Need some practice honing your pitch? Librarian Gregg Winsor is here to help at this year’s Writers Conference! Sometimes you only have a few moments in front of an editor, publisher, or a reader to grab their attention and to make your work memorable and understandable. Gregg will be available at the conference to discuss one-on-one how to whittle down your pitches for maximum effectiveness.
Gregg is a Reference Librarian who works at the Johnson County Library with a specialty in Readers' Advisory, working with book groups and raising awareness of new and mid-list titles. You can find Gregg at one of the drop-in tables during the conference. Also, if you’re looking for your next favorite read, check out one of his lists.
You can register for the conference here. Registration isn’t required but is appreciated, and your RSVP includes both days of the conference, Nov. 3 and 4. Sessions are available on a first-come first-serve basis. We will also be hosting a Writers Conference Kickoff on Thursday, Nov. 2.
Inspired by this year’s conference book, By the Book: Writers on Literature and the Literary Life from The New York Times Book Review, we asked Gregg a few questions to get to know him better:
1. What’s in your TBR pile?
As a Readers’ Advisory librarian, I *always* have too many books on by TBR pile. (It’s a good problem to have, though!) Currently I have on my list Everyone On This Train Is A Suspect by Benjamin Stevenson, a witty locked-room mystery set on a train headed to a crime writers’ convention, as well as The Final Curtain by Keigo Higashino, the latest in the Detective Kaga series, a celebrated police procedural novel translated from Japanese. (I must be on a mystery/thriller mood.)
2. What are you reading right now?
My Darling Girl by Jennifer McMahon, a haunting slow-burn psychological thriller about a woman who suspects her cancer-stricken mother might be the victim of demonic possession after he moves in. Delightfully creepy and atmospheric – perfect for the fall season.
3. Do you have a favorite book you love to recommend?
I love recommending Seanan McGuire’s “Wayward Children” series, starting with Every Heart A Doorway, a charming (and short!) dark fantasy series about the doors that seem to appear to children in novels that whisk them to faraway magical lands – but what happens to them when they come back is not always happily ever after. Also, Martha Wells’ wry and thoughtful sci-fi “Murderbot” series (start with All Systems Red) about a rogue AI android who just wants to be left alone to watch soap operas but gets dragged into the concerns of the humans around it. I could rattle off more!
4. Do you have a favorite bookstore?
As someone who worked at bookstores throughout my 20s, I always love browsing through bookstores and libraries wherever I go – just being around books makes me feel comforted and safe, knowing that I’m surrounded by thousands and thousands of stories. (But to answer your question, I found one of my favorite books of all time, The Long Goodbye by Raymond Chandler, at a Rainy Day Books store, so I’ll always have a soft spot for them.
5. Answer the question you wish we had asked.
No one ever asks me what books I hate! Which, honestly, isn’t a very good question – there are no books that I hate, just books that weren’t for me.