American Independent Writers (AIW) held its annual all-day conference yesterday at The Writers Center in Bethesda. The conference, in its thirty-second year, brought together industry professionals and writers of all stripes to share perspectives across genres.
This year’s conference marked a dramatic scaling down from past years, when AIW held court at George Washington University’s Cafritz Conference Center. The number of attendees this year was also smaller than the hundreds that were typical of past conferences. There were much fewer panels and sessions than previous years. Still, the standbys for which AIW is known for providing attracted a respectable number of writers eager for tips on circulating their work to larger audiences.
This year’s conference attendees were treated to a Literary Agent Q and A with Shannon O’Neill, director of domestic rights at the Sagalyn Literary Agency. The DC Publishing Industry Examiner sat on the panel Marketing Your Work with PR person and New York publishing veteran Gene Taft and Bethanne Patrick, founder of AOL Books Channel, The Book Maven, and The Book Studio on WETA. The Mysteries and Thrillers panel featured talent like local New York Times bestselling author John Gilstrap (Nathan’s Run). John Ross, Executive Editor of American Heritage magazine and bestselling non-fiction author of War on the Run, was the Plenary Speaker. The Crafting and Selling a Screenplay session drew talent the likes of Adam Meyer, screenwriter for shows on networks such as Fox, CBS, and The Discovery Channel. Sessions on historical narratives and connecting with a live audience rounded out the day, which ended with a networking wine reception.
Though attending a more intimate AIW conference this year, the DC Publishing Industry Examiner fielded basically the same questions that most aspiring writers asked others at previous conferences – namely, how to get an agent, how to get published, how to get industry insiders interested in their work. In the 32 years that it has held its annual conference, AIW has placed those asking such questions in proximity with those who could provide educated answers. This year was no exception. In this way, then, AIW continues to serve aspiring and established writers – just as it has since 1975.
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