Superstars Writing Seminar

I hope they do one next year (2012) so I can plan for the expense and time away from my kids.

Schedule is released! Sign up NOW!

THURSDAY - JANUARY 14, 2011
8:30 AM Intro, seminar overview, introduce speakers (Kevin)
9:00 Econ 201 for Writers: Economics of Commercial Publishing (Eric)
10:00 Inside Editors: How editors look at manuscripts (Dave, Kevin, Eric)
Noon Lunch
1:30 PM Myths of Publishing (Rebecca)
2:30 Agents: the ³A² word (Brandon, Eric, Dave)
3:30 ³Dirty Secrets²: Being a professional author (Kevin, Rebecca)
4:30 From Slushpile to #1 Bestseller in 4 Years (Brandon)
5:00 The Popcorn Theory of Success (Kevin)
Evening: Welcome mixer/reception

FRIDAY - JANUARY 15, 2011
8:30 AM Copyright basics (Dave, Eric)
9:00 Self-Publishing & Ebooks: Realities and Pitfalls (Eric, Rebecca)
10:00 Pitching the Big Proposal (Brandon, Kevin, Dave)
11:00 New Media: Using It to Get an Edge (Brandon, Rebecca)
noon Lunch
10:00 Networking for Writers (Rebecca, Dave)
2:30 Do It Yourself: Self-Promotion for Authors (Sherrilyn Kenyon)
3:30 Promoting Yourself and Your Work (All)
4:30 Open session: Q&A
Authors available for signing
VIP Banquet: Ruth¹s Chris Steakhouse

SATURDAY - JANUARY 16, 2011
8:30 AM Ergonomics: When Writing Gets to Be a Pain (Rebecca)
9:00 Dissecting a Contract (Eric)
10:00 Movies, TV, and Authors (Dave, Kevin, Brandon)
11:00 Two Heads Are Better Than One: Collaborations (Eric, Kevin, Rebecca, Brandon)
noon Lunch
1:30 Intellectual Property: How to Exploit Yours (Dave)
2:30 Eleven Tips to Increase Your Writing Productivity (Kevin)
3:30 Balancing Acts: Writing World and Real World (All)
4:30 Open session: Q&A

The schedule looks pretty awesome, Brad. Hopefully a little birdie will report on the seminar

I wish I could go, but my workshop budget is taken up with DWS stuff and Worldcon this year (and maybe Clarion? if I get in). Maybe next year if they keep doing this seminar.

Writing seminars are terrific, but, fore those unable to attend in person, something on line would be great.

I know they make DVDs of the Superstars seminar, for later resale.

Also, over at the Baen's Bar web forum they run live critique groups.

The Orson Scott Card Hatrack community does something similar.

I will say this: on-line can't ever be quite as effective because there is no replacement for the immediacy of a live workshop. I learned this first-hand in 2009 and it was a career changer. No question about it.

This is a short coda, following my completion of the Superstars seminar this past weekend.

If the Writers of the Future workshop is a course titled, "How to be a working professional writer - 101" then Superstars is essentially a combination of, "How to be a working professional writer - 201" and "How to be a working professional writer - 301." It was a superb follow up to everything covered in the Writers of the Future workshop. Mainly because it focuses entirely on the business of writing novels and selling novels. The Writers of the Future workshop spends a lot of time on craft, and (necessarily) constructing short fiction. But if you're like me and you've already done a lot of short fiction -- especially if you've sold some of it -- the Final Frontier then becomes: how to sell novels in New York?

They ran the table, in this regard. At the end of the workshop we were asked to do a survey, wherein we were asked what we'd add? I was honestly stumped. They covered almost every major and minor topic I could have thought of, where being a working novelist was concerned. Eric Flint's material was especially valuable -- for me -- because some of what Kevin J. Anderson and Rebecca Moesta covered, was previously covered at WOTF. Eric brought hard stats on novel royalties, delved deeply into how advances and returns work, and he also brought and handed out one of his own novel contracts so that we could all see what one could look like -- then he walked us through all the clauses and explained to us what each of the clauses meant.

Also like WOTF, the real value is not necessarily the panels, but the content between the panels. Networking. Getting to have impromptu discussions with the panelists -- all of them working, highly successful professional novelists -- and being able to also talk to other attending professionals. For our group in Salt Lake City we had visiting pros like Tracy Hickman, who brought the house to tears with a wonderful story I'd first heard him tell in 2009. Tracy wasn't listed as an official panelist, but his inclusion was a huge bonus. Same for Howard Tayler (Schlock Mercenary comic) and Mary Robinette Kowal ("Shades of Milk and Honey," as well as SFWA vice-president.) They provided a lot of additional commentary and content; and my understanding is that Kevin and Rebecca want to try to bring similar people and content to future workshops. Added bang for the buck, as it were.

Also also like WOTF, the real value is in the other aspiring writers you will meet. In Salt Lake City there were about 15 recidivists from the 2009 Superstars seminar -- people who'd not only forged a bond with the panelists, but each other as well. Writing is lonely stuff, very often. There aren't many places where you can meet like-minded folk face-to-face and talk to them the way you can talk to them at Superstars. All meals become chatter sessions and after-hours is just an excuse to go locate one or more of the panelists at a nearby grill or restaurant and open up a (potentially long) evening of information exchange and personal sharing. Having seen -- and enjoyed -- this at other workshops, I felt like Superstars definitely delivered. If you stay in your room and don't socialize, you're missing the point.

Kevin and Co. are in the very-advanced planning stages for Superstars, Las Vegas 2012. Now is the time to begin planning your attendance, if you are at all interested in going. I thought it was a great seminar and I found terrific value in it.

Oooh, Vegas is a *much* better location...

For those seeking a peek at Superstars, this youtube channel gives 5 minute clips on all the material:

http://www.youtube.com/user/HezekiahKidron

Take a look!

For those interested in which month the next Superstars is going to be, I believe Kevin said they were looking at April 2012 for the next one. It was really a good workshop. As with WotF, it's an excellent chance to meet and ask questions directly to established authors working in the business, and Superstars covers a lot of material regarding what to do after you have that novel and you're ready for the next step.

Don't hide in the back of the room eating by yourself during lunch break. The best part really is hanging out with the big names and knowing they're there for you. (And by that token, don't hang out in the back at WotF if you get the chance to go to the workshop. I'm one of the biggest wallflowers out there and a part of me wishes I had said more.)

Everything Laurie said.

I am refreshing this, so as to bring it to the top of the heap.

Sign-ups are still happening, and encouraged. For those of you considering a great workshop experience in 2012.

I highly recommend this.

http://www.superstarswritingseminars.co ... p/speakers

That one is very, very tempting.