Thursday, August 31, 2017

How to Get Published ~ A mini-conference, Saturday, Nov 18, in Guelph

The Neighbours by guest speaker
Hannah Mary McKinnon, coming from
MIRA books, March 2018
How to Get Published ~ A mini-conference with 3 guest speakers:  a literary agent, an author, and an editor from HarperCollins
Saturday, November 18, 2017
10:00 a.m. – 3:30 / 4:00 p.m.
Harcourt United Church,  87 Dean Ave, Guelph, Ontario (Map here.)

If you've ever dreamed of becoming a published author, this mini-conference is for you. We’ll cover the whole process of getting published, giving you the inside track from an author, a literary agent, and an editor.
You'll get the best tips and in depth insight on everything from getting started to getting an agent, to finding a book publisher, from writing a query letter to writing what the publishers want. Bring your questions. Come and get ready to be published!
Special Option: Participants are invited to bring a draft of a query letter you might use to interest an agent or publisher in your book. You don’t need to bring anything, but if you do, three copies could be helpful.
And be sure to bring your elevator pitch! Following the end of the formal workshop at 3:30, Brian Henry will be staying for at least half an hour to help interested attendees write query letters that will get a yes, while literary agent Martha Webb will be listening to your pitches and author Hannah McKinnon and editor Michelle Meade will be answering your questions. Remember, agents come to these events wanting to hear what you’ve got and hoping to find authors they want to represent.

Workshop leader Brian Henry has been a book editor and creative writing teacher for more than 25 years. He publishes Quick Brown Fox, Canada’s most popular blog for writers, teaches creative writing at Ryerson University and has led workshops everywhere from Boston to Buffalo and from Sarnia, Ontario, to Saint John, New Brunswick.
But Brian’s proudest boast is that hehelped many of his students get published and launch their careers as authors.
  
Guest speaker, Martha Webb, is a literary agent, director and full partner at the McDermid Agency.
The McDermid Agency represents literary novelists and upmarket commercial novelists and writers of nonfiction in the areas of memoir, popular science, investigative journalism, popular culture, lifestyle, biography, history and travel. The agency also represents children's and young adult (YA) writers and writers in the fields of science fiction and fantasy. Our writers have been nominees and winners of many literary prizes including the Man Booker Prize, the Scotiabank Giller Prize, the Governor General’s Literary Awards, the Writers Trust awards, the RBC Taylor Prize for narrative non-fiction, the (formerly named) Orange Prize, the Amazon First Novel Award, the Kobo Emerging Writers prize, the Danuta Gleed Award, and the Commonwealth Prize.
Martha has been with the agency since 2005. She represents a wide range of booksbut her list focuses primarily on literary fiction, narrative nonfiction (including memoir and true crime) and ideas-driven nonfiction. She is especially drawn to approaches that are thought-provoking, controversial, change the conversation on a given subject or have a positive impact on people’s lives.
Her clients include: Michael Crummey (multiple award-winning author of Sweetland);  Alison Pick (long-listed for the Booker Prize);  Robyn Doolittle (Bestselling author of Crazy Town: The Rob Ford Story); Deborah Campbell, winner of the 2016 Hilary Weston Writers Trust Prize; Pasha Malla (long-listed for the Giller, shortlisted for the Commonwealth Writer’s Prize, winner of the Danuta Gleed and the Trillium awards); Jessica Grant, (winner of the Amazon.ca First Novel and the Winterset awards);  Grace O'Connell; Andrew Westoll; and Karen Le Billon, whose first book French Kids Eat Everything sold into thirteen countries and translated into ten languages.

Guest speaker Michelle Meade is an assistant editor with MIRA Books, a HarperCollins imprint head-quartered in New York and Toronto. MIRA publishes novels for a broad audience. They’re eager to acquire breakout and established commercial fiction with a strong narrative drive and complex characters across a wide spectrum, from multi-layered relationship and family dramas that make for good book club picks to voicy contemporary reads, thrillers and psychological suspense, sweeping historicals, speculative novels and more.
Last year 53 MIRA titles placed on bestseller lists (New York Times, USA TODAY and Publishers Weekly) for a total of 225 weeks. MIRA publishes approximately 100 books per year in all formats.
Michelle lives for the thrill of discovering new voices in commercial fiction and helping authors produce the best books possible for their readers. She’s most interested in complex, emotional reads, especially those with high-tension, suspenseful plots and engaging, authentic characters. She’s particularly looking for emotional, character-driven novels and speculative fiction and would love to find the next Liane Moriarty and Audrey Niffenegger.
At the workshop, Michelle will speak about what she does as an editor, what catches her eye in a manuscript (and what makes her give a manuscript a pass), and will answer all your questions.

Guest speaker Hannah McKinnon is the author of Time After Time (published by HarperCollins in Britain), a novel about love, loss and second chances that’s full of humour. 
Her second and third books have been acquired by MIRA. The first of these, The Neighbors, a novel about the implosion of two families, is scheduled for March 2018, and her third book a year later. 
When she’s not writing novels for adults, Hannah’s three boys give her plenty of material for children’s books. You can read a review of Time After Time here
At the workshop, Hannah will be sharing what she’s learned about being a writer, finding an agent, getting published, and making a career as a novelist.

Fee: 48.67 + 13% hst = 55 paid in advance or 53.10 + 13% hst = 60 at the door

To reserve your spot now, email brianhenry@sympatico.ca

See Brian's full schedule here, including writing workshops and creative writing courses in Algonquin Park, Barrie, Bracebridge, Brampton, Burlington, Caledon, Collingwood, Georgetown, Guelph, Hamilton, Ingersoll, Kingston, Kitchener, London, Midland, Mississauga, Newmarket, Orillia, Oakville, Ottawa, Peterborough, St. Catharines, St. John, NB, Sudbury, Thessalon, Toronto, Windsor, Halton, Kitchener-Waterloo, Muskoka, Peel, Simcoe, York, the GTA, Ontario and beyond.


Wednesday, August 30, 2017

“A Few of the Best Book Review Sites and Blogs” by Jennifer Scott



Books are easily one of the most popular and sought-after pastimes in all of human civilization. Granted, paper and hardback books may, in future, be transformed into digital format and will simply be words on a screen, but I still believe there’s nothing better than picking up a book in your book shop and getting lost in it. The feel of your fingers on the pages, the touch of the cover in your hands, even the smell is to die for! But, as an avid book reader, it’s easy to run out of ideas on what to read next.

Fortunately, there is a wide variety of book review websites available that can help you to discover your new favourite novel or story. If you’re wondering where to turn to next and nothing is jumping out at you from the shelves, here is a list of some of the best book reviews sites on the Internet, giving you a taste of what the world of literature has to offer.

BookBrowse labels itself as the “one-stop resource for books.” BookBrowse is an extremely popular book review site where can search for new books to your heart’s content. There’s a dedicated section for finding new books that you haven’t read, and there are even online book clubs so you can discuss your current favourites with other like-minded fans.

BookReporter: If you’re looking for quick reviews so you can get a rough opinion on a book you’re interested in, Book Reporter is the website for you. The reviews average out around 500 words long, meaning you get everything you need on the book, without giving too much away, in a matter of minutes. There’s also a tonne of built-in forums and discussion groups for getting some great new reader inspirations.

AllReaders.com: The website itself may look dated, but All Readers is easily one of the most comprehensive book databases available on the Internet. There’s a heavily customizable search engine bar so you can find exactly what kind of books you are after, and the reviews are short and easy to read, giving you all the information you need before picking up a new classic.

The New York Times: One of America’s leading media publications, the New York Times book review section is as comprehensive as it gets. The reviews on books can easily reach 1,000 words long, but the reviewers, opinions and concepts the writers introduce are unlike anything you’d find elsewhere. If you’re after some seriously thought-provoking content and reviews that are worth reading for their own sake, not just to learn if a book is any good or not, The New York Times is the place for you.

Library Thing: With over 2 million active users, it’s safe to say that Library Thing is one of the most popular book review sites on the Internet. The soul of this website comes from its user interaction. There are dedicated chat rooms, forums and discussion rooms to talk with other like-minded readers, enabling you to discuss concepts and ideas as well as exploring new ideas on what you could read next.

BookPage: If you’re in need of a book review site that’s modern, up-to-date and easy to navigate, Book Page has got you covered. With an extensive range of reviews, trending lists, author interviews and opinion columns, Book Page, at its core, is an online newspaper publication specifically made with books and readers in mind.

Jennifer Scott is a business developer who works in different areas of education, technology, security and various types of online marketing. Prior to business developing, Jennifer was a consultant at Deloitte, and managed security services and developed of a wide range of security solutions.
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Of course, there are many other excellent book sites (Goodreads comes to mind) and especially for Canadians, there’s Quick Brown Fox. Read book reviews on Quick Brown Fox here (and scroll down). Check out assorted other reviews here (and scroll down). And of course many of the personal essays published on Quick Brown Fox are about a favourite book or more generally about reading or writing – check them out here  (and scroll down).

Note that Quick Brown Fox always welcomes your essays about a favourite book or your experience of reading or writing. Read a few essays on the blog to get a taste of what other writers have done, write your own, and submit it to me at: brianhenry@sympatico.ca

If you’d like to try your hand at writing a book review (or any kind of review), they’re always welcome, too. You can read an essay about how to write a book review here and see guidelines about submitting reviews of any kind to Quick Brown Fox here. ~Brian


See Brian Henry’s schedule here, including writing workshops and creative writing courses in Algonquin Park, Bolton, Barrie, Brampton, Burlington, Caledon, Georgetown, Guelph, Hamilton, Ingersoll, Kingston, Kitchener, London, Midland, Mississauga, Oakville, Ottawa, Peterborough, St. Catharines, Saint John, NB, Sudbury, Thessalon, Toronto, Windsor, Woodstock, Halton, Kitchener-Waterloo, Muskoka, Peel, Simcoe, York Region, the GTA, Ontario and beyond.

Monday, August 28, 2017

How to Write a Bestseller workshop with #1 bestselling author Kelley Armstrong, Saturday, Oct 21, in Oakville

The Oakville Public Library presents…
How to Write a Bestseller
 With book editor Brian Henry
  & New York Times #1 bestselling author 
   Kelley Armstrong 
Saturday, October 21, 2017
10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Oakville Central Library, 120 Navy Street, Oakville, Ontario (Map here.)

This workshop will give you the inside scoop on what gives a novel best-selling potential. You’ll learn how to get readers emotionally involved in your story, how to raise tension, control your pacing and keep your readers turning the pages. But you won't just hear about some of the best secrets of the trade; you'll learn how to apply them to give your own writing a sharp new edge.

Workshop leader Brian Henry has been a book editor and creative writing teacher for more than 25 years. He publishes Quick Brown Fox, Canada’s most popular blog for writers, teaches creative writing at Ryerson University and has led workshops everywhere from Boston to Buffalo and from Sarnia, Ontario, to Saint John, New Brunswick. He has helped many of his students get published, including guest speaker Kelley Armstrong...

Kelley Armstrong lives in Aylmer, south of London, Ontario, with her husband and three children. She used to program computers and attend Brian Henry workshops. Now she writes international bestsellers. Kelley has hit the New York Time’s bestseller list with both her supernatural thrillers for adults and her urban fantasy for teens.

Kelley's principal publishers are Random House in Canada, St. Martins and HarperCollins in the U.S. and Doubleday and Little Brown in Britain. To date, she's published more than 30 books, most recently Missing, a fantasy novel for teens;  and coming in August, Rituals, a gothic novel for adults.

Bitten, A TV series based on Kelley’s first 13 novels, has been broadcasting since January 2014.

Fee: 43.36 + 13% hst = 49 paid in advance by mail or Interac
or 46.90 + 13% hst = 53 if you wait to pay at the door

To reserve a spot now, email: 
brianhenry@sympatico.ca

Don't ever miss a post on Quick Brown Fox. Fill in your email in the box to the right under my bio, and get each post delivered to your Inbox. Also, if you’re not yet on my newsletter, send me an email, including your locale, to:
 brianhenry@sympatico.ca ~ Brian

See Brian’s current complete schedule here, including writing workshops and creative writing courses in Algonquin Park, Bolton, Barrie, Brampton, Burlington, Caledon, Georgetown, Guelph, Hamilton, Ingersoll, Kingston, Kitchener, London, Midland, Mississauga, Oakville, Ottawa, Peterborough, St. Catharines, St. John, NB, Sudbury, Thessalon, Toronto, Vaughan, Windsor, Woodstock, Halton, Ingersoll, Kitchener-Waterloo, Muskoka, Peel, Simcoe, York Region, the GTA, Ontario and beyond.


Friday, August 25, 2017

New books: Rainbow in the Snow by Irene Crawford-Siano and Putting Your Affairs in Order by Edmond Burrows

Hi, Brian.
 I took several classes with you in Woodstock and area and thought you might be interested to know I've sold my novel Rainbow in the Snow to Wings ePress.  It’s on Goggle & all those other outlets.  Another book, By the Seat of His Pants is pending.  Without college or  a lot of education,  if the desire to write is there, it can be done.   
Irene Crawford-Siano
For more about Rainbow in the Snow or to buy a copy, see here.



Hi, Brian.
I have attended several of your classes in Peterborough and found them useful and interesting.  I recently published my fifth book, which is titled Putting Your Affairs in Order.  
As the title suggests, it is a journal type book where you enter all of the information that will be needed by your loved-ones, your executor, your bank, your lawyer etc. when you die, so that everything is in one place.  It helps you get your estate wound up faster and saves costs.  
It has become very popular.  In the last month I have sold over 150 copies and almost 300 copies since it was published in mid-December. 
It is available by sending name and address and a cheque for $30.00 to Edmond Burrows, 1099 Clonsilla Ave, Ste 112, Bldg. A, Peterborough, ON. K9J 8L6.
Ed

See Brian Henry’s schedule here, including writing workshops and creative writing courses in Algonquin Park, Bolton, Barrie, Brampton, Burlington, Caledon, Georgetown, Guelph, Hamilton, Ingersoll, Kingston, Kitchener, London, Midland, Mississauga, Oakville, Ottawa, Peterborough, St. Catharines, Saint John, NB, Sudbury, Thessalon, Toronto, Windsor, Woodstock, Halton, Kitchener-Waterloo, Muskoka, Peel, Simcoe, York Region, the GTA, Ontario and beyond.

Wednesday, August 23, 2017

Creative writing courses starting soon: Introductory to advanced, including Writing Personal Stories & Writing Kid Lit

Welcome to Creative Writing
Ten weeks of discovering your creative side
Thursday afternoons, 12:45 – 2:45
September 28 – November 30, 2017
Appleby United Church, 4407 Spruce Ave, Burlington, Ontario (Map here.)
This is your chance to take up writing in a warm, supportive environment. This course will open the door to all kinds of creative writing. We’ll visit short story writing and children’s writing, writing in first person and in third person, and writing just for fun. You’ll get a shot of inspiration every week and an assignment to keep you going till the next class. Best of all, this class will provide a zero-pressure, totally safe setting, where your words will grow and flower.
Note: For a pair of reviews of Brian’s introductory creative writing classes, see here
Fee:  $167.26 plus 13% hst = 189
To reserve your spot, email: brianhenry@sympatico.ca

Writing Personal Stories
8 weeks of sharing and writing
Wednesday evenings, 7 – 9 p.m.
September 27 – November 15, 2017
Appleby United Church, 4407 Spruce Ave, Burlington, Ontario (Map here.)
If you've ever considered writing your personal stories, this course is for you. We’ll look at memoirs, travel writing, personal essays, family history ~ personal stories of all kinds. Plus, of course, we’ll work on creativity and writing technique and have fun doing it. Whether you want to write a book or just get your thoughts down on paper, this weekly course will get you going. 
We'll reveal the tricks and conventions of telling true stories, and we’ll show you how to use the techniques of the novel to recount actual events. Weekly writing exercises and friendly feedback from the instructor will help you move forward on this writing adventure. Whether you want to write for your family and friends or for a wider public, don't miss this course.
Read reviews of the Writing Personal Stories course here.
Fee:  $159.29 plus 13% hst = 180
Number of attendees strictly limited.
To reserve your spot, email: brianhenry@sympatico.ca

Writing Kid Lit ~ Picture Books to Young Adult
Thursday mornings, 9:45 – 11:45 a.m.
October 5 – November 30, 2017
Woodside Branch of the Oakville Public Library, 1274 Rebecca St, Oakville, Ontario (Map here)
Brian also offers Writing for Children & for Young Adult workshops on Saturdays. See here (and scroll down).
 From picture books to young adult novels, this weekly course is accessible for beginners and meaty enough for advanced writers. Through lectures, in-class assignments, homework, and feedback on your writing, we’ll give you ins and outs of writing for younger readers and set you on course toward writing your own books. 
We’ll have two published children’s authors as guest speakers: 
Sylvia McNicoll is the author of over thirty novel for young people. Her most acclaimed books are her three middle grade novels about fostering guide dogs:  Bringing Up Beauty, Beauty Returnsand A Different Kind of Beauty which won and were nominated for many children’s choice awards. In 2017, Sylvia launched her new middle grade series The Great Mistake Mysteries beginning with The Best Mistake Mystery in January and The Artsy Mistake Mystery in September and finishing with The Snake Mystery in January 2018.
Jennifer Mook-Sang started the story that grew into her humorous middle-grade novel Speechless, in one of Brian Henry's classes. Published by Scholastic in 2015, Speechless   won the Surrey Schools Book of the Year Award, was shortlisted for many other awards, and was recommended by the Ontario Library Association, the Canadian Childrens’ Book Centre, the CBC, and the TD Summer Reading Club. 
Jennifer’s spent the past year giving numerous school and library presentations and meeting her many young readers.  In October, just in time for her to bring copies to our class, Jennifer's picture book Captain Monty Takes the Plunge will be released by Kids Can Press.
Course fee:  $176.11 plus 13% hst = 199
To reserve your spot, email: brianhenry@sympatico.ca

The Next Step in Creative Writing
Ten weeks towards becoming a better writer
Tuesday afternoons, 12:30 – 2:45 p.m.
Classes run Sept 26 – Nov 28; first readings emailed Sept 19
Appleby United Church, 4407 Spruce Ave, Burlington, Ontario (Map here.)
This course will challenge you to take a step up in your writing. Over the ten weeks of classes, you’ll be asked to bring in five pieces of your writing for detailed feedback. All your pieces may be from the same work, such as a novel in progress, or they may be stand alone pieces. You bring whatever you want to work on.
In addition to learning how to critique your own writing and receiving constructive suggestions about your writing, you’ll discover that your greatest growth as a writer comes from critiquing other people’s work and form seeing how your classmates approach and critique a piece of writing and how they write and re-write. This is the course you want if you're ready to seriously improve your writing. 
Read reviews of Brian’s intermediate courses here.
Fee: $176.11 + 13% hst = 199
To reserve your spot now, email: brianhenry@sympatico.ca

Intensive Creative Writing
Ten special weeks with a group of special writers
Offered in two locales:
Monday mornings, 10:15 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.
Classes run Sept 25 – Dec 4; first readings emailed Sept 18
Glenview Church, Bethelhem Room, 1 Glenview Ave, Toronto, Ontario. (Map here)
And
Thursday evenings, 6:45 – 9:00 p.m.
Classes run Sept 28 – Dec 7; first readings emailed Sept 21
St. Alban's Church, 537 Main Street, Georgetown, Ontario (in the village of Glen Williams (Map here.)
The Intensive course is for experienced writers; people who have been working on their craft for a while, who have some experience in the art of giving helpful critiques, and who are working on their own projects. 
During course, you’ll be asked to bring in five pieces of your writing for detailed feedback. All your pieces may be from the same work, such as a novel in progress, or they may be stand alone pieces. You bring whatever you want to work on.  
In addition to learning how to critique your own work and receiving constructive suggestions about your writing, you’ll discover that the greatest benefits come from seeing how your classmates approach and critique a piece of writing and how they write and re-write.
Read a review of the Intensive course here.
Fee: $176.11 + 13% hst = 199
To reserve your spot now, email: brianhenry@sympatico.ca

Extreme Creative Writing
12 special weeks with a group of special writers
Wednesday afternoons, 12:15 – 2:45 p.m.
Classes run Sept 20 – Dec 13; first readings emailed Sept 13
Appleby United Church, 4407 Spruce Ave, Burlington, Ontario (Map here.
The Extreme course is for experienced writers; people who have been working on their craft for a while, who have some experience in the art of giving truly helpful critiques, and who are working on their own projects. During course, you’ll be asked to bring in six pieces of your writing for detailed feedback. All your pieces may be from the same work, such as a novel in progress, or they may be stand alone pieces. You bring whatever you want to work on.  In addition to learning how to critique your own work and receiving constructive suggestions about your writing, you’ll discover that the greatest benefits come from seeing how your classmates approach and critique a piece of writing and how they write and re-write.
Read a review of Brian's advanced course here.
Fee:  $193.81 plus 13% hst = 219 
To reserve your spot now, email: 
brianhenry@sympatico.ca

Instructor Brian Henry has been a book editor and creative writing instructor for more than 25 years. He publishes Quick Brown Fox, Canada's most popular blog for writers, teaches creative writing at Ryerson University and has led workshops everywhere from Boston to Buffalo and from Sarnia to Saint John. Brian is the author of a children’s version of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (Tribute Publishing). But his proudest boast is that he’s has helped many of his students get published. 
Read reviews of Brian’s courses and workshops here


See Brian’s complete current schedule here, including writing workshops and creative writing courses in Algonquin Park, Bolton, Barrie, Brampton, Burlington, Caledon, Georgetown, Guelph, Hamilton, Ingersoll, Kingston, Kitchener, London, Midland, Mississauga, Oakville, Ottawa, Peterborough, St. Catharines, Saint John, NB, Sudbury, Thessalon, Toronto, Windsor, Woodstock, Halton, Kitchener-Waterloo, Muskoka, Peel, Simcoe, York Region, the GTA, Ontario and beyond.