7 WEEKS TO ACFW CONFERENCE

I just counted them, and we have seven weeks to ACFW conference in Indianapolis. I am really looking forward to it. This is a time all authors and wannabe's get together and learn more about the craft.

Each year, we select agents and editors we want to talk to. This year, I selected only agents. I need an agent before I need an editor. I've read the bios, know what they are expecting from me, and now I'm preparing what they need.

There are several things I absolutely hate to do in writing. The first thing I hate the most is to write a synopsis. .Some great authors have helped me over the last few days. The first thing to remember is to write in present tense. I always want to slide back in past tense, but I'm trying hard not to. The length differ with every agent. Some want one page, some two to three. Most of the agents I selected want two to three pages, so hopefully that won't be too hard.

The next thing I hate is the dreaded One Page. A One Page is what it says, a page with the blurb about your book, your elevator speech, and your bio with picture. I also put a picture representing the book. Mine is a mountain sunset. My One Page is finished! In fact, it is already in my folder and ready for conference.

Most agents ask for pages from your book. I need to print them out. Some agents ask for a few pages and some ask for up to three chapters. Each agent is different. That is why you must study each agent you want to see.

Most of the agents this year asked for a finished book. Some have asked for two completed books. They also ask what you are doing on social media. I do very little with social media. I do have a Facebook account and I'm on Twitter, but I don't do much with it.

One more thing I have decided to do is to write under my real name. My self-published books will still be under Katt Anderson, but I will be writing under Kathy Cretsinger for any books I get a contract from a publishing company. I'm excited about letting people know who I really am.

I have seven weeks to get everything together. I'm blessed to have a wonderful author take me under her wing. Sandra Robbins is not only a wonderful author, but also a good friend.and critique partner. She has helped me so much with my writing.There is much to do in the next seven weeks.