I participated in a webinar led by agent Mark McVeigh a few weeks ago. He had invited a group of writers, who follow his blog, to this webinar; I happened to be one of the lucky participants!
Mark worked as an editor for eleven years, most recently as editorial director at Simon & Schuster’s Children’s Publishing Division, before he opened his own literary agency, The McVeigh Agency.
He spent 90+ minutes explaining the nuts and bolts of the publishing industry: how to get a literary agent, how to present your work in the best possible light to people in the business, and how to make connections with editors and others in the industry. He left plenty of time at the end to answer the questions that we had.
His presentation was clear and concise. (He was a sixth grade teacher before he entered the publishing industry and his experience in that field and his love for teaching came shining through during the session!)
And the added bonus? None of us had to rush to the airport on time, take a two/three hour trip to get to the destination, or check into a hotel in order to attend the seminar.
We used a web tool to connect, so we could not only hear each other, but also see each other. All we had to do was log in from wherever we happened to be at the time for which the session was scheduled!
Do you want to grow as a writer? Then you have to hear Mark’s advice in that area:
- Write every single day.
- Get into a routine to write.
- Be part of a critique group – online or face-to-face or both.
- Become involved and immersed in the writing community.
- Work on different genres for different age groups: get out of your comfort zone.
At Mark’s suggestion, a number of the participants, including myself, immediately formed an online critique group.
I found out soon, much to my delight, that this group is pretty eclectic in the genres and age groups for which it writes. I belong to a wonderful face-to-face critique group already, and now I’m very excited about being a part of this new one also.
Overall, it was a pretty cool session — one which gave me a chance to not only learn from one of the pros of the publishing industry, but also connect with a bunch of like-minded writers who are willing to learn and grow alongside me.
I hear Mark is planning on conducting more of these webinars, which don’t require anything special besides a webcam on your computer. Keep your ears to the ground!
Wading Through Words 
@Thanks for the post Hema.
Looks like the webinar was really good.
I’m also currently trying to work out a second critique group in a different genre.
Critiques help a great deal….and Writing everyday…!
I’ll check Mark’s blog.
Best,
Suma.
Great post, Hema! I’ve been meaning to write my post on the webinar, but the day I wanted to do it my computer wasn’t cooperating. Maybe I’ll wait a little while because I think Kelly and Dawn just did theirs too. I loved the webinar, and one of the best parts was meeting all you guys!
You’re welcome, Suma! Yes, the webinar was great, packed with a lot of learning and making new friends, too :).
Thanks, Susan! Yes, we all have been blogging in waves about the webinar, haven’t we? The more the merrier :). And Amen to the last sentence in your last comment!!
Great write up, Hema! I’m glad that Mark threw us all together. :)
Sounds very helpful and interesting Hema and thank you for sharing Mark’s advice with us! :)
I think getting out of your comfort zone is one of the most difficult things to accomplish, I know I want to stay where I feel safe and the chances of me making mistakes are low but I also know trying different things can be very helpful as well…
Thanks for posting this, Hema! Good luck with the online critique group. I belonged to one years ago and for the most part really enjoyed it.
Thanks, Sharon!
Lua, I usually feel the same way about getting out of my comfort zone, and blogging has been one of the bigger things I have done in the recent past that took me way out of my zone. However, I noticed that when you push yourself to do something like this and begin to enjoy it, you get such a kick out of it :).
Thanks, Rachel! I haven’t had a chance to try writing a picture book as yet, but have already critiqued three in my online group. And my mind is beginning to wrap around the idea of trying one out for myself. Now, there’s a big plus already! :-)
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@Hema – On a different note. I just tagged you in my blog:-) Do write in.
Thanks, Suma :)! Like I said to another friend who has also tagged me, I find it great fun to find out little bitty things about the other bloggers out of these games, but when it comes to me I simply freeze. I’ll definitely do something with it soon, though.
I’ll hop over to your site right now to see how you ‘detagged’ yourself! :-)
Great advice! Thanks for sharing Mark’s wisdom with the rest of us, Hema!
Great write up, Hema! It was such a cool and educational experience, and we were all super lucky to get invited. I learned a ton.
I, too, am so glad we all met. :) Have a wonderful week!
You’re welcome, Leigh!
Thanks, Dawn! It sure was!
I gotta get me into one of these … thanks for the post and link, Hema, it was very helpful :)
You’re welcome, Aspiring Novelist! Webinars are fun and informative, that I can vouch for! :-)