On Tuesday, I posted about the several seminars listed as part of Comic-Con’s official programming that I felt were disingenuous attempts by self-published authors to push their brand of publishing on the masses, without providing a true industry perspective. And I offered to submit a panel of my own, though things being as they are, that’s not likely to happen this year. Which is fine! It gives us almost a year to get ready for 2013’s Comic-Con.
So what would you want to see in a true publishing industry “How To” panel? I’ve done numerous panels at writing conferences over the years, and I think the number one thing I’d want to include is a variety of voices — say, agents who rep YA and adult, maybe those closed to submissions, who only get new clients from MFA programs and referrals, as well as those who frequently troll the slush pile. In addition, I’ve loved the panels I’ve been on that feature authors, agents, and editors, so the audience can get a sense of who and what is involved in the process of taking a book from manuscript to publisher to bookstore.
I think panels or seminars on trends can be outdated between the time a panel description is posted and the event actually occurs, and one on the specifics of writing queries may be better saved for a smaller conference dedicated to writers.
Suggestions? Thoughts? And if you’ve been to a writers conference, what were the best panels you’ve actually attended?
3 thoughts on “So how do we fix it?”
I bet it's not to late for New York Comic Con! 😉
I’ve appreciated the panels with the author, his/her agent and editor, maybe marketing point person (?) because it gives a sense of the scope of the work it takes to become a published author. It would be particularly interesting to hear from a team that also has made a big move re: ebooks–novellas to support printed projects or other alternative PR and/or financial opportunities, what has worked and what hasn’t.