Dear Bread Loafer,
The form below asks you to choose your your top choices of agents and editors to meet with while on campus, if desired.
To prepare for your agent/editor meeting, please read the Guest Meetings Overview and FAQ below.
Bread Loaf Writers' Guest Meetings Overview and FAQ
Many Bread Loaf participants have found meeting with publishing professionals to be a very positive and helpful experience during their time at Bread Loaf. The editors and agents also enjoy these conversations very much. Our purpose in providing these meetings is to give you a chance to understand the publishing process a little more clearly by hearing from people directly involved in the industry. Many participants have told us that these personalized meetings have allowed them to deal with matters of publication in a matter-of-fact way, with more understanding and less apprehension.
These meetings also give editors and agents the opportunity to meet you. The meetings are not “tests,” just early introductions, and gathering information is the primary goal. The guests are here for only a couple of days or so, and we have not asked them to offer editorial feedback on written work, so they are not expecting to read your work here at the conference. If they are interested, they will let you know that they would like you to submit a sample or a manuscript, but in general they are just looking to give you some concrete advice according to the stage you are at with your writing. Therefore there should not be any sense of disappointment on either side if the meeting does not lead to an invitation to submit work.
You will receive a sheet in your registration packet upon arrival to Bread Loaf that lists your meeting details.
Here are some common questions.
How can I make use of my time with an agent or editor from a publishing house? What can I accomplish?
PLEASE COME PREPARED: Participants should come prepared with questions for the guest with whom they are meeting, whether the questions are about a particular project that the writer is trying to advance or about the publishing world in general.
If you have a finished manuscript or are in the process of developing one you may share your working pitch with the agent or editor. They can help you refine it and give you a better understanding of what is important in the presentation of your work. Or you can ask questions about publishing and get feedback about where you are in your writing process. For instance, a guest might be able to comment about whether or not you are ready to send out a manuscript; about your concept for a book; about the submission process at their particular agency or publishing house.
How should I prepare for a meeting with a magazine editor?
PLEASE COME PREPARED: Participants should come prepared with questions for the guest with whom they are meeting, whether the questions are about a particular project that the writer is trying to advance or about the magazine publishing world in general. Your meeting with the editor is an opportunity for you to have a conversation that will be useful to you, whether you’re new to submitting or have published in magazines before.
It’s a good idea to familiarize yourself with their magazine first. One option is to have a conversation with the editor about specific pieces in the magazine. This can help you to understand that magazine’s particular character and what the editor is looking for in a submission. You could also ask about the submission process if you wish. You might want feedback about previous submission experiences, or to talk about whether you’re ready to submit your work.
This year's guests are:
Ibrahim Ahmad, Executive Editor, Viking Penguin
Miriam Altshuler, Agent, DeFiore & Company
Holly Amos, Managing Editor, Poetry
Jin Auh, Agent, The Wylie Agency
Ian Bonaparte, Agent, Janklow & Nesbit
Emily Everett, Managing Editor, The Common
Jenni Ferrari-Adler, Agent, Verve Talent & Literary Agency
Yuka Igarashi, Executive Editor, Graywolf Press
Jenna Johnson, Editor in Chief, Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Gerald Maa, Editor, The Georgia Review
Ayesha Pande, Agent, Ayesha Pande Literary
Katie Raissian, Executive Editor, Scribner
Martha Rhodes, Publisher & Executive Editor, Four Way Books
David Roderick, Editor, Unbound Edition Press
Leslie Sainz, Managing Editor, New England Review
Jeff Shotts, Executive Editor, Graywolf Press
Janet Silver, Senior Partner and Agent, Aevitas Creative Management
Oriana Ullman, Assistant Editor, The Paris Review
Randy Winston, The Black List
Thank you,
Noreen Cargill and Jason Lamb
