Thrillerfest 2013

by Jodie Renner, editor, author, speaker

Just got home from Thrillerfest in NYC and realized it's my turn to post a blog here! Hope I can stay awake long enough to say a few words about THE biggest (only?) thriller writers' conference of the year.

This was my fourth Craftfest/Thrillerfest in a row - and maybe my last, as The Big Apple is expensive - especially in July! But I had such a great time that I may just scrimp and save to go back again next year...

The conference is four days long, with all day Wed. and Thurs. a.m. devoted to Craftfest workshops and a luncheon. Thurs. pm is Agentfest (which I didn't attend), followed by two days of Thrillerfest panels, interviews, author signings, book-buying, cocktail parties, and general schmoozing and catching up with or getting to know other authors and aspiring authors.

Janice Bashman, David Morrell, Jenny Milchman, Pam Stack

As always, there were a lot of bestselling authors signing books, giving talks, and mingling at the parties. Michael Connelly, David Morrell, Michael Palmer and Steve Berry, among others, drew large crowds for their workshops at Craftfest. Lee Child didn't speak this year, but was at all the social gatherings. Anne Rice was interviewed by her son, bestselling author Christopher Rice, Michael Palmer was interviewed by his son Daniel Palmer, Michael Connelly was interviewed by Jon Land, and T. Jefferson Parker was interviewed by DP Lyle. All were insightful and inspiring! (Apologies - my photo-taking was sporadic this year.)

Lee Child, Anne Rice

 

I highly recommend Craftfest, the first day and a half, for aspiring authors and anyone wanting to hone their craft. The workshops are always excellent, and are presented by accomplished authors who are also great teachers. And most of them are pretty entertaining, too!

Steven James introduces David Morrell

Thrillerfest is mostly panels and interviews, and of course a lot of socializing. This year I was on a panel for the first time, called "How to Become a Masterful Editor - of Your Own Work."

Brad Parks was highly entertaining as our panel master. I had prepared handouts on three self-editing-related topics, all of which were scarfed up immediately. I had no idea we'd get a packed room for our panel! Click HERE to read the handouts on steps for revising and self-editing, how to save on editing costs, and cutting word count.

And a great spin-off was that a lot of people came up to me at the end and asked for my card and expressed an interest in my two craft of writing books, Style That Sizzles & Pacing for Power, and Writing a Killer Thriller. I ended up selling a lot of books at the conference - way more than I thought I would.

Janice Gable Bashman, Allison Brennan, Jodie Renner

The best part of the four-day conference was connecting and networking with author friends from Facebook -- and also meeting a bunch of great new people.

with Doug Lyle

Stimulating and fun, and I came away with so many ideas, from writing and editing to publishing to marketing and promoting!

If you attended Craftfest and/or Thrillerfest this year, what were some of the highlights for you?
    

Pam Stack, Jodie, Amy Shojai

Conferences can be expensive, but they're so worth it in many ways. And there's always the option of trying to find one close to home...

Do you enjoy writers' conferences or conventions? Which are your favorites, and why? How about ones you'd like to attend but haven't yet?

And by the way, as with many big conferences, all the workshops, panels, and interviews were recorded, and you can buy the CDs at www.Thrillerfest.com.

Jodie Renner has published two books to date in her series, An Editor’s Guide to Writing Compelling Fiction: Writing a Killer Thriller and Fire up Your Fiction (Style That Sizzles & Pacing for Power), which has won two book awards so far. Look for the third book in the series, out soon. For more info, please visit Jodie’s author website or editor website, her other blogs, The Kill Zone and Resources for Writers, or find her on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+. And sign up for her newsletter.

Boycotting Agent-Focused Conferences

by L.J. Sellers, author of provocative mysteries & thrillers

Every year I think about going to Thrillerfest, but this time my reason for not attending is different. In the past, it was always a financial issue—an expensive conference and an expensive flight. But now that I can afford it, I've decided to pass for ideological reasons that recently become more pressing. The short answer: Agentfest, a sub-conference within the larger gathering.

Last year, I was invited to teach a workshop at Willamette Writers conference, and I turned it down because the conference is focused on writers pitching to agents. Agentfest is the same thing: hopeful authors trying to sign contracts with agents. This choice, of course, is for the author to make, but I can't, in good conscience, support a program that encourages new authors to sign with agents. (For established authors, it's a different decision.)

I don’t have anything against agents personally. But their role in publishing has become mostly obsolete. Yet, the 15% forever commission hasn’t changed. What has changed is how they earn it. Now many agents are helping their clients self-publish by performing tasks that authors can do for themselves or contract to professionals for a flat fee.

This practice seems unscrupulous. And that perception has been supported by recent blog revelations. Barry Eisler posted about the nasty reaction of agents to his self-publishing talk, where he sought to empower writers with specific information about the changes in publishing.

And David Gaughran recently blogged about the pitiful performance of Argo Navis, a digital distributor favored by agents who steer their clients into those contracts. Agents talk about how the Argo Navis distributor is a guarantee of quality independent publishing because it only deals with books submitted by agents. Yet, according to Gaughran's research, Argo Navis books don't sell. Hundreds of real indie authors sell more books in an hour than agent-supported Argo Navis clients do in a month. And the distributor takes 30%...in addition to the 15% paid to agents and the 30% to the retailer.

I would discourage authors from signing with an agent who makes self-publishing deals. I encourage authors to take charge of their careers and self-publish…in a way that allows them to keep most of the profits.

So for me, it doesn't feel right to attend—and spend money on—a conference that matches new authors with agents who may steer them into bad financial decisions, which, in my opinion, includes most contracts with traditional publishing as well. Especially now that big publishing owns the most notorious author-scamming vanity presses out there. 

The main reader part of the Thrillerfest conference takes place on the last two days, and it would be great fun to hang out with thriller writers and readers. But spending my money on Thrillerfest indirectly supports Agentfest, and I just can't do it.

I would love to see Thrillerfest drop the agent portion of the conference. Many of the conference founders are now self-publishing, and it surprises and disappoints me that they still offer the old model to new writers. I hope it's only a matter of time before agent-based conferences become obsolete. They're a disservice to authors.

Readers, writers: What do you think?