The purpose of the NYC Pitch and Shop and Algonkian Writer Conferences is to give writers in all genres a realistic chance at becoming published authors by providing them with the skills, professional connections, and savvy they need to succeed in today's fiercely competitive market.

Our motto is "From the Heart, but Smart." Novels by conference attendees John Ford, Will Lavendar, Christine Meldrum, and Susan Breen have recently found publishers and lucrative contracts. Many more manuscripts are being reviewed by agents and acquisition editors.

Algonkian Writer Conferences differs from other conferences in several important ways:

• Substantial time devoted to marketing the novel to major publishers via high-concept, query, and pitch.
  
• MS/prose reviewed by pro editors, not attendees.
  
• Comprehensive 86-page novel-and-fiction study guide.
  
• Extensive pitch prep session before meeting agents.
  
• No mobs - small groups that facilitate interaction and growth.
  
• Unique and challenging pre-conference assignments that focus on all major novel elements.
  
• The only writer conference on this planet with a syllabus.
  
• Superior in-shop writing assignments and story dissection.
  
• Less fluff and more work - seven hours per day of workshops as well as evening assignments (we do give breaks).
  
• No inappropriate backslapping - emphasis on pragmatism and truth telling even if it hurts (the market is tougher).
  
• No boring lectures or panels to attend.
  
• No bells or lines - relaxed dialogues with faculty.
  
• Faculty chosen for wisdom as well as compassion - no snobs.

Every writer leaves an Algonkian event with a detailed plan for working towards the publication of their novel.
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Michael Neff is the founder and director of Algonkian Writer Conferences and the NYC Pitch and Shop Conference, as well as WebdelSol.Com, a popular hoster and publisher of literary content. He edits DEL SOL PRESS, and the literary journal, DEL SOL REVIEW. His own work has appeared in many national literary journals including North American Review, Conjunctions, and Quarterly West. His own novel, YEAR OF THE RHINOCEROS, is a story of the Reagan years in Washington, and will be forthcoming from Red Hen Press in 2008. His novel is currently featured with a novel trailer at NovelFilmTrailer.Com.

The NYC Pitch and Shop Conference offered direct access to major publishing houses, great mentors, and a community of supportive writers. The editors drew me to the conference, but the bigger benefit for me was the invaluable instruction in honing my pitch. The intensive workshops force you to crystalize the appeal of your manuscript. That helps greatly in the pitch sessions, but also -- maybe more importantly -- in drafting query letters and in editing the novel itself.

From John Ford - The Morgue and Me - Viking

Algonkian Writer Conferences helped me develop a discipline around the creative process, enabling me to write with a clear intention to publish. It has been a year since the program and I continue to refer to the workshop material. From the story analyses I learned to examine my own work with rigor.

Sheela Sukumaran, PEN USA Emerging Voices Fellow

After spending a decade writing and promoting a series of six mystery novels, I was looking for a leg up to the next level of writing to embrace a challenging new novel. I was also looking for a new agent. When I heard about the Algonkian Writer Conferences, I jumped at the chance to hone my skills, work on the new project intensively for a week, and present to an agent. But the conference more than surpassed—in fact, surpassed a hundred times over—the expectations I had for it. If anyone had suggested a writing conference could possibly make such a difference in my writing life and my career, I would never have believed it.

Julie Kaewert, Random House Mystery Author

I'm a children's writer hoping to break into the historical novel market. The Algonkian Writer Conference surpassed every other conference I've been to. It wasn't "rah-rah" pep talks that do little more than leave an unpublished writer frustrated. It was four days of intensive, down-to-business training and face-to-face contact with agents and authors who told us what we really need to know--and do--to get published. And the agents invited us to send our book proposals to them, first. That's more than worth the price of admission.

Kathryn Dahlstrom, Author of The Good News Club series

Despite my many years as a journalist and non-fiction author, the transition into writing good fiction was difficult for me. Upon taking a workshop at the Algonkian Writer Conference, it all came into focus. For the first time, I am aware of the techniques and craft it takes to write a competitive manuscript.

Dusko Doder, Author and Former Moscow Bureau Chief
for the Washington Post

Algonkian Writer Conferences take one’s work to the next level. With an intimate, supportive, focused atmosphere and rigorous schedule, writers can set realistic goals and get projects to the place they need to be to take them to a wider market. As an agent, I appreciate that Algonkian writers have an established sense of what works and what doesn’t. Their projects are often a cut above the rest.

Elise Capron, Literary Agent at Sandra Dijkstra Agency

Faculty include the best agents, authors, and acquisition editors from all over the country. A list of faculty can be found at http://webdelsol.com/Algonkian/faculty2.htm and at the New York Pitch and Shop Conference page: http://nycpitchconference.com