Southern
Expressions
Authors Conference 2011
- Sessions -
JEANIE PANTELAKIS
cpantelakis@gmail.com www.sullivanmaxx.com
What a Query Means to Me- First Glance Impressions of a Query
In
this session I will go over the structure, content and composition of
successful queries. Why is it important to make an excellent first
impression? Why less is more and details mean the most? Q & A.
Synopsis and First Three Chapters - What Makes Me Want to Read This?
In this session I will go over what I expect to see when I open your
attachments. What is it that an agent, an editor looks for? What turns
them away? What makes them want to see the rest of the manuscript? Q &
A.
PETER BOWERMAN, Freelance Writer & Publishing Coach
Self-Publishing Demystified:
The Well-Fed Writer:
Breaking into the Lucrative Field of “Commercial” Freelancing
What if you could make $60-$100+ an hour writing, and give yourself the
time and space to pursue your "passion writing"? In today’s downsized
business world, companies of all sizes pay freelancers such rates to
handle many of their writing tasks. Join Peter Bowerman, veteran
“commercial” writer (with clients such as BellSouth, IBM, UPS,
Mercedes-Benz, American Express and Coca-Cola), and author of the
award-winning "Well-Fed Writer" titles on the subject, as you learn what
commercial writing is, why the field makes sense now, how to build a
portfolio, where the work is, what to charge, how good you have to be,
and more. A GOOD writing income is closer than you think!
DAN CASE, Publisher
Top Five Things You Can Do to Get Successfully Published
Dan will speak about the top
five things you can do as a writer to become published AND paid. Laced
with success stories of writers that he has coached and/or met
throughout his career, Dan will reveal the easiest places to get
published, how to sell what you write, and write what will sell.
How to Self-Publish Your Novel on the Kindle, Nook, and iPad (and Make More Money Than Being Published by New York)
Nearly half of the bestselling books on Amazon’s Kindle (ebooks) are published by small press and indie publishers. On Amazon’s Kindle ebook rankings, several books published by Dan’s company, AWOC.COM Publishing, are out-selling books that are on the NY Times best-selling list. Dan will reveal how you can self-publish your ebook for the Amazon Kindle, the Barnes and Noble Nook, the Apple iPad, and other ebook reading devices then publish and turn it into a bestseller and earn more money than if you were traditionally published.
JERRY D. SIMMONS
What Writers Need to Know About Publishing
This program brings more than 34 years of experience to writers and gives them a glimpse of how the major publishers in this country compete for shelf space and sales. It provides a unique perspective on how any author can be competitive in the marketplace. Points I cover:
The industry, changes taking place, and how it
impacts the writer,
Why it is important for writers to know their
genre and the marketplace,
What writers need to know about competition for
book sales,
How to become a participant in the process of
publishing.
The only way a writer can improve their chances of being
successful as an author is to have a clear understanding of how the
market operates. In this intensely competitive publishing environment,
it is absolutely critical that writers understand the marketplace for
selling books. It is important that writers have information about how
books are marketed and sold in order to improve their chances of being
successful. It is easy to get a book published, but extremely difficult
to sell books.
Most writing workshops and seminars teach writers how to
improve their skills, not how to actively market and sell books. The
worst thing any author can do is relying on their publisher to make good
decisions about their book. My presentation will give writers the
insight they need to ask the right questions and work in partnership
with their publisher.
The disastrous sale of any book can jeopardize the career of a writer
before it even starts. I explain to writers the importance of
understanding the basics of the marketplace and why it is important to
their career.
Also Included:
When any writer is seeking out an agent or publisher they need to
understand how the major companies look for books. It’s important to
understand how editors evaluate manuscripts and how publishers make
decisions on which titles to purchase for their list. This program
debunks three of the biggest myths.
The Importance of Book Marketing
To successfully compete for book sales authors must understand the
marketing strengths and weaknesses of their bigger New York competitors.
In this program I outline how any author can compete effectively by
taking advantage of how the major publishers market their books and
authors, and I offer advice on how to compete for book sales. There are
marketing missteps that cost authors and small publishers thousands of
dollars; I will explain in detail how to avoid these common mistakes.
There are particularly difficult challenges in bringing
books to the marketplace. Most small publishers, and especially the
self-published and print-on-demand companies, do not have the
distribution network of their bigger competitors, and they can face huge
financial challenges in publishing and marketing books. To successfully
compete for book sales authors must understand the marketing strengths
and weaknesses of their bigger New York competitors.
In this part of my presentation I outline how any author can compete
effectively by taking advantage of how the major publishers market their
books and authors, and I offer advice on how to compete for book sales.
There are marketing missteps that cost authors thousands of dollars; I
will explain in detail how to avoid these common mistakes.
Also Included:
7 Things Every Writer Must Know About Publishing
Getting a manuscript published is easy, selling books is hard.
There are seven basic areas that writers looking to get a manuscript
published or author with a book in print must know to maximize their
marketing budgets and make smart decisions. At the very least every
writer or author must know and understand these important points about
the business of publishing to be successful.
ROLAND MANN
Put A Little Super in Your Hero: Ways to supe-up your protagonist
Writers know they have to create interesting plots and storylines
to keep the readers’ attention. They also know they have to create
interesting characters to drive those stories. This session will give
writers ideas and suggestions on how to create more interesting and
memorable protagonists.
Shameless Self-Promotion
In a day when publishers are cutting back on marketing budgets, writers are left to do more of the footwork of promoting their books on their own. This session gives suggestions for writers to market their work, much of it for free.
PAT VAN WIE, Senior Editor
How To Drive An Editor Crazy.
Or Not.
Pat discusses what editors see – the good, the bad, and the ugly – and how to improve your writing by paying attention to the little things. She’ll also share the direction of Bell Bridge Books and what they’re looking for.
GMC:
Goal, Motivation and
Conflict
Based
on the popular book by Debra Dixon, this workshop will teach you these
critical fiction-writing elements to give dimension to your characters
and direction to your plot.
Plan a road map to keep your story on track.
Discover why your scenes aren't working and what to do about it.
PATRICIA SPRINKLE, Mystery Writer
Creating the Town that Isn't
There: How to create a
setting that is so real people think they've been there. We will discuss
how to choose a setting, how to people it, and how to flesh it out with
important details so it comes to life and becomes a character in your
work.
Loren Niemi, Story Teller
The Power of
Metaphor
The Arc of Caring
It is not enough to craft the narrative, for a truly engaging experience we must also craft the emotional journeys of the characters within and the audience through the story. How do we build and release empathy, concern, tension or fear? This session takes you through the structure of shaping the multiple emotional arcs of the material with hands-on exercises and frank conversation about why it matters.
mary ann O'Gorman, Poet
Dancing in Chains: Using Poetic Forms to Unleash the Meaning
Focus on using meter and form as a means of
liberating the meaning of a poem.
Truth as a Requirement for Poetry
Moving from first thoughts and cliché to
uncovering the writer's truth.
Kathleen Nettleton, Publisher
Nettleton will give you an insightful description of Pelican Press and discuss manuscript submissions, how books come to Pelican and the importance of Promotion after a book is actually published.
Working with your publisher on Promotion
AMY WILDER DRAKE, Literary Agent
How to Do Your Homework: Submitting and Getting Read
You're a busy person, you don't have time to send out 200 query letters. Even one or two a week might be a struggle. So how do you make every submission count? You do your homework. With just a few well-spent minutes every day, you can give your one submission the edge to make it be the one that makes an agency assistant sit up and take notice. This could be the edge that helps you turn the corner from form letters to phone calls.
Trends in YA: What's Selling, What's Inspiring Us?
YA is a fast-expanding and lucrative section of the publishing business and readers in this age group are open to reading books by new authors. If you're interested in writing for a young adult audience, there's a lot to get excited about! Did you know that, after a steep decline in the eighties and nineties, young adult reading has been on the rise for the past ten years? The Harry Potter generation is growing up, and they are voracious readers! All this opportunity creates a lot of excitement and generates hundreds of new titles every season. But in a crowded marketplace—how do you stand out? Let's talk about trends and new opportunities—what's working, what's not and, most importantly—how not to get lost in the crowd of would-be Stephenie Meyers. Bring notes about your book ideas and pencil and paper for a fun exercise.
Patricia Lorenz, Author
Seven Essential ingredients of a Nonfiction Story
How to write creative nonfiction stories that sell to inspirational magazines, Chicken Soup books, women's magazines, and anthologies. The seven ingredients are a must.
a
Published Writers, Next Step Speaker
Once you become known as a published writer,
you'll be asked to speak at various events, businesses, churches and
schools. This mini-course will prepare you for making that move toward
professional speaking as a lucrative addition to your writing career.
CHARLES W SASSER, Author, Journalist
Participatory Journalism: Adventure for The Hell
of it—and for profit
Charles W. Sasser has published more than 50 books and 3-4,000 magazine articles and short stories, much of it based on his flamboyant cclifestyle. His secret to success—what he calls 'participatory journalism.' During a full-time writing career spanning more than 30 years, he has solo-sailed the Caribbean; solo-kayaked the Inside Passage to Canada; canoed across the Yukon Territory; herded horses across Alaska. . . He returned in April from dog-sledding the Arctic off Greenland. . . He is also an ex-Green Beret, ex-police homicide detective, former professional kickboxer, former pro rodeo bronc rider and rodeo clown, combat correspondent, archaeologist. . . All of which becomes grist for his prolific pen. Learn how you can expand your literary and journalistic reach through “Participatory Journalism."
PEGGY WEBB aka Anna Michaels, Author
www.peggywebb.com
www.annamichaels.net
Capturing a Unicorn
I will talk about the many ways to find a story and what makes a
story great, no matter what the genre. I will draw on my background as a
writer of mystery, romance, women's fiction, literary fiction and
screenplays.
Philip L. Levin, Author
Publishing Your Book: Conception, Construction, and Distribution
Using six successful book productions as examples, Dr. Levin discusses how the aspiring writer can produce their own book, from low cost family memoirs to professional quality mysteries and children’s books. The last session of the day, we anticipate a relaxed open discussion.
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