AGT Monthly Meeting for May 2025

The Authors Guild of Tennessee held its monthly meeting on Thursday, May 1, 2025, at Faith Lutheran Church in Farragut from 10:30 to noon.

The following members were present:

Bill Barbour, Gene Berryhill, Sam Bledsoe, Stan Borgia, Gary Butler, Laura Derr, John Forcum, Leoma Gilley, Jim Hartsell, Wes Hibbert, David Johnston, Ernie Lancaster, Jerry Morton, David Page, Cheryl Peyton, Nancy Pressley, Ron Pressley, Art Stewart, Becky Tucker, Jeri Weems, and Victoria Winifred.

Guests: Lynn Cahoon

Welcome – Cheryl.

April minutes: Approved online. No corrections.

Treasurer’s Report for April – Bill

Beginning Cash Balance $ 4,005

Ending Cash Balance $ 4,078

Less: $ (1,256) Writing Competition

$ (321) Outstanding checks

Net Cash Available $ 2,501

Income

Barkside Lodge book purchases $ 289

Trade Show Boothes $ 21

Expenses

Author payments                           $ 298

Friendly City Festivals (Moofest) $ 25

 

Announcements and Reports by members and Committee Chairs:

1. David Page recommended the Tennessee Book readers Convention. Many were unaware of this opportunity at the Knoxville Expo Center. However, after some searching, we discovered we have two booths.

2. David then invited anyone interested to come for a free lecture and discussion he will lead for Donuts for Democracy at Knox County Cedar Bluff branch library on May 10,

17, 24, & 31, 10:00-11:00. There is no need to register, just show up. For questions, contact dave@warpedminds.io. David is the author of The Art of the Compromise. 3. Leoma explained about Book Award Pro. This company has both a free service and a paid Pro service. They vet contests and will send you information on competitions appropriate for your book. They will also enter you into an event for a $199 fee. They also have options for getting reviews. You can see the prices and decide which, if any, you want to apply for. I just received a 5-star review from Literary Titan through this venue.

4. Festival Facts – Nancy P. The April Wine and Sip show didn’t go well, as there was more interest in sipping than reading. No member went to the Seafood Bash in Chattanooga due to illness. At Paws for a Cause, everyone had a dog, and it was fun. Cheryl sold a couple of her dog-themed books, but it is not a good venue for other topics. At the Dogwood Festival, AGT had two separate booths. Everyone sold some books, but not as many as last year. No festivals are scheduled for May. The schedule of festivals can be found here. There are a couple of festivals in June. MooFest in Athens may have two spaces. Lenoir City Arts and Crafts is full, but if someone drops out, there may be an opportunity. Summer on Broadway in Maryville is full. The Lavender Festival on Jackson Square in Lenoir City is full. Cars and Canines at Melton Hill Park is in Aug. The 12th Knox Asian Festival on August 23 is open. The Balloon Festival on August 30 at Sequoyah’s birthplace is open. There’s another balloon festival in Townsend in late August. Having booths together may have a bigger impact. In one booth, there is 10’ of space across the front. If the booth has three vendors, each one has 40” of space. If you need more space, you need to pay for two spaces.

5. Writing Contest – Art/Jerry Lenoir City High School will award the prizes to underclassmen on Monday at 11:00 a.m. and will award prizes to the seniors at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday evening. The four First Place winners receive a plaque and $50. The four Second Place winners will receive a certificate from the Authors Guild. Phil Roy, owner of the Minuteman Gift Shoppe of Sweetwater, Tennessee, donated his professional services in engraving the plaques. AGT paid a total of $180 for the materials for the plaques. The teacher, Angela Crabtree, will receive a gift of $100. The total amount for this project was $480. John Forcum is a member of the Chota Writers Circle, which has an anthology of short stories written by members of AGT, titled Spring Tales. Some copies that have a minor printing error are being donated to Angela Crabtree to distribute to students. Additionally, profits from the sale of Spring Tales on Amazon will be donated to the Writing Contest.

6. Programs – Ernie. Wants a Zoom account for speakers who cannot travel to Farragut.

7. Retail – Frank and Curt found an ice cream shop in Madisonville where the owner is enthusiastic about having our books. We will be picking up cabinet and books from the pharmacy in Tellico Plains.

 

Program

Our special speaker was author Lynn Cahoon, who gave a presentation on writing a series. Lynn is an award-winning, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of cozy mysteries including the Kitchen Witch Mysteries, the Cat Latimer Mystery series, the Tourist Trap Mysteries, the Farm-to-Fork series, the Survivors’ Book Club Mystery series, and The Bainbridge Island Mysteries.

When diagnosed with breast cancer, Lynn started reading again and then writing. After writing in several genres, she found her “voice” in Cozy Mysteries. She soon learned that the “series is king” where the first book is a gateway for the next ones.

She had earned credibility through having published articles and books. So, when she met an editor at Kensington Books Publishing, she had some standing even though she didn’t have an agent. They still accept authors without agents. They wanted hers to be one of the first e-books.

Pros and Cons of a series: The advantage of a series is that you can do world-building over several books. The same main characters can be further developed and can change over time. Decisions in the first book affect the following books. Readers like consistency and will point out when you go astray. Start each book in the series the same way. Which characters do you want to keep? The plans for the series will change the ARC. Each book has an ARC, but for a series, slow your ARC to include the whole series.

If one series is canceled, it’s disappointing, but your backlist enables you to continue to make money. Don’t be afraid of multiple formats.

Consider using an Origin story as the “freebie” for signing up for your newsletter.

Decisions to make up front: Know who you want to kill, who are your characters, age, ethnicity, family ties, location (even if fictional), magic rules (if any), Point of view, Tone of the series (light, heavy, etc.), cover designer/theme, start a series bible to collect all the information, include the pronunciation of unfamiliar names especially if you’re doing audio.

Don’t change genre or subgenre in a series. Don’t change POV between books.

Be sure to introduce old and new characters in each book.

Be inspired by regional cookbooks and houses or landmarks, travel websites, local transit, talk to people who live there, historical websites, and museums.

Maps, especially of fictional towns, are important. You may even create a tourist guide including historical travel information. These can be written and sent in a newsletter or put on your website for readers who are curious.

Keep track of details: where the characters went to college, where they are from, how they know each other, etc.

Market YOU and not the series or book. Hybrid publishing is the best way to go these days.

 

Adjournment

Meeting adjourned at 12:23. Next meeting will be on June 5, 2025, at Faith Lutheran Church.

Respectfully submitted,

Leoma Gilley, AGT Secretary