Indie Author Publishing Conference & Pitchapalooza!
02/25/2012 8:00 am
Changing Hands Bookstore and Phoenix Public Library proudly present:  South Mountain Community Library 7050 South 24th Street Phoenix, Arizona 85042 Cost for the day includes box lunch $100 Early registration (until January 31) Registration February 1-25: $115 Register now: 480.730.0205    | |
| The publishing world is changing. Whether you choose self-publishing or the traditional route, the INDIE AUTHOR PUBLISHING CONFERENCE will help you get started, get inspired, and learn what you need to know to publish successfully. One lucky person will even win an introduction to a literary agent during our Pitchapalooza! Here's a list of scheduled sessions :
 GREAT GIFT IDEA for the writers in your life. We'll even gift wrap the registration confirmation for you! | |
CONFERENCE SCHEDULE | |
| Cost for the day includes box lunch | $100 Early registration (until January 31) | Registration February 1-25: $115 REGISTER NOW: 480.730.0205 8:00 | REGISTRATION AND CHECK-IN 8:30-9:15 | SESSION 1 | IT'S A GREAT TIME TO BE AN AUTHOR | ARIELLE ECKSTUT AND DAVID HENRY STERRY | The publishing world is changing. Authors have more options than ever before, but how do you make the best decision about whether to pursue the traditional route with an agent and publishing house, or make the decision to self publish? Do you publish a paper book or go straight to digital? We'll explore these questions and more. 9:30-10:15 | SESSION 2 | WHAT ABOUT TRADITIONAL PUBLISHING? | MIKE SLACK, ANNETTE ROGERS AND GAYLE SHANKS | If you're an up-and-coming writer, you're likely hoping to land a traditional book publishing deal. Are publishers still expecting mailed manuscripts? What about a query letter? How does one search for the best agent? These panelists give an overview of the traditional side of publishing today. 10:30-11:15 | SESSION 3 | HOW TO PITCH YOUR BOOK | DAVID HENRY STERRY AND ARIELLE ECKSTUT | Before, during, and after publication, a great pitch is one of the most powerful and underestimated tools in the arsenal of any writer looking to publish successfully. From landing an agent and a book deal to self-publishing, from getting traction online to attracting media, and from convincing booksellers to carry your book to letting readers know why they should buy your book, the perfect pitch is the goose that will lay your golden publishing egg. Find out how to craft a dynamite pitch. And be sure to bring your pitch with you, even if it's far from perfect! 11:30-12:45 | LUNCH TALK | MARKETING YOUR BOOK | PENNY SANSEVIERI | Traditional marketing is not dead. A newspaper review can have a big impact on book sales. In addition to social media, what do authors need to know to market their books? How much time and investment must an author make to market a book? In this session, attendees will gain a greater understanding of what to do to market a book. 1-1:45 | SESSION 4 | INTRO TO DIGITAL PUBLISHING | EVO TERRA AND JEFF MORIARTY | As digital publishing options explode, it's changing what it means to be an author. In this talk, we'll cover the changes to the process of writing the text, working with editors and designers, the act of publishing, promoting successfully, and interacting with readers. It's a changing world. We can help. 2-2:45 | SESSION 5 | ALTERNATIVE PUBLISHING | MICHAEL STACKPOLE, MIKE SLACK, SAM HENRIE AND GWEN HENSON | So you've decided to go the route of self-publishing. Lately, some indie authors are getting picked up by publishing houses based on their self-published book, blog, or e-book. These panelists will give an overview of the self-publishing world and share best and worst practices. 3-3:45 | SESSION 6 | WORKING WITH BOOKSTORES AND LIBRARIES: BEST PRACTICES | GAYLE SHANKS, KATHLEEN SULLIVAN, DANA BRACCIA AND CINDY DACH | All authors dream of finding their books perfectly alphabetized or on display at the library or bookstore, but it's not as simple as a phone call or mail drop. This panel of librarians and booksellers will discuss how they purchase materials, so that authors can maximize their chances of being placed in library and bookstore collections. We'll also discuss the art of having a successful bookstore event. 4:30 | OPEN TO THE PUBLIC | PITCHAPALOOZA | DAVID HENRY STERRY, ARIELLE ECKSTUT, ANNETTE ROGERS AND GAYLE SHANKS | Consider it a kind of American Idol for books (only without Simon). It works like this: Anyone with an idea for a book has one minute (and one minute only) to pitch it to our panel of judges. Pitch participants will be randomly selected from the pool of authors present. Eckstut and Sterry team up with Annette Rogers and Gayle Shanks to form a judging panel. The judges will critique everything from idea and style to your idea's marketplace viability, and much more. Whether potential authors pitch themselves, or simply listen to trained professionals critique each presentation, Pitchapaloozas are educational and entertaining for one and all. All participants come away with concrete advice on how to improve their pitch, as well as a greater understanding of the ins and outs of the publishing industry. At the end of the evening, the judges will pick a winner, who will receive an introduction to an agent in their genre. | |
ABOUT THE PRESENTERS | |
Arielle Eckstut is an agent-at-large at the Levine Greenberg Literary Agency, one of New York City's most respected and successful agencies. For 18 years, she has been helping hundreds of talented writers become published authors. Arielle is not only the author of seven books, but she is also a successful entrepreneur. She co-founded the company LittleMissMatched, and grew it from a tiny operation into a leading national brand, which grossed over $30 million in retail sales last year, and now has stores from coast to coast, rom Disneyland to Disney World to Fifth Avenue in New York City. |  |
| David Henry Sterry is the author of 12 books on a wide variety of subjects, from memoir, sports, and reference to novels for younbg readers. His most recent book appeared on the cover of the Sunday New York Times Book Review. He is a regular contributor to the Huffington Post, and his work has appeared everywhere from the San Francisco Chronicle to the London Times. |  |
| Penny C. Sansevieri, founder and CEO Author Marketing Experts, Inc., is a bestselling author and internationally recognized book marketing and media relations expert. She is an Adjunct Professor teaching Self-Publishing for NYU. Her company is one of the leaders in the publishing industry and has developed some of the most innovative social media / internet book marketing campaigns. She is the author of five books, including Red Hot Internet Publicity, which has been called the "leading guide to everything Internet." |  |
| Mike Slack lives in Los Angeles and has been a sales representative for Macmillan since 1997, selling a wide range of imprints to independent bookstores in southern California, Arizona, Utah and Hawaii. Prior to that he worked for four years at Book Soup in West Hollywood, CA. He is also co-founder of The Ice Plant, an independent small press specializing in artist books. He has published three books of his photographs with The Ice Plant—Ok Ok Ok (2006, originally published by J&L Books in 2002), Scorpio (2006), and Pyramids (2009). |  |
| Kathleen Sullivan has worked in public libraries for 40 years, where her primary responsibility has been as a collection management specialist. She is currently the Collection Development Coordinator for the Phoenix Public Library, where she oversees the expenditure of a $4 million budget. She has served on numerous state and national committees including the Materials Reviewing Committee of the American library Association. |  |
| Dana Braccia is the Content and Digital Communities Manager for the Scottsdale Public Library, an Adjunct Professor at the University of Arizona SIRLS program, and the current President of the Mountain Plains Library Association. She helped create Scottsdale's "READ Local: Arizona Author Collection" and the "WRITE Local: Online Author Toolkit." These programs help to showcase and develop emerging literary efforts, introduce readers to unique homegrown talent that is not yet nationally known, and give local authors a tangible way to connect with readers. |  |
| For the last decade, Evo Terra has made his living as a digital business strategist. In short, he solves problems. Along the way he's become entangled in the publishing community. First it was co-hosting an author interview show that became a nationally syndicated radio program and podcast. Then it was launching a serialized free audio books service. He was even asked to write a couple of books in the "for Dummies" series on the topic. Now he's focusing on authors, leveraging his knowledge in digital marketing, branding and doing business online to help them sell more books. |  |
| An expert in small press publishing, Gwen Henson helps authors and publishers bring their books to life. As owner of Sagebrush Publications, she edits books, websites and marketing copy to enhance the author's voice. She is also the executive director of the Arizona chapter of the National Speakers Association. A speaker at national publishing conferences, she also serves as a judge for national book awards. In 2011, she was awarded the Korwin Award for Visionary Leadership. |  |
| Jeff Moriarty has worked the spectrum from running his own software company, to assessing information security issues, to performing improv comedy, to managing social media communities for a Fortune 100 company. Jeff helped develop and implement the internal Social Media strategy for Intel employees, and worked as the Community Manager for the external developer site supporting Intel's mobile products. He has become a fixture in the Phoenix social media community, organizing Ignite Phoenix and the Improv AZ prank and flashmob group, and leading the Phoenix Social Media Club. Each of these organizations have become highly successful in short order as a direct result of the power of social media in communication and marketing. |  |
| Sam Henrie is president and founder of Wheatmark, Inc., where he helps authors produce and distribute their books successfully—even if they've never produced a book, or distributed a product before. Sam also helps business owners and professionals become published authors in order to grow their businesses. A frequent speaker on the subjects of book marketing, book publicity, and independent publishing, Sam's expertise includes new directions in production, distribution, publicity, and marketing in the world of book publishing. Sam is past president of the Arizona Book Publishing Association. |  |
| Michael A. Stackpole Stackpole is the bestselling author of over forty fantasy and science fiction novels. His best known books were written in the Star Wars® universe, including I, Jedi and Rogue Squadron. In the summer of 2008 he was the first author to have work for sale in Apple's Appstore, and he's been an advocate for authors taking advantage of the opportunities afforded by the digital revolution. He regularly tours the country attending conventions, giving writing workshops and lecturing on writing careers in the post-paper era. |  |
| Annette Rogers became addicted to reading during dark childhood winters in Juneau, Alaska, when she read the city library from one side to the other. Now as Acquisitions Editor of the Poisoned Pen Press, she searches for new, unpublished mystery writers. Recent successes include Dennis Palumbo's Mirror Image, Reavis Z. Wortham's The Rock Hole, Angela Gerst's A Crack in Everything, Jeffrey Siger's Murder on Mykonos, Mitchell Lewis's Murder in the 11th House, and Bernadette Pajer's A Spark of Death. In addition she evaluates and edits manuscripts for publication, corresponds with writers and agents, and brings her soft-coated wheaten terrier Griffin to work each day. Rogers published a bestselling history/travel book on Egypt that was translated into six languages, wrote for O, the Oprah Magazine, and reported on court hearings for Time/Life about the Mormon Bomber case. She has a Masters Degree in History and English. |  |
| Gayle Shanks co-founded Changing Hands Bookstore in 1974. She served as president of the American Booksellers Association in 2008, and continues to be involved with the bookselling community on local, regional and national levels. As the book buyer for CHB since its inception she knows what books sell, she is able to spot trends and her Meet the Buyer sessions for authors in the community hoping to get their book published are always sold out. She is an avid reader and knows good writing when she reads it. |  |
| Cindy Dach is a co-owner and general manager of Changing Hands Bookstore where she has produced and managed hundreds of author and community based events over the past eleven years. Dach is a co-owner of MADE art boutique, which features a highly curated selection of books from Changing Hands. She is also a co-founder of Local First AZ and an acting board member of Roosevelt Row Community Development Corporation where she works collaboratively to help cultivate a downtown walkable arts community in Downtown Phoenix. |  |
Location:
- Street:
- 7050 S 24th Street
- City:
- Phoenix ,
- Province:
- Arizona
- Postal Code:
- 85042
- Country:
- United States
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