Have You Planned Your Classes? Don’t Forget the Slush Pile!

Have you checked the schedule online yet? It’s jam packed with great presenters and workshops!

The last session of Saturday September 24 will be a SLUSH PILE.

This is always a lot of fun.

What’s a slush pile? Wikipedia does a great job of defining it as follows:

In publishing, a slush pile is a set of unsolicited query letters or manuscripts that have either been directly sent to a publisher by an author, or which have been delivered via a literary agent representing the author who may or may not be familiar to the publisher.

as per Wikipedia

In other words it’s a pile of stuff that will be dealt with sooner or later… or not at all.

These are the places where query letters and manuscripts go an fight a valiant fight to be noticed amongst the others.

Well, we’ll have our own little slush pile party. Bring the first (yes first) page of your manuscript. No name as its anonymous.

Polish it off and bring it along with you. There’ll be a collection bin at the registration table where you can leave it.

Pages will be randomly selected and read aloud to the panel and audience. Those on the panel will then tell everyone their thoughts on the writing, the premise, the hook… Normally this exercise is done with agents and publishers but we’re using authors too. The critique will be about the words on the page… does it hook me? do I want to read more? does the writing need help?

Remember it’s anonymous. You do not need to reveal your identity unless you want to.

This means you can hear the good and perhaps the not-so-good, of each reading.

Learn from the different styles, voices, and techniques. Listen to what the expert panel has to say.

This is an opportunity for anonymous feedback from industry professionals.

Print it off and bring it along… no names–remember.

Source of cover pic: DrewChialAuthor.com