This way to crowds of summer literary confabs!

 (Updated 9:08 a.m. June 9 to include information about writing workshops at FenCon and ArmadilloCon.)

Is it summer already? Unseasonably boggy weather has kept temperatures in North Texas at far from balmy levels. And those crowds of kids I’d expect to see? Time lost to the pandemic as well as last winter’s one-two punch of killer cold and equally deadly power outages has extended the school year weeks longer than usual.

At least, we have plenty of literary conferences to look forward to, in a mix of in-person, virtual, even hybrid venues. I’ll concentrate on those with a Texas twist. But in a virtual world, around the country – or the world – can be as close as our hometowns, starting with:

June 10-12: REH Days

Image: wikimedia commons

celebrates the life and works of Conan creator (and Texas native) Robert E. Howard in his hometown of Cross Plains, Texas. Of course, it’s in person – we’re all barbarians! – but feel free to mask up. (Maybe with one of the stylish Conan versions available online?) Free, as always. The only paid event is the annual banquet which is already sold out. Access to Howard’s home and museum, the Cross Plains library’s collection of original typescripts and memorabilia, readings, and more. Cross Plains is approximately a three-hour drive from Dallas. Lodging is available at nearby towns, including Brownwood, site of REH’s grave. See the REH Days site for full list of events.

June 11-13: Houston Writers Guild’s annual conference goes virtual. Saturday speakers include Dallas-own Arianne “Tex” Thompson Agent/editor panel, agent pitch sessions, plus sessions on marketing, networking, genre writing and blending, memoir writing and more. Early bird registration (ends June 11), $30 plus processing fee. Editor/agent pitch sessions (which still appear to be available) are $25 each. See the site for details and registration.

June 21-27: Historical Novel Society North America’s annual conference will be virtual. This year’s guest of honor is Lisa See (Snow Flower and the Secret Fan), with special presenters Libbie Hawker and Jane Friedman, master classes, panels, and more. Unfortunately, it’s too late to register for agent pitches. Registration: $259 for HNS members, $289 for nonmembers. See the site for complete schedule.

June 28-July 1: Thrillerfest XVI stays virtual. Options include master classes ($399) consulting ($75) and pitching ($50 sessions), and more. There’s also a free “Best First Sentence Contest,” open to registrants. Deadline for registration by mail as well as entries for the Best First Sentence Contest is June 15.

July 22-24: When the conference goes virtual, location is not a problem. So, although the Writer’s Digest reports itself to be sad not to see participants in person, it’s eager to proclaim a virtual conference. Pre-conference workshops July 22 ($199 each), and a choice of fiction or publishing business tracks for the main conference July 23-24 ($199 each). See the site for add-ons, including recordings.

August 25-29:  BoucherCon, the world mystery conference, plans to meet in-person in New Orleans, with guest of honor Michael Connelly. Registration is $195, fully refundable if an in-person meeting in deemed to be not available. See the site for tentative schedule and list of special guests.

***

How many literary conferences have pushed their normal summer dates back in order to proceed in-person? Lots! Including the Writers League of Texas in Austin, Texas, now scheduled for September 17-19.

Those are also the dates for the Dallas-area science fiction/fantasy convention FenCon. A Facebook message stated that due to limited staff, FenCon will not have an organized writing workshop this year. The convention is considering what it terms "workshop-style panels" for 2021 with a return to the formal workshop in 2022. 

The hands-on event, Writers in the Field returns in person October 9-10, to Mansfield, Texas. Registration opens in June, with more information to come.

The Mayborn Literary Nonfiction Conference plans a hybrid conference – part in-person, part by Zoom – October 15-16. The site says plans are still being made but assures that the traditional writing contests and networking opportunities will be part of its lineup.

The Austin, Texas, science fiction/fantasy convention ArmadilloCon is delaying its return until October 15-17. At this point, information only appears to be available at the convention’s Facebook page. A Facebook message stated that ArmadilloCon will have an in-person writing workshop October 15, with format similar to previous years. More information will be available when the website is updated.

The Dallas-Fort Worth Writers Conference follows on October 23-24, in Hurst, Texas. Early registration (through October 10) is $379 for both days. Saturday only registration, which includes the keynote address, is $289; Sunday registration, which includes the Query Gong game show) is $239. I’ll update as more information is available.

***

Still to come: The Romance Writers of America (RWA) conference will be held virtually in November. Check the site for details.

Worldcon, the World Science Fiction Convention, is moving its 2021 dates to December 15-19, with provisions for a virtual conference if necessary.

The World Fantasy Convention is still monitoring the pandemic situation but hopes to have an in-person event in Montreal this year, apparently sometime in late fall.

As always, I’ll update this blog as new information arrives.

The world in your hands – 2020’s virtual literary events

It started when an ad flashed across my screen for a literary event on the other side of the country. An event I never have the funds to attend, much less the nerve to travel to during a pandemic. Then, as I was about to scroll past, the magic words appeared – now online!

I dashed to the website, checked the cost – less than half of what the in-person event would have been, plus no travel or lodging fees, pulled out a credit card, and then wondered what else is there that I’d love to go to if only I could afford it. And wasn’t scared of catching my death of COV-19 to attend.

Usually, this blog concentrates on event in Texas, especially in my region of the state. But with online events, no place is too far!

image: cocoparisienne from Pixabay

June 26-28: Writers’ League of Texas bills the 2020 version of its annual Austin, Texas, event as an “unconference.” Sad to report, this one doesn’t include the list of agents and editors that are usual sweeteners, but there’s still plenty of craft information as well as other goodies such as genre meetups for writers and the popular “yoga for writers.” And it’s free! See the site for details, but hurry, this one’s coming up fast. The final schedule should be available June 23. See the site for details.

June 27: 2020 Austin African American Book Festival has also gone virtual. It's free but attendees must register on Eventbrite (see the site for links). The festival includes four Zoom sessions from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., with New York Times bestselling authors Isabel Wilkerson and Dr. Damon Tweedy, American Library Association-recognized librarian and archivist kYmberly Keeton, and a tribute to poet Paul Laurence Dunbar. The festival's theme -- "We Wear the Mask: Surviving Oppression in the 21st Century," pays homage to one of Dunbar's most famous works. 

July 6-14: Thrillerfest is the New York conference whose announcement first ignited my attention, with package prices starting at $149. At that price, writers get the basic Mega CraftFest, which includes videos with more than 120 of the best thriller authors in the world. Or upgrade to Master Class for $399 with a maximum of 10 attendees per instructor in a private Zoom room. Pitch sessions with agents and consulting sessions with editors are available for additional fees, although most are already sold out.

CareerFest is a free add-on with both CraftFest and Master Class and includes discussions of what agents want in a pitch, social media use, book reviews, and more. See the site  for details.

July 29-August 2: WorldCon is the worldwide conference on science fiction and fantasy, originally scheduled to be held in Wellington, New Zealand, now goes virtual, with the likes of author guests of honor Mercedes Lacks and Larry Dixon and toastmaster George R.R. Martin, and more. To attend, buy memberships through the sponsoring convention, CoNZealand. Cost is $300 NZ for attending adults, with discounts for teens and children. At this writing, program details have not been confirmed. Check the site for updates and payment information.

August 28-30: Romance Writers of America are also going virtual with the annual RWA Conference. Early registration opens June 23, at 11 a.m. Central Time, starting at $139 for RWA members and $189 for nonmembers, with discounted rates available for students. Expect inspiring speakers, workshops and networking. Recorded sessions will be available to attendees for the remainder of 2020. (Wondering about the recent publicity surrounding RWA’s diversity issues? Black authors who are RWA members may attend free of charge. One hundred scholarships will be available for non-RWA member Black authors. Details available when registration opens.)

October 16-17: Bouchercon is the world mystery convention, originally scheduled for Sacramento, California, but now virtual. Details are still being worked out, with registration opening July 1-October 4. Refunds for attendees who registered for the Sacramento conference by April 16 should receive a full refund. Keep an eye on the site for details.

October 29-November 1: Not to be outdone by WorldCon, the World Fantasy Convention 2020 has also gone virtual. Cost $125. Programming details still to come, but guests include author guest of honor Stephen Gallagher, editor guest of honor Anne Groell, artist guest of honor David Cherry and author special guests Brandon Sanderson, C.J. Cherryh, Cindy Pon, and Stephen Graham Jones.

November 5-7: Writer's Digest Annual Conference also goes virtual, with a new date. Still with writing instruction--including pre-conference workshops with David Corbett and Windy Lynn Harris, plus inspiration and publishing advice in flexible viewing sessions. Registration is open. Cost for the basic conference (November 6-7) is $349. The pre-conference workshops (November 5) are available as add-ons to the basic conference for $149 each, or can be bought as stand-alones for $199. There's also a pitch-slam add-on for $149, with preparation starting August 14. See the site for details and registration. 

***

What’s not on this list?

 I’m still waiting for ArmadilloCon to respond to my request about the status of its August 7-9, Austin, Texas, sci-fi/fantasy event.

 FenCon, the Dallas-area sci-fi/fantasy convention originally scheduled for September 18-20, has been postponed until 2021. Memberships, vendor and art show space already purchased will be rolled over to 2021 or contact the convention by September 1to request refunds.

The Historical Novel Society has also cancelled its 2020 conference in Durham, England, but plans to reschedule for 2022. (Note: the HNS North American conference is still on track for June 24-26, 2021, in San Antonio, Texas.)

***

I woke up June 23 to a report of an assault at the 2019 (nonvirtual) Bouchercon. The incident was passed on to Thrillerfest which, although not associated with Bouchercon, initially published the victim's name. (This information had been deleted before I saw the post.) Although virtual conventions will eliminate the possibility of physical assault, please exercise compassion and common sense in all contacts, including virtual ones.

(This post has been updated 10:25 a.m. CDT, June 23, to note assault report at a previous year's convention and at 4:01 p.m. CDT, June 25, to include the Austin African American Book Festival. Information about the Writer's Digest conference was added June 29. I will not add more updates to this post, but will provide more details about the late summer and fall conferences in additional posts.) 

Wordcraft -- Fall literary events in (mostly) North Texas

It’s still the dog days in Texas, so why am I posting about literary events of the fall? Because they start this weekend! Chances to meet and listen to your favorite authors in person, attend discussions with other crazed reading and writing fans, check out a new writing contest -- for students only at this point. Sometimes there’s even great food.

August 29-September 2 -- WorldCon, Henry B. Gonzales Convention Center, 200 E. Market Street, San Antonio. This is the big one -- the 71^st Annual World Science Fiction Convention. It’s the one where they hand out the Hugo Awards (which will be broadcast live September 1). Miss it, and you’ll have to fly to London to catch the 2014 convention. Walkup tickets still available, although online registration has closed.  For more information, directions, and program schedule, see  www.lonestarcon3.org/.

August 30-31 -- In Dallas, check out the 10^th annual Tulisoma South Dallas Book Fair, with activities at the African-American Museum in Fair Park, 3536 Grand Avenue, among other venues. The Heart and Soul cultural tour of South Dallas historical sites is currently filled, but check out the museum’s exhibits, lots of authors, and entertainment. Many activities free or moderately priced. See http://tulisoma.org/.

September 10 -- Richardson Reads One Book features The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak. The Richardson Reads program was designed to bring residents of this Dallas suburb together. Previously, tickets were free but limited to Richardson residents. I’m hoping the program’s new venue at First United Methodist Church of Richardson, 503 North Central Expressway, with seating beginning at 6:45 p.m., will be roomy enough to seat nonresidents as well, but I’ll have not yet confirmed that with the Richardson Library. The Book Thief has been very popular with young adult readers locally, with Zusak making an appearance earlier this year at the Highland Park literary festival. And there’s a movie, scheduled for release in December. See http://onebook.cor.net/.

September 10 -- Also this date, public events from the Friends of SMU Libraries, beginning with lecture and book signing by historian James Reston, Jr., whose new book, The Accidental Victim, proposes a new theory about the assassination of President Kennedy. Reception at 6 p.m. in the Hughes-Trigg Ballroom on the SMU campus, followed by lecture and book signing. Free. For additional Friends events, see
http://smu.edu/libraries/friends/events/.

October 4-6 -- FenCon, the annual science fiction/fantasy convention at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, 14315 Midway Road, in the Dallas suburb of Addison. Family-friendly events, including those especially for kids; panels by many local authors. New this year, a young authors’ short story contest, with deadline extended to September 20. For information, see www.fencon.org/.

October 15 -- Dallas Authors Live fall series begins at Dallas Heritage Village at Old City Park, 1515 Harwood, at 7 p.m. with Dallas author Kathleen Kent. Kent hit the best seller lists with historical fiction about the Salem witch trials. Her latest book is The Outcasts, set in nineteenth century Texas. Admission to her discussion is free through October 10, $10 at the door. For more information, see www.dallasheritagevillage.org/.

October 19 -- The fourth annual Literature + Medicine conference adds a poetry lecture, 5-7:30 p.m., in the Fogelson Forum at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital, 8200 Walnut Hill Lane, Dallas. Keynote speaker is National Poetry Series award winner Dr. Rafael Campo. See also --

October 24 -- Literature + Medicine Conference, 5-7:30 p.m. in the same location, with keynote speaker John M. Barry, author of books on the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 and the 1918 influenza epidemic. Cost is $15 for the poetry lecture, $25 for the Barry conference, with special rates for health care professionals. I attended last year and thoroughly enjoyed the format. Plus, the pre-lecture buffet is great! See
www.texashealth.org/.

October 26-27 -- Texas Book Festival, various venues around the State Capitol in Austin. Preliminary schedule and list of authors should start coming online in September. See www.texasbookfestival.org/.

November 8-10 -- Readers & ’ritas conference, Hilton Garden Inn -- Allen, 705 Central Expressway. Meet dozens of romance authors, including some locals, hear their discussions on your favorite topics, bring books to trade and donate (proceeds benefit Plano Family Literacy). Good food and bags of swag! See https://2013readers.eventbrite.com/.

And by the way, today, August 26, is the third anniversary of this blog. Ten friends read my first post -- how they found it I’ll never know, since even Google couldn’t locate the URL. Hundreds of posts and nearly twenty thousand views since, more than a thousand of you drop by each month. Hope you’re having as good a time as I am.

Wordcraft -- Give your story its second act

Have you given your stories a second act? I don’t mean a screenplay “act” but a chance for previously-published stories to find new audiences, maybe even bring in fresh money as reprints.

When I first started sending stories out, I had a backlog of new material to get out. But once the thrill of seeing stories in print wore off, I looked at my contracts and realized the initial publisher had only bought rights for a limited time, maybe even only one time. Stories somebody had been willing to buy began languishing in out of print anthologies, or buried deep in online archives. They were occupying space, even if cyberspace, without paying rent.

So I scanned my favorite writing markets reference for publishers who accepted already-published material. Surprising to me, there was plenty of demand for reprints. The publishers didn’t usually pay as much as for stories that hadn’t been previously published. In some cases, I even accepted nonpayment just to get my stories in front of new readers.

Of course, publishers want assurance that you have the legal right to resell your stories. Check your contracts. I keep folders for mine, but if yours are lost, often the original publisher’s website will list the contract terms. Also, check the new publisher’s requirements. After waiting a year for my rights to a particular story to revert, I learned the publisher I was interested in wanted an eighteen-month hiatus before accepting a reprint.

The subject of reprints is fresh on my mind because of a recent sale of audio rights. Audio books and podcasts are hungry markets. Perhaps because of the volume of material they need, they also, in my experience, can have long response times. Consider fine-tuning your market search for places that accept simultaneous submissions. Just notify one if another accepts you first.

Speaking of market research, fellow blogger Deborah Walker commented on last Monday’s post that the Submitomancy project never got off the ground. But she mentioned another rival for Duotrope’s Digest -- Submission Grinder, http://thegrinder.diabolicalplots.com/.

Submission Grinder follows much the same format at Duotrope, without Duotrope’s subscription fee. I compared search results at both, using the criteria of fantasy genre, short story length, electronic submissions, token payment or better, and acceptance of reprints. Although I specified at least token payment, the Grinder brought up several nonpaying listings. It also brought up one recently closed market, and at least a couple that accepted book length works, not short stories. It also had fewer listings than Duotrope, understandable given that the Grinder only opened in January 2013.

Otherwise, there was considerable overlap between market listings for both Grinder and Duotrope. But not complete duplication. The Grinder had some that Duotrope didn’t show, and vice versa. For now, I’m registered at both. And I’d love to hear your experiences with these or other market research sites.

#

Last week I promised updates on Texas literary festivals and writing conferences first posted in January. Two of the biggest are Southern Methodist University’s announced lineup of authors for its 2013 Literary Festival, and deadlines for Hugo nominations for the Worldcon science fiction and fantasy convention in San Antonio.

SMU’s eight speakers -- poets, novelists and short story writers -- come bearing credentials as New York Times bestsellers, Pushcart Prize winners, Tobias Wolff Award winners, and more. For the complete list, see www.smu.edu/litfest/.

Hugo (fan-based) awards nominations for Worldcon close this coming Sunday, March 10. For details and a link to the nomination ballot, see www.lonestarcon3.org/.
  

Wordcraft -- Feast of book fests

While writing round-up posts last year about writing conferences, I also found many conferences geared to readers and fans. And since writers are also readers, I’m dedicating this first Wordcraft post of 2013 to events for readers. Most are in North Texas, but some are further afield within the state. Since this is only a sampling, feel free to add your own favorites.

January 17 - June 4 -- Arts and Letters Live at the Dallas Museum of Art. Presentations by authors, actors, illustrators, musicians and more. Speakers include former Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright, Pulitzer Prize winner Elizabeth Strout (Olive Ketteridge), Booker Prize winner Margaret Atwood, and scientist Temple Grandin. Locations vary. See http://dallasmuseumofart.org/.

February 15-17 -- ConDFW XII, literary science fiction and fantasy event, Crowne Plaza Dallas, 14315 Midway Road, in Dallas suburb of Addison. Panels, readings and author signings. Also includes short story contest, with entries due January 27. For details, see www.condfw.org/.

February 21 -- Highland Park Literary Festival. At its heart are the workshops for Highland Park High School students, but keynote address by author Markus Zusak (The Book Thief) is free and open to the public. Highland Park High School, 4220 Emerson, University Park. See www.hplitfest.org/.

March 20-23 -- SMU LitFest -- Southern Methodist University’s revived literary festival, on the Dallas campus. A schedule of individual events will be posted later in January at http://smulitfest.wordpress.com.

April -- The Big Read Dallas -- series of events based on the late Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451, although the April 19 reading at the Dallas Museum of Art is sold out. For updates on events, see http://bigreaddallas.org/.

August 29-September 2 -- World Science Fiction Convention (Worldcon). It’s in Texas this year, at the Henry B. Gonzales Convention Center in San Antonio, 200 East Market St. It’s been in Melbourne, Yokahama, and Glasgow. This year, it’s in our state! Worldcon is where reader-favorite Hugo Awards for best science fiction and fantasy are presented each year. Hugo nominations are open through March 10. See
www.lonestarcon3.org/.

September -- Richardson Reads One Book, Richardson High School, 1250 West Beltline Road, Richardson. Speaker and date TBA. For updates, check www.cor.net/ .

October 4-6 -- FenCon X, a conference for fans of science fiction/fantasy/horror, Crowne Plaza Dallas, 14315 Midway Road (Dallas suburb of Addison). I’ll discuss the writing workshop and short story contest in more detail in next Monday’s roundup of writing conferences. Also see the link on its site for related conferences, including comics, www.fencon.org/.

October 24-26 -- National Black Book Festival, Fallbrook Church, 12512 Walters Rd., Houston. Hundreds of authors, free to the public. See www.nationalblackbookfestival.com/.

October 26-27 -- Texas Book Festival -- the big one! Free to the public, at the Texas state capitol, 1200 Congress, Austin. More than 200 Texas and nationally-known authors, with readings, discussions, book signings, and music. See
www.texasbookfestival.org/.

November 8-10 -- Readers & ‘ritas conference for romance authors and readers. Site TBA. See http://2013readers.eventbrite.com/.