All but one are women, all but two from  New York. They are, judging from their presentations, a collection of hard-edged, arrogant, caustic individuals who are reveling in their position of power as gatekeepers to The Land of the Published. I keep telling myself that they have very hard jobs, suffer constant rejection, probably have trouble making their rent some months... but all of this does not make them less odious to me at the moment.   

I say to myself, I cannot play this game. But then I remind myself that I paid $550 dollars to attend the 2007 San Francisco Writers Conference, that I knew going in that there would be a moment when I had to confront the incredibly competitive nature of the publishing industry, that perseverance is part of the process. But the only part of this inner dialog I can really here is, “f**k this.” 

The presentations are half over. I am assiduously trying to take notes, but it is difficult to keep the names straight, connect their faces with the photographs in the conference program, scribble things like “thrillers,” or “no sci-fi” in the margins, all the while fighting the urge to get up and walk out. And then, Kimberley Clark, the woman who will become my agent, and through amazing persistence sell my book, comes to the podium. 

To be continued...  

Visit my blog  and follow the twisted journey every author  must take from finished manuscript to advance check to… but  why spoil the suspense? It’s all there in my blog.  I invite you to take a look!