What our pros want to see at the 2022 Washington Writers Conference.
Our literary agents are making their “manuscript wish lists” for the 2022 Washington Writers Conference on May 13-14 at the Bethesda North Marriott Hotel & Conference Center. Register by Friday, December 31st, and you’ll get to pitch to four of them (after that, you’ll get three pitches).
What are they hoping to see? Here are some insights:
Tara Gilbert of the Jennifer De Chiara Literary Agency is broadly looking for “romance and contemporary fiction.”
Susan Hawk, who specializes in books for children and teens, is hoping to find “projects and creators that are diverse, books that are unabashedly feminist, and something that will make me laugh.”
Victress Literary’s Lizz Nagle seeks in nonfiction “substance use/mental health/grief memoirs; anything that explores anything with humor and resilience. Also, true crime. For fiction, I’m looking for anything unusual, dark, and twisty highlighting taboo subjects and propelling minority opinions in a real-world setting.”
Sam Hiyate, president of the Rights Factory, is eager to hear about “anything voice-driven or funny, and I love genre mashups.”
L.A.-based Dana Newman is on the lookout for “practical nonfiction by authors with smart, unique perspectives and established platforms; compelling, inspiring narrative nonfiction that reads like a novel; [and] upmarket and literary fiction featuring character-driven stories written in a distinctive voice.”
And Regina Ryan of Regina Ryan Books is simply hoping to find “good, riveting narratives.”
While the one-on-one pitches are the centerpiece of the conference, there’s plenty more on offer, too, including a keynote address by high-powered journalists Peter Baker and Susan Glasser and a roster of panels designed for writers at every level.
But DON’T WAIT to sign up! Attendance is capped at 150, and spots are going fast! Register now, and we’ll see you in 2022!
