Writer’s League of Texas Agents’ Conference - 10 Jun 11

I’m ready and I’m pumped!

I have my pitch down pat. It’s short and to the point. There’s no way that the right agent can ignore what I have to say.

“Adventures in Everyday Leadership” provides advice and guidance to routine problems facing most managers and supervisors in their everyday world. The manuscript details actual stories of personnel that I worked with over my thirty-seven year journey of research into the reasons why people get into situations that they (most of them) would never attempt when in their right mind.

The project detailing real people and real events, not the contrived and composite personnel of most management and leadership books dealing with this subject matter. The data was not collected by a PhD with a team of graduate students under their direction, but by a member of their own organization who sometimes just happened to get involved in the who-shot-John as it actually took place.

I am really looking forward to this weekend and the association with those, who like me, are struggling to get somewhere in the publishing world. They all have unique stories to tell.

I discovered last year that close to 75% are hoping to get their latest attempt at a Twilight Saga or Vampire Classic to be picked up by an agent who thinks their story has just the right quirk about it to appear fresh and new to the market.

I actually thought serious about changing my title to “Adventures in Leadership without Vampires” just so I could get maybe the slightest bit of attention. I would even add a disclaimer that established the fact that “not one vampire, werewolf or zombie was harmed during the events depicted in the stories or during the transcribing of same.” I may still have to. I’ll let you know after the weekend has run its course.

The one disclaimer that I do have to mention is that some of the names of those involved in the accounts detailed in the project have been changed, like Joe Friday’s announcer used to say “to protect the innocent.” It’s not a problem that you might recognize the actual culprit; it’s more to keep them from bragging about their involvement and//or embarrassment in what really took place. Some would feel downright ashamed that they ever did what they did and some others might start a giggle fit that would do them in at the age they have eventually reached. It’s better to be safe.

Wish me luck!