The Author-izer

Archive for the ‘Conferences & Events’ Category

Yep, it’s that time again. Every year the Bay Area Independent Publishers’ Association holds a “Get Published!” institute. This will be my second year recording the speakers in my Podcast Asylum persona, but it’s the aspiring writers and authors, not the podcast junkies, who will be interested in this one.

This year’s keynotes focus heavily on new trends in publishing and book marketing, most notably e-books and social media such as YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter. And I happen to know that my brilliant colleague Hilary Powers has been invited to give a breakout session on editing.

When

March 13, 2010
8:30 to 5:00

Where

Dominican College / Guzman Lecture Hall
50 Acacia Ave
San Rafael, CA 94901

Cost

Before March 1, register in advance / $99 for members / $119  for non-members 
After March 1, register at the door /  $129 for members / $149 for non-members

Get the Details

Head over to the Registration Page and sign up.

Claudia Suzanne is that contradiction in terms, a famous ghostwriter. After ghostwriting more than 100 titles, both fiction and non-fiction, she knows her stuff. If you want to know it, too, you can sign up for one of her semester-long Ghostwriter Certification courses. She teaches them in-person down in San Diego, and over the phone for everyone else. The cost is $930 plus an $89 materials fee; there’s a payment plan option.

Here’s a list of topics covered:

• How to do an A&R
• How to find the “gold” in any manuscript
• How to determine BISAC selection
• How to advise the three types of authors on publishing options
• The scope of responsibility for the various ESPs
• The variances between the author’s writing process and the ghostwriting process
• How to chart nonfiction
• How to apply a content template (not MS Word formatting)
• How to maintain the author’s voice
• How to do multiple “spins” (while maintaining the author’s voice)
• The variances between passive, static, and active voice; when and how to convert; and when to not
• The variances between and basic principles of line and copy editing
• How to build a nonfiction proposal and query letter and research a submission list
• The variances between plot and character driven novels
• PMA+A
• The elements of fiction writing
• The parameters of fiction A&Rs
• How to map a plot w/characters
• Meet-in-the-Middle
• How to ghostwrite supplemental scenes while maintaining the author’s voice
• How to ghostwrite full novels while maintaining the author’s story, characters, vision, premise, theme, intent and “tells”
• The variances between “show” and “tell”; when and how to convert; and when to not
• How to create a compelling submission synopsis and query letter and research a submission list
• How to create a personal resume and credit list while maintaining client confidentiality
• How to find clients and how to get clients to find you
• How to set reasonable fees, bid projects, and write equitable contracts
• How to assess clients and control the initial contact to land the gig
• How to establish and maintain authority and avoid or handle problems as they arise

I would love to take this course, but haven’t had a chance yet. I do know the classes fill up quickly, so if you’re an aspiring ghostwriter, you should head to Claudia’s website to register. (And don’t mind the painful collision of font colors—she’s a writer, not a web designer.)

The Bay Area Independent Publishers Association
Welcomes Writers, Publishers, and Editors to San Anselmo’s
SF Theological Seminary for our 2009 Independent Publishing Institute

(swiped shamelessly from the brochure)

Date & Time

Saturday, March 21, 2009
8 AM – 5 PM

Location

Alexander Hall
SF Theological Seminary
40 Kensington Road
San Anselmo, CA, 94690

SFTS Campus Map
Google Map

Cost

• $95 BAIPA member advance registration ($125 after March 7)
• $125 Non-member advance registration ($150 after March 7)
• $150 at the door

(Non-member registration includes a 6-month membership in BAIPA.)

Highlights

• Jim Horan, author of The One-Page Business Plan: “Your Book Can and Should Be Your Next Best Friend!”
• Kathi Kamen Goldmark, author, producer, “West Coast Live”: “Publishing Demystified”
• Ask a Pro (one-on-one with Speakers and BAIPA experts)

In addition to these main sessions, there will be a number of break-out sessions that delve deeply into topics vital to successful publishing, including:

• Pre- and Post- Reviews
• Book Design and Production
• Children’s Publishing
• Web Presence
• Fiction Books
• Children’s Books

Pre-register (by old-fashioned postal mail) by downloading and printing the brochure, then sending in the registration form with a check.

Contact Info

Questions? Phone: Paula, 415.975.0950 Registrar: valpub [at] yahoo [dot] com

Hat tip to Lin Lacombe for posting about this on LinkedIn.

Sherri Schultz of Words with Grace just posted the following announcement to the Bay Area Editors’ Forum e-mail discussion list:

Looking for a vacation you can write off (at least part of)? Want to improve your professional skills and revel in the company of more than a hundred fellow word lovers?

Consider attending “Beyond the Red Pencil 2,” the second biannual conference organized by the Northwest Independent Editors Guild. It takes place in Seattle on Saturday, March 28, and is open to members and nonmembers alike. Having attended the first one (which sold out), I can virtually guarantee that you’ll have a good time!

The conference offers a full day of activities, with something for everyone. Enjoy professional development workshops, interact with expert speakers, and meet fellow editors. The keynote speaker is Sheila Bender (publisher of Writing It Real, an online instructional magazine), who will speak on “Using Our Hearts to Head in the ‘Write’ Direction: Editors and Writers Moving Forward.” Morning and afternoon seminars will address such topics as dealing with problem clients, online vs. print editing, tooting your own horn, editing longer manuscripts, and “Taking Control of Microsoft Word,” led by the Bay Area’s own Hilary Powers. Plus there’ll be a catered lunch (included in the conference fee) and an informal lunchtime spelling bee!

You can take advantage of early-bird rates and get the best choice of sessions by registering before March 1.

Download the conference brochure here.

I’m not going to be able to go myself, because I’m planning to drive down to LA the following weekend, and I can’t take that much consecutive time off (or that much consecutive travel). But it sounds fun and informative, and anyone who has the opportunity to hear Hilary talk about how to use Word should definitely take advantage of it!

Seattle is a fun city, too. There’s plenty to occupy your spouse and children for a day while you’re justifying your write-off.

SpeakerNet News (part of the National Speakers’ Association) is hosting a teleseminar with Matt Holt from Wiley Publishing on December 16th, 2008.

From the SNN Website:

The Details:

Date: Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Time: 7:00 pm Eastern (6 pm Central, 5 pm Mountain, 4 pm Pacific)
Length: ≈ 60 minutes
Cost: $25

The Program:

Matt Holt is one of the top five players in the business publishing world. He knows what sells. He knows what authors need to do to partner with publishers. He knows what annoys him. He will share the straight scoop that will save you lots of time and money from pitching the wrong book to the wrong people.

Many would-be authors think that once their book is in print, the publisher will push it to bestsellerhood. You are smart enough to know that isn’t true. Matt will discuss what you will be expected to do to market your book.

If you’ve considered proposing a business book to a major publisher, this is a must-hear session. Matt will cover what gets his attention and what gets tossed.

You will learn how to:

• Capture a top publisher’s attention
• Avoid common mistakes would-be authors make
• Submit a pithy proposal including key elements
• Help your book sell big
• Know when you will be expected to pay for editing, illustrations and promotion
• Market your book pre-publication

I’ll be moderating a panel on Writing and Publishing for Consultants at the July 27th meeting of the Bay Area Consultants Network. This will be a real challenge, as there’s so much to say about publishing and so little time to say it in, but I’ve been working hard with the panelists to coordinate the questions and answers so that we can address important issues regarding book publishing, online article marketing, writing for print publications, creating and using white papers, and more. And we’re putting together a great collection of links to more information about topics we can’t cover in detail.

The morning starts bright and early at 7:30 and concludes at 10:00. You get a hot breakfast, plenty of coffee, and some networking time to help you wake up before we launch into the publishing panel. Then hang out and relax on the lovely grounds of the McInnis Park Golf Center afterwards.

Grab all the details and register on the BACN website.

And yes, I do plan to record it, but that’s never as good as being there.

Authors and authors-to-be take note: the Conversations with Experts series, hosted by Denise Wakeman and Patsi Krakoff, has several weeks of free teleclasses with book publishing and marketing experts lined up. Topics include:

• Marketing Your Book the Easy Way
• Ever Wanted to Write a Book? There Has Never Been A Better Time to Realize that Dream than Now!
• Book Design and Development: The Secrets of Award-Winning Books
• Using Direct Marketing Techniques to Sell Thousands of Copies of Your Book

Register at http://www.customizednewsletters.com/CE/cesched.htm

Patsi and Denise also teach the Blog to Book course. Blog software can do many things, including help you get a book out of your head and onto a computer. The course has no set start or end date, so it’s never too late to enroll.

Note�this post is only slightly edited from Susan’s original e-mail advertisement. I’ve signed up, and would encourage anyone who’s planning on writing a book to do so as well.

Join Susan Harrow, author of the new e-book Get a Six Figure Book Advance, and ghostwriter Mahesh Grossman on Thursday, 4 August for a free teleclass.

You’ll learn how to:

* Develop an irresistible platform.
* Create a publicity plan that will wow! editors.
* Entice agents to pursue you.
* Avoid the pet peeves of editors at the major New York publishing houses.
* Use strategies to create an auction so your book sells to the highest bidder.

When: Thursday, August 4
4:30pm PT, 5:30pm MT, 6:30pm CT 7:30pm ET, and 12:30pm UK No cost
1 hour

To register send a blank email to:
oprah-118104@autocontactor.com

IMPORTANT: You will get a response with all the information you need to join the class when you register by using the above email address. As this response comes from an autoresponder you must allow an email from: newslettereditor@prsecrets.com. Please whitelist or add this email address to your address book ASAP or you will NOT receive this information.