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A blog wherein a literary agent will sometimes discuss his business, sometimes discuss the movies he sees, the tennis he watches, or the world around him. In which he will often wish he could say more, but will be obliged by business necessity and basic politeness and simple civility to hold his tongue. Rankings are done on a scale of one to five Slithy Toads, where a 0 is a complete waste of time, a 2 is a completely innocuous way to spend your time, and a 4 is intended as a geas compelling you to make the time.

Monday, May 14, 2018

Balticon 52 - Program Schedule

Can't wait to be back at Balticon this Memorial Day weekend, and am sharing my full program schedule below.  The convention and all of the events are at the Renaissance Inner Harbor hotel.

This is a special convention for me.  Balticon was the first convention I attended as a pro, heading down to meet up with Elizabeth Moon the year she won the Compton Crook Award for best first novel for Sheepfarmer's Daughter, which is about to be reissued in a 30th anniversary trade paperback edition, with a new introduction from Elizabeth.  Last year's Balticon was where I sat down in the Renaissance, read the opening page of Nick Martell's The Kingdom of Liars, and knew instantly that I'd found a great new author, ultimately doing my best deal ever for a debut author.

Balticon has done a great job keeping with the times, broadening its program to appeal to a wide range of ages and a wide range of interests, all unified by their love of science fiction and fantasy in all its many forms.

It's a great opportunity to get some quality time with me.  JABberwocky client Jack Campbell is also attending; link to his schedule follows mine.

JOSHUA'S SCHEDULE

Friday May 25, 2018, 6pm
Intellectual Property and You
St. George
James R. Stratton (moderator), Harold Feld, Joshua Bilmes, Doc Coleman
What you need to know about the legal framework for protecting your works.

Sunday, May 27, 11am
Best Books on Writing
Mount Washington
Joshua Bilmes (moderator), Val Griswold-Ford, Sarah Pinsker, Scott Edelman, Marilyn "Mattie" Brahen
What books should you have on your shelf when you're trying to read about writing?

Sunday, May 27,  5pm
How to Incorporate Critique
Guilford
Joshua Bilmes (moderator), Day Al-Mohamed, John Appel, Leah Cypess, Alan Smale, Rosemary Claire Smith
What do you do when you have two readers giving you different or even contradictory feedback? How much are you willing to let the feedback change your work?

Sunday, May 27,  8pm
Long Live the King: The Success of Black Panther
St. George
John Edward Lawson (moderator), Joshua Bilmes, Inge Heyer, Devin Jackson Randall
Black Panther shattered box office records from the time tickets went on sale. What about the writing and visual storytelling resonated so strongly with audiences?

Sunday, May 27,  9pm
Tales From the Slush Pile
Mount Washington
Joshua Bilmes, Neil Clarke, John Edward Lawson
Editors share tales of some of the gems they’ve received, and give advice on how to avoid becoming fodder for future panels like this.

Monday, May 28, 10am
Who Cares About the Critics?
Room 8006
Track: Television/Film
TV and film crtiics have a habit of panning genre works, even if it's exactly what the audience wants. What's the disconnect?

Monday, May 27,  11am
Pitches We're Sick Of (and Ones We Want to See)
Mount Washington
Sarah Avery (moderator), Joshua Bilmes, Neil Clarke
Agents and editors discuss trends in submissions.

ALSO ATTENDING:

Jack Campbell, website and con schedule