When Words Count Retreat
Agent-in-Residence: April 25-28, 2014!
Meet Katharine Sands, NYC Literary Agent
And Expert on Pitching Books!
Spend Four Days and Three Nights with the Literary Agent Who Wrote the Book on Pitching Literary Agents!
“…Today, writers can have the magical imagination of J. K. Rowling, the wit and wisdom of Frank McCourt, the perfect economy of Ernest Hemingway, and the inspired brilliance of (whoever really wrote) Shakespeare. Yet they still need to pitch, query, and propose before they can get published. As a New York City-based literary agent, I focus my workshops on what writers need most when they enter the literary arena: a hands-on guide to the nitty-gritty of how to navigate the “how to get published” landscape. It’s all about finding the right words and getting the right people to read them. Come and learn my best ideas so you can make the perfect pitch for yours.”
A Sought-After Public Speaker
Katharine speaks frequently on writing and publishing. She has lectured and lead workshops for Poets and Writers, The American Society of Journalists and Authors, UCLA, New York University and the New York State Council on the Arts.
During this Weekend, Katharine will Teach You How to Win Over an Agent by:
- Delivering Just Enough Flavor of the Book to Whet the Agent’s Appetite for More
- Starting in a Logical, yet Compelling, Place
- Identifying the most Exciting Elements to Highlight
- Nailing the Five Key Points You Must Make in order to Get Buy-In
- Mastering the Do’s and Don’t of Query-Letter Writing
Katharine explains how to get an agent to want YOU, to read YOU and to say YES to YOU. She discusses the best ways to showcase your writing as a bold, new entry in its category — and how to position yourself as an author with an intriguing book that’s poised to spring forth. She covers: hooks, selling points, engines, easy-to-fix Query mistakes and how to write a killer Page One.
“Literary agents are always on a treasure hunt,” Katharine says. “But few writers know how to make them yell, ‘Eureka, I’ve Struck Gold!'”
Katharine can Help You if You are:
- Getting ready to pitch agents and editors
- Actively querying agents and publishers
- Hoping to master Agent Speed Dating
- Having trouble explaining your book in 250 words or less
- Feeling uncomfortable about Promoting Yourself
Whom has Katharine Represented?
Katharine’s clients have published a wide variety of books. Here are a few:
- Spiritual Pregnancy: Nine Months that Change Your Life Before You Give Birth, by Dr. Shawn Tassone and Dr. Kathryn Landherr
- Talk to Strangers: How Everyday Random Encounters Can Expand Your Business, Career, Income and Life, by David Topus
- The New Rules of Attraction: How to Get Him, Keep Him and Make Him Beg for More, by Arden Leigh
- Stand Up for Yourself: Resolve Workplace Crises Before You Quit, Get Axed or Sue the Bastards, by Donna Ballman
- Making Healthy EZ, with Dr. Oz guest, Dr. Julie Chen
- Dating the Devil, (producer: Vast Entertainment) by Lia Romeo
- Chasing Zebras: THE Unofficial Guide to House, MD, by Barbara Barnett of “Let’s Talk TV”
- Ford model Helen Lee’s, The Tao of Beauty
- Elvis and You: Your Guide to the Pleasures of Being an Elvis Fan
- Taxpertise: Dirty Little Secrets the IRS Doesn’t Want You to Know
- The SAT Word Slam
- Divorce After 50
- Make Up, Don’t Break Up, with Oprah guest Dr. Bonnie Eaker Weil
Weekend Highlights
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Dates: Friday, April 25th to Monday, April 28thCheckin: 2-3 p.m. Friday. Checkout: Noon, Monday.
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Minimum Number of Guests: Five
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18 Hours of Personal Interaction with Katharine: At Meals (Breakfast/Dinner); In Daily Workshops (from 5 to 6:30 p.m. and in evening Hash Sessions)
Package Includes:
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Room Assignments (first-come, first-served)
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Three Gourmet Meals/Day, Cocktail-hour hors d’oeuvres,Coffee/Tea Service
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Agent-in-Residence Programming
Deposit: $325 (Total Cost: $975)
Katharine is Currently Looking for Talent to Represent. Here’s What She Likes:
In Fiction …
Fiction authors turn Katharine’s head with “urgent storytelling” that drives and compels the action. She also likes books that use interesting characters to hook the reader into the story.
In Non-Fiction …
“Eclectic” best describes Katharine’s taste in non-fiction. She likes topical, non-fiction books that bring “clear benefits” to readers in such areas of their lives as: food, travel, lifestyle, home arts, beauty, wisdom, relationships and parenting — or that take a fresh look at popular culture, life challenges and issues of the day. Katharine likes memoirs and femoirs that transport her to “a world rarely seen, or newly observed.”
The Sarah Jane Freyman Agency
Sarah Jane Freymann Literary Agency, LLC, is a New York-based group comprised of four literary agents with strong interests in:
Fiction:
- Literary
- Commercial
- Young Adult
Non-fiction
- Self-help
- Spiritual
- Narrative
- Memoirs
- Cookbooks
The Agency represents world-renowned naturalists, award-winning journalists, fiction authors and prize-winning cookbook authors and has promoted books that have sold more than 100,000 copies in the U.S., Europe and Asia. Many of the Agency’s lifestyle, illustration and design books have become classics.
Links to More Information about Katharine:
Katharine’s Book: Making the Perfect Pitch
The Sarah Jane Freymann Agency Website