Next week (May 28) is the BEA/WDB Writers Conference! I fly into Los Angeles on Tuesday evening, so I can be at the conference registration table bright and early to start welcoming our attendees, authors, agents, and speakers.

As a key editor behind the conference programming, here's an overview of my top picks if you'll be attending. (And for those still debating it, you can register on-site the morning of the conference.)




For Novelists Still Revising

1. Fire in Fiction (literary agent Donald Maass)
2. Plotting a Novel They Can't Put Down (author James Scott Bell)
3. Revising a Novel They Can't Put Down (author James Scott Bell)

For Novelists Ready to Pitch

1. Get Known While You Sleep—A Platform Primer (author Christina Katz)
2. Effective Use of the Internet for Authors (author Bill O’Hanlon)
3. Panel: Ask the Literary Agents (moderated by GLA's Chuck Sambuchino)
   OR Practice Your Pitch with Lauren Mosko

For Nonfiction Writers

1. Finding a Home for Your Personal Essay (author Victoria Zackheim)
2. Panel: Creating and Contributing to Anthologies
   
3. The Times They Are A-Changin’: Being a Successful Author Amidst Transformational Change in Book Publishing  (Jane Friedman, that's me, not the HarperCollins Jane)

For Scriptwriters

1. Getting Started in Writing for Television (Richard Hatem)
2. Panel: Meet the Script Agents and Managers
3. Panel: From Book to Film/TV: How Your Work Comes Alive

Of course there are many more wonderful sessions, including a pitch slam with about 40-45 agents participating. You can download a portion of the conference program here (PDF).