Hour Free Evening Workshop Available to Early Arrivers: If you're coming in on Thursday, why not bring project pitch info and basics of your project and attend the free two-hour optional evening class, "Mastering The Pitch--Tips From a PR Pro", taught by seasoned PR veteran, Bill Romanelli. Gain valuable information that will help you publish articles, and come away with an actual query letter to use in pitching a story to an editor during the conference. What a great way to start the Writers Conference! Questions? If you have questions about billing or housing, call Shannon Taimani at 888-642-2677. If you have writers questions, e-mail Rachel Williams at [email protected]. (Preferred over phone calls.) Camperships Mount Hermon keeps its rates as low as possible, but if finances are a problem, consider applying for a Campership. Through the generosity of friends of Mount Hermon, limited funds are available, on a firstcome, first-served basis. Camperships apply to partial tuition expenses only, not to room and board expenses of the conference. 1-888-MH-CAMPS. If you need assistance, ask for a Campership Request form after registering and sending in your deposit. Campership requests cannot be processed without a deposit. (Your deposit is refundable if the Campership amount is not available or is not sufficient to permit your attendance.) Appointments with Editors & Manuscript Evaluations During the Conference Panel discussions by groups of editors and publishers, networking at a faculty members table at noon and dinner meals, plus personal appointments are valuable highlights of the conference. They provide a great way to get an inside look at the editor’s needs and to learn how to ask the right questions about your finished manuscript or work-in-progress. However, publishers and/or editors have the right to decide how many personal appointments they can realistically handle as well as choose those with whom they make appointments. It is physically impossible to schedule one-on-one time with every writer who might want a personal meeting with a particular faculty member. (SUGGESTION: Make use of the noon and dinner

table opportunities to begin networking with reps and editors. And be sure to bring plenty of your personal business cards to hand out should they ask for your information).

Buddy System Mount Hermon is the home of one of the best writer’s conferences in the country. You are in for an impacting five days of learning, networking, and encouragement. Several days of focusing on the nuts and bolts of writing, publishing news, meeting editors, and submitting manuscripts can be a bit overwhelming though, especially for those attending the conference for the first time. This is why we created the Buddy System. Over the past few years we have seen wonderful results come from matching interested first-time registrants with those who have attended the conference before. Here is how it works . . . First timers who express interest are assigned to a registrant who has attended Mount Hermon at least one time. About a month before the conference, the experienced “buddy” is available to answer questions via e-mail, equipping the first-timer to arrive at Mount Hermon better prepared to choose workshops, submit manuscripts, set realistic goals, and connect with editors and faculty. These new-comers also show up feeling like they know at least one person. Women are matched with women and men with men. While we can’t make any promises, we try to keep writing interests and conference goals in mind when pairing people up. If you are attending this conference for the first time . . . Chances are you are excited but scared out of your mind at the same time. If you would like to have a buddy to answer your pre-conference questions and help you to arrive prepared and ready to make the most of your Mount Hermon experience, please sign up. What you can expect: One month before the conference your buddy will be available to answer any questions that come up, such as . . . • What to wear or pack • How the manuscript submissions work • What morning workshop track might be best for you • How to meet with editors and agents • What to expect as far as weather and getting around on the grounds You will meet your buddy in person at a “Meet and Greet” the first night of the conference and have an opportunity to touch bases with him/her sometime on Saturday or Sunday. Other than that, you are free to enjoy the conference, knowing you have been well equipped. To sign up for the Buddy System as a firsttimer contact Jeanette Hanscome ([email protected]) no later than March 3, 2009. NOTE: Buddies will be assigned on a first-come, first-served basis. If you sign up for the conference after the deadline please feel free to request a First-Timer’s Information Packet, which includes packing tips, a conference survival guide, and answers to frequently-asked questions, available via e-mail from Jeanette (same e-mail address as above). May God bless you as you prepare for the conference! If you have attended this conference before . . . Even if you have only attended the Mount Hermon Christian Writer’s Conference once, you have something valuable to offer a first-time registrant. Please consider making yourself available to answer a first-timer’s per-conference questions.

What being a buddy involves: You will be matched with 1 (or more if you express willingness) first-timer. All we ask is that you . . . • Make yourself available to answer e-mail questions that come up as he/she prepares for Mount Hermon • Attend a short “Meet and Greet” on the first night of the conference (usually after dinner on Friday night), where you will meet your first-timer in person for the first time • Follow up with your first-timer once during the conference to make sure he/she is doing okay (If you opt to take on more than 1 person we encourage you to touch bases as a group) You will NOT be expected to • Critique manuscripts, proposals, or queries that he/she plans to submit • Room with your first-timer • Hold your first-timer’s hand during the entire conference • Promise introductions to editors and agents Think of this as a chance to give back to those who mentored and guided you in the past. We especially encourage those who have benefitted from a buddy in the past to serve. To sign up as a buddy contact Jeanette Hanscome: [email protected].