Roundtables

How a Roundtable Works

When you register, you will choose which agent you would like your Roundtable with.  Each agent will meet with a group of up to 5 writers at the same time. Each faculty has their own schedule for these Roundtable meetings.  BEFORE YOU REGISTER, MAKE SURE YOU CAN ATTEND THE FACULTY’S SCHEDULED ROUNDTABLE TIME. There are NO REFUNDS if you cannot attend the meeting!

At the Roundtable, each writer will have an approximately 12-minute turn (depending on how many other writers are in the group). During your turn, you will read aloud the work you want feedback on.

You may:

•  for novels, read the first page of your manuscript - standard 12-point font, double-spaced  or
• for picture books, read the first 300 words or
• give the pitch for your work.
• For Art Director Tracy Shaw only, illustrators may show 5 pages of a dummy or 1-2 finished portfolio pieces.

The agent/editor will then use the remaining time to give their initial feedback on the work they just heard. If the reviewer asks, please be prepared to share your screen with the text.

Roundtable Etiquette

ONLY the agent/editor may give their thoughts and suggestions. ONLY the person whose turn it is may ask questions. Please understand that your peers have paid for professional opinion, not yours, so please refrain from giving your two cents on someone else’s work. Everyone will benefit from hearing the professional feedback on their fellow attendees’ work.

(Abbreviations: PB - Picture Book, CB - Chapter Book, MG - Middle Grade, YA - Young Adult, NF - Non-fiction, GN - Graphic Novels)

Ian Lendler, agent - (PB, CB, GN, NF, MG)

Ian Lendler's roundtables are VIRTUAL on Zoom, Sunday 9/8 and Sunday 9/15, both dates 4:00 - 5:00 pm PST

Tracy Shaw, art director - (Illustrations)

Tracy's roundtables are VIRTUAL on Zoom, Saturday, 10/5, 8:00 - 9:00 am PST and 10:00 - 11:00 am PST

Kristie Choi, editor (PB, GN, MG, YA)

Kristie’s roundtables are all VIRTUAL on Zoom, Saturday 9/21, 9:00 - 10:00 am PST 

Ian Tseng, editor - (PB, MG, Novelty and Board Books)

Ian Tseng's roundtables are all VIRTUAL on Zoom, Saturday 9/21, 1:00 - 2:00 pm PST and 2:00 - 3:00 pm PST

Shulokhana Khan, editor - (PB, NF)

Shulokhana's roundtables are all VIRTUAL on Zoom, Monday, September 16th, 12:45 - 1:45pm PST and 2:00 - 3:00 pm PST

Eleonore Fisher, editor - (PB, MG, YA)

Eleonore's roundtables are all VIRTUAL on Zoom, Wednesday, September 18th, 7:00 - 8:00 am PST and 8:00 - 9:00 am PST

Carter Hasegawa, editor - (PB - no rhyming, NF)

Carter’s roundtables are all VIRTUAL on Zoom, Monday, September 16th, 10:00 - 11:00 am PST and 11:00 am - noon PST

Q: I am an illustrator or author/illustrator. May I show my picture book dummy or portfolio?

A: Illustrators may choose to have a roundtable with art director Tracy Shaw for dummy or illustration feedback.

Q: I cannot make the scheduled time for the Roundtable. May I reschedule or receive a refund?

A: No. Please check the faculty’s available time frame BEFORE you register. There are no refunds and we are unable to reschedule if you miss the session.

Q: What will the agent/editor say about my work?

A: It depends. Each faculty has a different critique style and anything they say is subjective. It is helpful if you have a specific question or something for the faculty to focus on, for example – “Is my first line exciting enough?” “How do you suggest I shorten my elevator pitch so I can use it for a social media pitch event?” “Does my main character’s voice sound believable?”

Q: Can I query the agents and editors?

A: Yes, many of the faculty will be open to submissions from all the virtual event attendees, regardless of whether or not you had a roundtable or critique. We will send an email with their submission guidelines after the event. We suggest that if the faculty at the Roundtable had critical feedback for you, that you take the time to do the revisions before you query them.