CHERISE FISHER
Cherise Fisher began her career in publishing more than 25 years ago, working as an acquiring editor at Simon & Schuster and Penguin, where she was the Editor in Chief of the Plume trade paperback imprint. As an agent, she is interested in working with novelists who have several compulsively readable yarns in their head (both historical and contemporary), memoirists who showcase the diversity of human experience, and nonfiction writers who seek to provoke, inspire, and educate. Her intention is that all the books she helps bring into the world are relevant, enduring, and help readers maximize their life.
Read more on her agency's website.
SESSION: Don’t Just Try to Please Me: On Incorporating Editorial Feedback (Or Not)
After months (and often years) of toil, blood, and tears, the writer finally shares the work. This triumphant moment inevitably tilts toward anxiety. What has been an intimate conversation between the mind and the computer screen is now opened up to others: a professional editor, literary agent, or perhaps fellow writers in a writing group. The vulnerability often causes authors to surrender to the (over)eagerness to please those responding to their work. This might result in writer's block/paralysis, finished work that feels choppy, or a manuscript that is disconnected from the writer's original imagination. This discussion will offer the best practices for a writer on how to thoughtfully incorporate suggestions from others, effectively push back on feedback that is off base, and distinguish between a resistant ego and a true creative impulse.