Ascendio’s Quill Track
Event on 2012-07-13 00:00:00
If you're a fan of YA, general book geekery or an aspiring writer (original or fanfiction!), Ascendio has the programming track for you! The Quill Track will be an entire track of programming (both formal and informal!) dedicated to all things books and writing. Best of all, as long as you have a registration to Ascendio, you have access to Quill Track programming!
Join a roster of authors, agents, editors and publishers for panel discussions, workshops and more! Current Quill Track special guests include:
- Lev Grossman (author)
- Beth Revis (author)
- Veronica Roth (author)
- Aimee Carter (author)
- Joanna Volpe (agent)
- Lindsay Ribar (agent & author)
- Carlie Webber (agent)
- Michelle Hodkin (author)
- Molly O’Neill (editor)
- Mark Oshiro (MarkReads, author)
- Cecilia Tan (publisher & author)
And we have MORE announcements coming very soon, including publishers and more authors! For bios of our Quill Track special guests, click here!
Here are some of the great things you can look forward to:
- "book club" readings/signings/discussions with YA authors, such as Beth Revis, Michelle Hodkin, Veronica Roth & Aimee Carter
- panel discussions on hot topics in publishing, including commercial publishing vs. self-publishing, LGBTQ in YA, how to get an agent, and more
- practical presentations by successful fans-turned-published authors on how to go from fanfic to pro writing, as well as how-tos on self-publishing ebooks
- workshops on writing (fanfic and original) and critiquing
- the opportunity to give a one page pitch & receive feedback from a real live literary agent! Multiple literary agents will be in attendance and are looking forward to hearing from you.
Of course, Ascendio is still all about Harry Potter, but we realize that many fans — including many of us on staff! — love books in general, and have been inspired by Harry Potter and fandom to move on to our own original writing. Hence, the Quill Track was born, by Harry Potter fans, for Harry Potter fans… who also love books and writing! You can expect most, if not all, topics on the Quill Track to relate to Harry Potter, though some will also discuss other titles in YA, middle grade and adult contemporary canon. All of the authors, agents and presenters on the Quill Track are Harry Potter fans, and many of them either wrote Harry Potter fanfic or have actively participated in HP geekery in the past.
Got questions? We'll try to answer!
Q: What Special Guests have you announced for the Quill Track?
A: Author & Times book critic Lev Grossman, Across the Universe author Beth Revis, Divergent author Veronica Roth, Goddess Test author Aimee Carter and literary agents Carlie Webber, Lindsay Ribar and Joanna Volpe, so far!
Q: Does the Quill Track cost extra?
A: No, the Quill Track is 100% included in your Ascendio registration! If you have either a Full or Merlin's Circle registration, you'll have access to all QT programming, but of course if you get a Day Pass, you'll only be able to attend QT programming for that day.
Q: What if I only want to attend your Quill Track programming but not everything else? Is there an ala carte price option?
A: Unfortunately not, but you can always get a Day Pass for the day of programming you are most interested in, if you don't want access to all the other Ascendio/Harry Potter goodies.
Q: What should I bring with me to the Quill Track?
A: If you are attending one of our workshops, we recommend you bring your ideas, first and foremost! For example, in our query letter workshop, you will be expected to (but aren't required to!) write a sample query letter, based on a novel you're written or idea you have. It's never a bad idea to have a business card on you, just in case.
If you are attending one of the pitch sessions with our agents, you should bring: 1) a business card (we recommend our Meet Meme cards, Moo cards, VistaPrint and Zazzle!) 2) an excerpt from your manuscript (printed out or on a USB drive). We also recommend you research/read up on our agents before pitching them.
If you are attending one of our author readings/signings/book clubs, bring a copy of their book with you, or plan on purchasing one at our on-site book vendor.
And for panels and presentations, just bring yourself, your curiosity and lots of questions!
Q: How do agent pitch sessions work?
A: We will be adding more details about pitch sessions, when they will take place, how they work and how you can sign up, very soon!
Q: Will you be announcing more authors?
A: Yes! We are actively reaching out to many talented YA and adult contemporary authors whom we think would enjoy Ascendio (as Harry Potter fans!) and be able to speak to the interests of the Quill Track.
Q: I'm an author and am interested in attending Ascendio, and particularly in participating in the Quill Track. Who can I contact?
A: If you would like to do a reading/signing, please see our Call for Authors! To propose programming for the Quill Track, please see our programming page and submit a proposal! The deadline to submit formal programming proposals is February 29th. We are looking for all kinds of programming on our Quill Track, from published authors, self-published authors, fanfic writers, editors and more!
at Loews Portofino Bay Hotel at Universal Orlando
5601 Universal Boulevard
Orlando, United States