WU291 PWW Panel Discussion: Navigating Today's Publishing World

Two award-winning writers, Caroline Vu and Alecia McKenzie and renowned literary agents April Eberhardt and Gregory Messina discuss today's publishing environment, and the challenges for the writer. How do you get an agent? Is it possible to be published without an agent? What about writers crossing different cultures? Our panel will engage in a lively discussion and take your questions! 

About the Panelists:

Alecia McKenzie is an award-winning short-story writer and novelist. Her first book Satellite City and her novel Sweetheart have both won Commonwealth literary prizes, and she was shortlisted for the 2015 Commonwealth Short Story Prize, when 22 stories from around the world were selected from a record 4,000 submissions. Born in Jamaica, she has lived in Asia and Europe, and is now based in Paris. She is also a professional journalist and accomplished painter, and edits SWAN, a web-site devoted to art and culture.

Born in Vietnam, Caroline Vu left her native country during the height of the Vietnam War. She lived in the US for two years before moving to Canada, where she works as a family doctor in a community health clinic. Caroline is the award-winning author of two novels: Palawan Story and That Summer in Provincetown. Both have been translated into French.

April Eberhardt, After 25 years as a corporate strategist and consultant, April Eberhardt joined the literary world, where she saw strategic opportunity to play a role in the changing world of publishing. A self-described "literary change agent," April advises and assists authors worldwide as they choose the best pathway to publication for their work, be it indie or traditional, digital or print. She serves as an industry advocate for establishing quality standards for non-traditionally published work to increase acceptance of independent publishing.

Gregory Messina, originally from New York State, operates the Linwood Messina Literary Agency, in Paris. After graduating from Washington University, he worked at the renowned Curtis Brown agency. He later worked in California at a talent agency, film production company and Hollywood studio. Gregory has lived in Paris since 2004, specializing in selling translation and other subsidiary rights for Edition Robert Laffont and Place des Editeurs before founding his own agency.