C.H. Armstrong Books

One of my favorite aspects of my job is the invitations I receive to present or take pitches at writer’s conferences, webinars, book festivals, and local libary events. If you’re interested in booking me for your event, the below information is a great starting point. You can find more enhanced information on my Conference One-Sheet.

COMPENSATION

Most conferences are non-profit and function on a limited budget. For that reason, I do not have a “set fee” and prefer to work within the budget of the conference for all compensation related to my time and participation. I do, however, require the conference to cover all conference fees, travel and lodging, and I appreciate a small per diem for meals if not included as part of the conference. 

CONFERENCE OFFERINGS

• Face-to-Face Pitches
• Round Tables / First Pages Workshops
• Agent Consults
• Q&A Panels
• 5-10 Page Critiques
• Contest Judging
• Workshops & Presentations
• Online / Remote Options Available

ONE-ON-ONE AGENT PITCHES

I’m frequently invited to receive face-to-face pitches with authors hoping to find an agent. Knowing whether I represent the genres in which your attendees write can be very helpful, so the following is a list of the genres I represent:

WORKSHOPS & PRESENTATIONS AVAILABLE

The following is a list of workshops I currently have in rotation, and I’m always happy to create new ones as needed. Each workshop/presentation is intended to be interactive and includes time for questions and answers.

PICK YOUR PATH:
CHOOSE YOUR PERFECT PUBLISHING PATH

Length of Presentation: Approximately 60 minutes

Description: This presentation is intended to give authors a good overview of the different paths to publishing (Self-Publishing, Small Press, Finding an Agent for Large Publisher) along with the necessary steps they’ll need to take for each path.

BAT A HOME RUN:
THE AUTHOR’S GRAND SLAM GAME PLAN FOR SCORING A LITERARY AGENT

Length of Presentation: Approximately 60 minutes

Description: This presentation is a very broad overview for how to find a literary agent, why an author might want one, what steps they should take to query an agent, what an agent does for an author, and when/how an offer occurs. This presentation is intended for the newbie with little or no understanding for how the publishing industry works. 

YOUR AGENT MEET-CUTE:
WHERE ADVANCE PREPARATION MEETS AUTHOR-AGENT COMPATIBILITY

Length of Presentation: Approximately 45-60 minutes

Description: This presentation is a step up from Bat a Home Run: The Author’s Grand Slam Game Plan for Scoring a Literary Agent. In this workshop, authors walk through the steps necessary before sending that first query letter, a detailed look at how to put together a winning query package, and tips for vetting prospective agents. Participants will have a good working knowledge of the query process, but may need a more in-depth understanding for how to make sure their package is ready.

PITCH PERFECT:
TIPS FOR SCORING A HOME RUN
IN YOUR FACE-TO-FACE AGENT PITCH

Length of Presentation: Approximately 45-60 Minutes

Description: This presentation walks authors through the preparation process for meeting agents face-to-face to pitch projects. While there are very few strong “don’ts” when meeting an agent, there are things you can do to stand out and make your pitch memorable, and that’s what this presentation focuses on–how to make the most of your 10 minutes with an agent.

THE QUINTESSENTIAL QUERY:
WRITING A STAND-OUT QUERY LETTER

Length of Presentation: Approximately 60 minutes

Description: The query letter can be the most challenging aspect of securing a literary agent. After all, you’re asked to condense 85,000 words down to fewer than 300. This workshop will help authors learn how to silence the background noise of extraneous information to focus only on the important information that will grab an agent’s attention.

POLISH YOUR PROSE:
YOUR LAST STOP IN EDITING BEFORE PRESSING “SEND”

Length of Presentation: Approximately 60 minutes

Description: One of the biggest reasons agents pass on a manuscript is not the pitch or the idea itself, but on the mechanics of the writing itself. This workshop walks authors through the most common writing mistakes that result in an agent pass, and how they can identify and fix those mistakes before sending a manuscript to an agent.

SAVE YOUR DARLINGS:
CUT YOUR WORD COUNT WITHOUT CUTTING CONTENT

Length of Presentation: Approximately 60 minutes

Description: The advance to “write a good manuscript and someone will take it, regardless of the word count” is simply not true. Agents seek manuscripts that conform to specific word counts, and too many words are a deal breaker for most agents and a hard stop for many editors. This workshop walks authors through the process of reducing the number of words in a manuscript without cutting chapters, scenes, or large sections of content—allowing authors to keep the work mostly as they intended when writing.

CONGRATS! YOU’VE RECEIVED
“THE CALL.” NOW WHAT?

Length of Presentation: Approximately 45-60 minutes. 

Description: When offered representation, many authors want to jump in with both feet without looking both ways. But stop! The most important favor an author does for themself is to slow down and follow a few important steps before accepting that offer. And frequently, authors are so anxious to land an agent that they pitch to every agent who represents the genre they write. But once an offer is in hand, the author is in the driver’s seat, and there are some very important steps one should take to ensure they not only sign with the agent who’s the best fit for themselves and their manuscript, but also that they sign with a reputable agent rather than a “schmagent.” This presentation walks the author through the important steps they should be taking before signing on the dotted line.

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