the muse & the marketplace 2010
Mark your calendars for New England's premier weekend literary conference, to be held May 1-2, 2010, at the fabulous Boston Park Plaza Hotel.Registration is not yet open. You will be able to register for this conference, including the Manuscript Mart, on February 19th, 2010, when all session descriptions and author bios will be posted. If you plan to participate in the Manuscript Mart, the deadline for submission of all materials is 5pm, Wednesday, March 31st, 2010.
Authors leading sessions this year include: Steve Almond, Lynne Barrett, Brunonia Barry, Donovan Campbell, Maud Casey, Michael Downing, Hallie Ephron, Joseph Finder, Ethan Gilsdorf, Lauren Grodstein, Ann Hood, Michelle Hoover, Katherine Howe, Liza Ketchum, Victor Lavalle, Jennifer 8 Lee, Thomas Mallon, Vestal McIntyre, Pablo Medina, Tova Mirvis, Leslea Newman, Joseph Olshan, Susan Orlean, Benjamin Percy, Nathaniel Rich, Allison Winn Scotch, Michelle Seaton, Jessica Shattuck, Anita Shreve, Janna Malamud Smith, Martha Southgate, Elizabeth Strout and Susan Tiberghien.
For the full bios of visiting literary agents and editors participating in the Manuscript Mart, see the bios page. Get a head start on the selection process by reading the bios and researching these agents and editors before registration opens on February 19th. We will likely be adding a few more agents and editors before the 19th, so check back often.
Our 2010 keynote speaker will be Chuck Palahniuk, who will speak on Sunday, May 2nd over lunch in the Imperial Ballroom. The Muse and the Marketplace is Chuck Palahniuk's first stop on the tour for his new book, Tell All.
If you would like to learn more about the 2010 conference, check out event details and the testimonials below.
2010 When & Where
- Saturday, May 1st and Sunday, May 2nd, 2010
- The Park Plaza Hotel
- 50 Park Plaza at Arlington Street
- Boston, MA 02116
To reserve a room at the group discount rate of $219/night + tax, use this link.
Testimonials
"The Muse & the Marketplace conference was simply the best investment I have ever made. Not only did I learn how to navigate the mysterious publishing industry, but within several weeks I had been offered representation by two great agents I met through the "five-star" lunch. One agent was at my assigned table, and a published author seated there later introduced me to his agent. In September, just days after submitting my proposal to several houses, my amazing agent, Julie Barer, sold the project for six figures -- not a bad return for my conference fee!--Dyan deNapoli, Penguin Expert and author of The Great Penguin Rescue (Free Press 2010) "When writers ask me how I sold my first book, I tell them about Grub’s Muse and the Marketplace. The conference taught me how to refine my query letter and hone my plot. Even better, it introduced me to my agent, Mitchell Waters, who sold my novel twenty four hours after sending it out. It was the most valuable money I have ever spent.
--Liz Michalski, author of Evenfall (Berkley, 2011) "I walked into the Muse and the Marketplace with a handful of essays and a book proposal. I walked out knowing I had found my agent. Five months later, I had a book contract. This event changed my life in every possible -- and every positive -- sense of the word."
--Leslie Talbot, Author of Singular Existence (Citadel, 2007) "I went to the Muse and the Marketplace conference a number of years ago and met with an agent. I wasn't really focused at the time, and she encouraged me to go in a direction that I hadn't really thought of. The result was my new book, Holy Hullabaloos. Though the woman I met with didn't end up being my agent, I think her advice was critical to this new stage of my career, and I've always felt gratitude toward her and Grub Street for that help."
--Jay Wexler, Author of Holy Hullabaloos: A Road Trip to the Battlegrounds of the Church/State Wars (Beacon, 2009) "This will be the fourth Muse and the Marketplace conference I've attended, and I wouldn't miss it. This exemplary forum is always educational and inspirational. I love networking with the literary world's newest and finest authors, agents, and editors. And it's a wonderful chance for me to reconnect with my own agent and editor."
--Lynne Griffin, author of Life Without Summer (St. Martin's, 2009) "Thanks for putting on a great conference! As a first time attendee I thought it was extremely well done start to finish and invaluable in helping me sort out how to continue working on all aspects of my writing. Dealing with a few hundred writers, agents, and editors cannot be an easy task. You guys handled it with seemingly unflagging good cheer and aplomb. Bravo!"
--Jeremy Rishel, Software CTO and Aspiring Writer "The Muse and the Marketplace is consistently one of the best writing conferences around. Period. In a field that can sometimes be quite lonely and isolated, the Muse creates a forum for exchange of ideas, exposure to great talent and experience, and opportunities to get your work critiqued by professionals through the Manuscript Mart. It's an annual must for any writer!"
--Jennifer LaVin, Communications Consultant and Aspiring Writer "This was my first year attending the Muse, and I'll definitely be back next year. I was hesitant about whether it was worth spending the money, especially because I didn't have anything completed that would be worth trying to talk about with agents and editors. I thought maybe I should wait until the next year, when I hoped to have something like a draft. I signed up for sessions that were more 'Muse'-y than 'Marketplace'-y, and it was absolutely worth it! I left feeling much more writerly, inspired, and connected to a community of writers."
--Kate Leary, Mom and Aspiring Writer "Grub Street's Muse and the Marketplace conference has helped me enormously as a struggling writer. Aside from hands-on writing workshops, it is a great place to network. I got my agent from the Muse."
--Ray Anderson, Retired, Now Hiker-Writer. If you, your company or organization would like to be a sponsor of the muse or other grub street events, please contact whitney@grubstreet.org.