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Jewish Authors Conference Recap

by Erika Dreifus on
4

I spent yesterday, October 3, on the second floor of the Center for Jewish History, where, in the Kovno Room, the Jewish Book Council hosted its second conference for authors writing for adult readers (a popular conference for Jewish children’s book authors and illustrators has been running for years, and will reconvene in November). Subtitled “The Path to Publication,” this conference packed an enormous amount of material into a day. Here are some of my (highly subjective) highlights:

  • Samuel G. Freedman delivered an opening address on “Becoming an Author.” Shortly before the conference began, I introduced myself to Mr. Freedman, whose work I’ve long admired and whose Writers’ Seminar on the Jewish People I’ve wished I were still young enough to join. In his remarks, Mr. Freedman was realistic about how hard it can be to get published, but he offered several encouraging points. For instance, he argued that book publishing has remained more stable than newspapers/magazines, in part because book publishing is less dependent on advertising, and in part because the increasing popularity of e-devices has shown that readers will still pay for book content in electronic form.
  • Mr. Freedman’s comments provided an excellent opening to the rest of the sessions. The four sessions that followed—don’t worry, we had a (kosher) lunch break along the way!—introduced the conference attendees to some of the key participants one encounters on the path to publication: literary agents, editors, publicists, and professional organizations (in this case, the Authors Guild, represented by Jan Constantine). Ms. Constantine provided a useful overview of the ways the Authors Guild serves and protects its member authors, and literary agent David Forrer of Inkwell Management made himself very popular when he offered publicly to take a look at one of the attendees’ manuscripts.
  • The editors’ panel was a standout. It featured Amy Gash, Algonquin Books/Workman; Marcia Markland, St. Martin’s Press; Yona Zeldis McDonough, Lilith magazine; and Cindy Spiegel, Spiegel & Grau/Random House. Plenty of nuts-and-bolts information was offered, but for me, highlights included the chance to introduce myself to Ms. McDonough (who accepted and published one of my early short stories back in 2002) and hearing about a book that Ms. Markland had brought along in manuscript form: Martin Fletcher’s first novel, The List, which takes place in post-World War II London and involves Jewish refugees (if I am remembering correctly, it will be published in about a year, and I’m already anticipating it eagerly).
  • Publicists Brian Gittis (Farrar, Straus & Giroux) and Joseph Rinaldi (St. Martin’s Press/Thomas Dunne Books) were generous with their advice. “Think off the book page,” Mr. Rinaldi said, more than once, meaning that especially in this age of shrinking print review space, it’s important to think about other angles in which an author/book can be presented. Admittedly, he said, this can be easier to do with nonfiction books, especially books on, say, political topics, whose authors can more easily pop up as experts cited in news stories or as authors of op-ed pieces. But it can be done more broadly, too.
  • And last, but definitely not least: the author panel I moderated, featuring Gal Beckerman, Jennifer Gilmore, and Joanna Smith Rakoff. It was so wonderful to be able to meet these authors “in real life,” and an honor to be the one asking them questions. We probably could have spent our entire hour (or maybe even the entire day) on a question that had come up earlier in the conference–what exactly is a “Jewish” book?–but we managed to cover somewhat more territory, including the authors’ experiences finding agents to represent them (generally “the hardest part” of the whole process for writers, Ms. Gilmore said), working with editors, preparing a nonfiction proposal, and the experiences of engaging with audiences (especially audiences developed through the Jewish Book Network).

    • All in all, it was a day very well spent. As usual (and not only because of the praise that the presenters rightfully heaped on the conference organizers), I found myself grateful that I’d learned about the Jewish Book Council way back when, and proud to be a part of such a vibrant literary culture.

    Moment Magazine Seeks Student Bloggers

    by Erika Dreifus on
    2

    This just in from Moment magazine’s e-newsletter:

    Moment Magazine is recruiting bright, inquisitive, and diverse student contributors for our blog “In the Moment.” Moment is the world’s largest independent Jewish magazine, and our blog gets upwards of 10,000 hits a month. As a student blogger, you will write one post a week on topics of Jewish politics, religion and culture. This is an incredible opportunity for young writers to develop their skills and benefit from the expertise of our team of experienced editors. At the end of each semester, the three bloggers who have generated the most web hits will receive a cash prize. To apply, please send an application consisting of the following to nelis(at)momentmag(dot)com by October 10, 2010:

  • Your name,age, university and major.
  • 1-2 short paragraphs on why you’re interested in Jewish issues and what unique perspective and background you bring to the blog.
  • 2 short writing samples.
  • 4 specific, original ideas for blog-posts you’d want to write.

    • Good luck!

    Notes from Around the Web

    by Erika Dreifus on
    Disabled

    Lots of Jewish literary news to share with you before Shabbat, my friends!

    • Israeli author Assaf Gavron is among the latest artists to be named a Schusterman Visiting Artist. Gavron will be in residence at Chapman University (Calif.) next spring.
    • In case you missed the news, David Grossman’s latest novel (translated by Jessica Cohen) is now out in the U.S. (And in the days since I wrote the post I’ve just linked to, which includes a mention of George Packer’s New Yorker profile of Grossman, Packer participated in a Q&A with readers archived here.)
    • I loved Josh Lambert’s pre-Yom Kippur “contrition edition” book column for Tablet.
    • Coming soon from the Feminist Press: Israeli writer Michal Govrin’s Hold on to the Sun. (I can’t tell if there’s a translator involved here, although an editor is referenced.)
    • Just a little more than a week away: the Jewish Book Council-sponsored Jewish Authors’ Conference. (I’ll be moderating a panel of pretty impressive authors: Gal Beckerman, Jennifer Gilmore, and Joanna Smith Rakoff.)
    • And last, but not necessarily least: a little bit about l’dor v’dor and its presence in my own poetry and prose.

      • Shabbat shalom!

    Jewish Currents Call for Submissions

    by Erika Dreifus on
    Disabled

    Just received via e-mail from Lawrence Bush, editor of Jewish Currents:

    For the “Concealed/Revealed” column in the Winter, 2010 issue of Jewish Currents, we are seeking essays of up to 300 words on the theme of “Darkness.” These should focus on personal experiences that have been transformative, provocative, or just plain unforgettable. Names can be withheld upon request. The theme is inspired by Hanuka, the darkest time of the year, but has many, many meanings. Essays should be submitted to lawrencebush(at)earthlink(dot)net or mailed to POB 111, Accord, NY 12404. Deadline: November 10.

    NB: When I’ve inquired in the past, I’ve been told that these are nonpaying publication opportunities.

    Calls for Subs for Jewish Lit Anthologies

    by Erika Dreifus on
    Disabled

    Over the past several days I’ve learned about some current anthology projects on Jewish-related subjects, and they’re all seeking submissions.

    First, if you’re from St. Louis, you may be interested in Winter Harvest, which “will feature writings which enhance and enrich Jewish life, submitted by members of the St. Louis Jewish community, including present and former St. Louisans. The types of works to be included will be fiction, poetry, folklore, life stories, essays, modern midrashim and art.” Submission deadline is September 30, 2010; publication will be spring 2011. Contributing writers “will receive one copy of the publication and additional copies may be purchased at a 50% discount. We are planning a reception and reading in the spring of 2011 at which all published contributors will be invited to participate.” (via CRWROPPS-B)

    Next, A Midsummer Night’s Press is planning two anthologies celebrating queer Jewish poetry: Flamboyant: A Celebration of Jewish Gay Poetry, edited by Lawrence Schimel; and Milk and Honey: A Celebration of Jewish Lesbian Poetry, edited by Julie R. Enszer. Both books are slated for spring 2011 publication. “We are looking for poems that celebrate and question, meditate and intimate, argue and reconcile contemporary queer Jewish identity. What is queer Jewish experience in the twenty-first century? What poetry expresses queer Jewishness today?” The submission deadline is November 30, 2010, and payment will be three copies of the anthology per contributor.