FAQ for Panel #19 on Saturday

Agents receive dozens of queries and manuscripts each week. They can't possibly read every word. But they do take a quick look. An enticing first page makes all the difference.

The First Pages session offers a rare behind-the-scenes look at how book publishing's gatekeepers make their decisions. A dozen or so first pages from conference attendees' non-fiction books-in-progress will be read aloud to a panel of top agents. They'll share their frank impressions with the audience and the authors (who will remain anonymous).

If you plan to attend the session, you can submit the first page of your book manuscript (non-fiction only). This isn't a contest! Pages will be selected to represent a variety of styles, subjects - and flaws. We can't promise that your page will be among those read to the panel; nor can we notify you in advance if yours is chosen. However, writers find the session fascinating and illuminating even if their own work is not discussed.

The Agent Panel

• Kathleen Anderson, Anderson Literary Management
• Adam Chromy, Artists and Artisans
• Gillian MacKenzie, Gillian MacKenzie Agency
• Ken Wright, Writers House

Submission Instructions

To submit your first page, send a text email message - no attachments - to Sarah Wernick, First Pages panel moderator, at sarah@sarahwernick.com.

Please use the following format:

• Make the subject heading ASJA FIRST PAGES.
• At the beginning of your message, write your name and email address; this is for correspondence purposes only - writers will not be identified to the panelists or to the audience. All submissions will be acknowledged within a few days.
• Include the title or a working title of your non-fiction book.
• Add a brief description of the book - no more than 25 words. The title and brief description are required; both will be read to the panel.
• Copy the first 250 words of your manuscript and paste it into the message.
• Note: Your submission will be returned for cutting if the book description or first page runs over the limits above. Please check the word counts before you send. And while you're at it, proofread your message to make sure the format and content are correct.

These strict word limits will allow us to read as many first pages as possible. But the required format is not merely a response to the session's time constraints. Throughout the life of your book - from the time your proposal lands on an agent's desk, to the moment when a potential customer plucks it from a bookstore shelf for further consideration - its fate will be determined by the title, a brief description, and a glance at the first page.

Deadline for Submissions

Must be received no later than Monday April 9, 2007.

Questions about First Pages?

Email Sarah Wernick at sarah@sarahwernick.com.

A Few Useful Links

• So, You Want to Write a Book, an article by Sarah Wernick, provides detailed information about non-fiction book publishing, with links to many additional resources.
• The Power of Leads, a column by Chip Scanlan, discusses newspaper leads and provides a "brown bag" of instructional resources. Scanlan says: “An effective lead makes a promise to the reader or viewer: I have something important, something interesting, to tell you. A good lead beckons and invites. It informs, attracts, and entices.”
• Blog of Miss Snark, literary agent, "in which Miss Snark vents her wrath on the hapless world of writers and crushes them to sand beneath her T.Rexual heels of stiletto snark."
• Blog of The Rejecter: "I am an assistant at a literary agency. I am the first line of defense for my boss. On average, I reject 95% of the letters immediately and put the other 5% in the 'maybe' pile. Here, I'll tell you how to get past me."