Programming | The Word On The Street

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11:00 - 11:45 :: The Insider’s Guide to Getting Published in Perilous Times

Quite apart from the current economic crisis, publishing is undergoing tremendous change. EBooks and E-Readers, free culture, writers’ websites, print-on-demand – these are just a few of the issues facing publishers. Do they present new opportunities for writers? How can you get your manuscript read? Should you publish yourself and market yourself? What is the health of publishing in Canada today?
Learn more about Cynthia Good

12:00 -12:45 :: Do I Have to Hide the Truth When I Write about People I Love?

These two writers attack the fraught topic of writing about our friends, families, and communities. What's fair? Is there pressure to make our communities exotic? Is there pressure to be spokespeople or cheerleaders for our communities? Is multiculturalism an advantage in these times or a curse?
Learn more about Anthony De Sa and Anar Ali.

1:00 - 1:45 :: What Do I Have to Show An Agent to Get Her Interested in Me and What Can She Do For Me That I Couldn't Do Myself?

Agents have become more and more difficult to get, but if I do get one can they lead me to publication? How important is it to have an agent? How does one get international deals? Helen Heller Agency represents adult fiction and non-fiction. Helen has enjoyed a great deal of success selling her projects both domestically and internationally.
Learn more about Helen Heller

2:00 - 2:45 :: A Life In Letters - Can A Writer Really Make A Living?

Karen Connelly has managed to live by writing and teaching about writing poetry, fiction, and non-fiction. How does she manage to live by her pen? Is it really possible, or should one hang on to the day job and if you really do need to hang on to your day job, how can you maximize your writing income and still stay true to your craft?
Learn more about Karen Connelly

3:00 - 3:45 :: How Am I Doing So Far? An Assessment of One Minute of Prose

In this session, a professional editor and writing teacher will listen to one minute of your prose (novel, non-fiction, short story) and let you know what they think of the writing and the story. Aspiring writers should bring one anonymous page of an adult novel or short story to the session and drop it in a box. Pages will be chosen by lottery (no guarantees that yours will be picked) and read aloud by host and author, Antanas Sileika. Jack David and Kim Moritsugu will each react to the opening line. This is a rough and ready exercise, not for the faint of heart!

4:00 - 4:45 :: It's a Crime!

Prominent Toronto criminal lawyer, Robert Rotenberg, talks about how he broke into the world of fiction by landing a New York agent and publisher and sales in nine other countries for his debut murder mystery novel set in Toronto, Old City Hall. What is his secret? How did this title manage to sell in nine countries, including the US and Britain? Learn more about Robert Rotenberg

5:00 - 5:45 :: The Young and the Restless - Travel Writers or Writers Who Travel?

Andrew Westoll's first book, Riverbones, told of his immersion into the culture of Suriname and Richard Poplak's The Sheikh's Batmobile reflects his travels across the Middle East in search of Islamic Popular culture. How can you travel and write and make a living? Find out from these two writers breaking out on the Canadian literary scene when they are not busy exploring the world.
Learn more about Andrew Westoll and Richard Poplak