With over 300 attendees, 10 literary agents, 48 classes, one contest and multiple door prizes, the 2010 DFW Writers' Conference was successful beyond anyone's wildest imagination. Overall, the comments from the both the attendees and agents were that the conference was well run by a group of professional, but very friendly, people.

During the April 14 meeting of the DFW Writers' Workshop, the group thanked chairperson Jeri Burbage for her two years of dedication to the conference. As well, the multitude of classroom monitors, agent wranglers, and other volunteers were recognized.

Speaking of successes, the following Workshop members had full or partial requests from:

• Agent Joshua Bilmes - Pat Hauldren, Harry Robbins, John Keith, Russell Connor, Nik Holman, George Goldwaithe
  


• Agent Gina Panettieri - Carolyn Williams, Robert O'Haugherty, Mary Kelly, Merris Doud,  Ginnie Bivona, Anne Perry
  


• Agent Diana Fox - John Sanders, Donna Lasko, Katy Roberts
  


• Agent Lucienne Diver - Pat Hauldren, Paula LaRocque, Kendall Furlong
  


• Agent Paul Levine - Jeannie Furlong, Tina Britt
  


• Agent Mary Kole - Stephen Manning, Anne Perry
  


• Agent Laurie McLean - Carolyn Williamson, Pat Hauldren, Larry Enmon, Kyle White
  


• Agent Anne Hawkins - Kenneth Ingle, Daryle McGinnis, Wes Dunham, Tom Gensler
  

In other Workshop news, Kenneth Ingle signed the contract for his fourth book. A. Lee Martinez has two upcoming book signings. On Friday, April 16 at 6 p.m. at the Weekend Reader Book Shop in Balch Springs. On Saturday, April 17 from 2 - 4 p.m. at the Barnes & Nobles Booksellers in Hurst.  

Finally, registration for the 2011 DFW Writers' Conference is underway. We're moving to a bigger facility to accommodate more people. It will be held February 26-27, 2011 at the American Airlines Training and Conference Center in Fort Worth. Located on a lush wooded campus, the event will be more of a writers' retreat. New York Times #1 best-seller and Thriller Master, Sandra Brown, will be the keynote speaker. Early registration is recommended, since this year's event sold out.

At the September 23 meeting of the DFW Writers' Workshop, members were advised that appointments with some of the literary agents are starting to fill-up.

For example, authors interested in pitching their books to Joshua Bilmes, Lucienne Diver, or Gina Panettieri had better register now. The slots for all three agents are over a quarter of the way full and going fast. Appointments with many of the other agents  are also filling quickly. This is definitely a case where if you snooze, you could lose, so register early to secure your place in line.  

Members were also told that the tenth, and final, agent had been named. Mary Kole, who represents children's picture books as well as Middle Grade and Young Adult authors, has been added to the roster. The agents attending the 2010 DFW Writers' Conference are:

Anne Hawkins | John Hawkins & Associates, Inc.

Gina Panettieri | Talcott Notch Literary Services

Joshua Bilmes | JABberwocky Literary Agency

Laurie McLean | Larsen-Pomada Literary Agents

Lucienne Diver | The Knight Agency

Melissa Shultz | Jim Donovan Literary

Paul S. Levine | Paul S. Levine Literary Agency

Victoria Horn | Liza Dawson Associates

Mary Kole | Andrea Brown Literary Agency

In other news, A. Lee Martinez signed the contract for the German rights to his upcoming novel, Divine Misfortune. (Those Germans sure do love his work.) Russell C. Connor has a book signing for his horror novels on October 3 at the Cat and the Candle Bookstore in Lake Whitney from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. during Pioneer Days.

New York Times and USA Today best-selling author, Jodi Thomas, has agreed to be the keynote speaker at the 2010 DFW Writers' Conference. A native Texan, she is the award-winning author of several novels. We look forward to her presentation. 

Eight literary agents have also agreed to attend the event, including Anne Hawkins and Gina Panettieri who missed this year's conference due to illness. Joining them are Joshua Bilmes, Laurie McLean, Lucienne Diver, Melissa Shultz, Paul S. Levine, and Victoria Horn. More agents may be added later, but the number of pitch sessions will be limited, so early registration is recommended. 

The 2010 conference is looking to bring you more value for your registration dollars. We already offer free parking ($7 - $10 at other conferences), include the keynote luncheon (a $35 extra cost elsewhere), and the agent appointments (as high as $50 at other conferences).  As an added benefit in 2010, on-line classes, such as "How to Get the Most from Your Agent Appointment" will be offered - you guessed it, for free (a $50 to $100 extra fee elsewhere).  Join us for the best conference value in the Southwest.   

The conference will be held April 10-11, 2010 at the Grapevine Convention Center in Grapevine, Texas. Early registration starts soon. See the information box in the right hand column on this site, or get more details at www.DFWWritersConference.org.