Right before the ‘Speed Date an Agent’ session, they lined us up three abreast in front of the ominously closed double doors to The Room of the Dons at the Mark Hopkins Hotel in San Francisco. I know that was necessary to facilitate an orderly entrance into the Speed Date an Agent Session, but it made me feel like a Holstein at the gate.

However, that was the only part of the session that I didn’t like. We had the opportunity to research the participating agents ahead of time, so I knew beforehand which agents’ tables to target. I did that, lining up for the coveted one-on-one three minutes. A gentle bell rang to signal that time was up, and we authors moved on. Although this type of session is stressful, I did not sense any bad vibes or bad manners from anyone. In fact, I still smile when I think of the man waiting in line behind me for the Curtis Brown agent, mumbling to himself, practicing his pitch. I turned around and gave him a thumbs up.

And a thumbs up is what I rate the Speed Date an Agent Session from the February 2009 San Francisco Writers’ Conference. If you want more information about this yearly conference, check out the website at www.sfwriters.org.