Quill Track FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions | Guest List | Program Summaries

Got questions about the Quill Track? Email us if your question isn’t covered!

AUTHORS/LINE-UP

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, The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer author Michelle Hodkin, Harper Collins & Divergent editor Molly O’Neill and literary agents Carlie Webber, Lindsay Ribar and Joanna Volpe, so far!

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. Whom 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!

COST/TICKETS

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. If you want to attend both Friday and Saturday’s programming but aren’t interested in Friday’s Welcome Feast or Sunday’s Leaving Feast, we recommend getting the Friday-Saturday 2-Day pass for $150.

AGENT PITCH SESSIONS

Q: How do agent pitch sessions work?

A: Agent pitch sessions are like speed dating — you’ll get five minutes to sit down with an agent, give them an elevator pitch for your book, and if they are interested, they will request sample pages/your full manuscript. After five minutes, your time is up and the next person sits down, and you can move on to the next agent.

Q: What should I pitch? What should I bring?

A: You should only pitch COMPLETED works. If an agent is interested in your book, they will want to see pages/a full manuscript, so only pitch books that you are done writing. You can bring a crib sheet about your book (to reference during your pitch, if you need it), but don’t bring any copies/excepts of your manuscript. If the agent is interested, they will give you the email to which you can send your pages.

Q: Can I pitch more than one agent?

A: Yes, you may — what one agent passes on, another may love.

Q: How can I sign up for a pitch session?

A: We will be allowing online sign-ups for approximately 25% of the session slots, in order to accommodate those who won’t be able to sign-up in person, on a first-come, first-served basis. This online sign-up form will be released sometime in February. The remainder of the session slots must be signed-up for at Ascendio, either at our Thursday afternoon Book Fair or at the Meet & Greet table on Friday/Saturday.

Q: When are the pitch sessions?

A: Two sessions are tentatively scheduled for Friday afternoon and Saturday morning, with each agent able to see approximately 40 people (so 120 pitches total). We will have a waitlist queue (which can be signed-up for on-site), in the event that some pitch sessions run shorter than 5 minutes, so any given agent might hear more than 40 pitches. Additional sessions may be added closer to the event, depending on demand and agent schedules.

MISC

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 “elevator pitch” of your book, memorized. Ie: be able to summarize your book in 1-2 minutes! 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!