Subtexts Pitchapalooza at the UNM Summer Writers’ Conference; the seventh annual Southwest Book Design and Production Awards

Publishing without perishing: Pitches and prizes Getting the attention of an agent or publisher is considered the second big hurdle (after the writing process) in the long road to literary fame and fortune. Attendees of the UNM Summer Writers’ Conference in Santa Fe, which continues through the weekend, have a chance to try one-minute book pitches at Pitchapalooza on Friday, July 29, at 6:40 p.m. in the Drury Plaza Hotel (828 Paseo de Peralta). A panel of publishing insiders, including Arielle Eckstut and David Henry Sterry, also known as the Book Doctors, critique pitches and help would-be authors hone and refine how they describe their books. One winner will be introduced to an agent or publisher. Only registered conference-goers can pitch their books at the event, but the public is invited to watch the chaos unfold. With some luck, all writers will leave with a better sense of how to pitch. The event is free. For more information, visit https://unmwritersconf.unm.edu.

The New Mexico Book Association honored local and regional writers at a ceremony in June as winners and finalists in the Southwest Book Design and Production Awards, now in its seventh year. Laguna Pueblo, a photography book by Lee Marmon and Tom Corbett, edited by John Byram and published by the University of New Mexico Press, won in the illustrated trade book category. I’ll Run Till the Sun Goes Down: A Memoir About Depression and Discovering Art by David Sandum, from Sandra Jonas Publishing House, took the top prize for non-illustrated trade books and also received the President’s Choice Award, which is new this year. Another new award in 2016, the Michael Hice Memorial Award, was given to Finding Abbey: The Search for Edward Abbey and His Hidden Desert Grave by Sean Prentiss, published by the University of New Mexico Press. For a full list of awards and winners, visit www.nmbookassociation.org.