No, it's not November yet, and I've got no good news on the Amazon/BookSurge mess at this time (except to tell you that Angela Hoy at Booklocker is taking them on single handedly), but I'm back briefly to tell you about a really cool conference that's happening this summer. I'll be there volunteering, and I hope some of you will attend and introduce yourselves to me. My agents, Mike Larsen and Elizabeth Pomada, who also put on the phenomenally-successful San Francisco Writers Conference each year, host this one as well. This year's event is the second annual Writing for Change Conference, but it promises to be just as superb as last year's conference and as the San Francisco Writers Conference, which I've recommended previously.
Mike and Elizabeth have some great speakers lined up. They are looking forward to hearing Mike Farrell, who is not yet even listed on the conference website as a speaker but will be there. Remember, you heard it here first... (Yes, this is the Mike Farrell from M*A*S*H. I can't wait to hear him either, but I'll be looking for Alan Alda to show up with a martini!) I'll also be scoping out the best seat for Lynn Andrews and Gay Hendricks.
Will you be sitting next to me? I hope so!
Anyway, here's the scoop:
WRITING FOR CHANGE CONFERENCE
August 16 & 17, 2008
at the Hotel Kabuki in San Francisco (in Chinatown)
Writing for Change is a conference devoted to non-fiction writing that brings about positive change, from the personal to the planetary. The theme of the conference is “Saving the World One Book at a Time.” The speakers will talk about change in politics, culture, business, marketing, technology, spirituality, social issues, the environment, health & nutrition, international relations, food, medical services, personal development and the criminal justice system.
2007 Keynote speaker, Dr. Phillip Zimbardo, when asked how a book could change the world said "A book can make shy people learn they are not alone; rather, their condition is widely shared, and so open them up for self-change. Another book can change conceptions about evil as not rooted in bad seeds or personality defects, but in social situations and systems of social control, which can instigate revolutions in legal theory and shifts from medical models of treatment to public health paradigms."
Attendees will be able to learn from authors, editors, agents, and publishing professionals from the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, and New York, and get feedback on their work.
Registration ($395) includes two breakfasts and two lunches.
Writers can register online and learn more at http://www.sfwritingforchange.org/, 415-673-0939, sfwriterscon@aol.com, or at 1029 Jones St., San Francisco, 94109.
The Hotel Kabuki is offering a wonderful room rate of $129 per night. Click here to find out more about this unique travel destination.
Check out the Writing for Change blog at sfwritingforchange.blogspot.com
2008 Keynote Speakers (more to come):
Gay Hendricks - has served for more than 30 years as one of the major contributors to the fields of relationship transformation and body/mind therapies. Along with his wife, Dr. Kathlyn Hendricks, Gay is the author of many bestsellers, including Conscious Loving, Spirit-Centered Relationships, The Corporate Mystic, and Five Wishes.
Wes 'Scoop' Nisker - is an author, radio commentator, Buddhist meditation teacher and performer. Author of Crazy Wisdom Saves the World Again and The Big Bang, The Buddha and the Baby Boom, Nisker delivers "instant therapy."
Lynn V. Andrews - is a 21st Century Shaman and mystic life coach and bestselling author of Spirit Woman, Medicine Woman and Writing Spirit. Lynn has spent the past 25 years studying with shamanic women on three continents.
(And MIKE FARRELL!!!)
***
Click here to hear Michael and Elizabeth speaking about the upcoming conference on Harlots' Sauce Radio
Purchase tapes of the 2007 Conference - Tapes are available at www.vwtapes.com or 1-888-VWTapes
Co-Founders: Elizabeth Pomada and Michael Larsen, AAR and partners in Larsen-Pomada Literary Agents.
More information is also available by calling 415-673-0939 or sending a request to 1029 Jones Street, San Francisco, California 94109. Or go to http://www.sfwritingforchange.org/
Hope to see you there! In the meantime, I'm writing a book about consciously creating change, and Mike is peddling it for me. What have you been up to since last November? Maybe next year at this time I'll be speaking at the Writing for Change Conference. Will you be joining me on the podium?
Showing posts with label San Francisco Writers Conference. Show all posts
Showing posts with label San Francisco Writers Conference. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Monday, November 26, 2007
The Benefits of Attending a Writers Conference
Today I'd like to encourage you to attend a writers conference if at all possible. I know these can be expensive, but I feel they are well worth the money and the time.
Given that I live in Northern California, for the last three years I've attended the San Francisco Writers Conference. When I lived in New York, I had the opportunity to attend a variety of different conferences in Manhattan. Each time I've attended a conference I've left with loads of great information on writing, getting published, the publishing industry, publishing trends, and promoting myself and my writing projects.
Conferences are a great place to hobnob with other writers and to learn what they are doing to help themselves obtain an agent or sell their work to publishing houses. As nonfiction writers, networking with other nonfiction writers who are building their platforms can help us find places to speak and think of unique ways to make ourselves known in our own marketplaces.
Conference usually feature expert speakers who offer advice on building platforms, promoting our books, self-publishing, writing query letters and proposals, gaining Internet exposure, building readership, getting an agent, approaching a publishing house, pitching our work, writing for publications, and much more. In addition, many of the sessions are led by agents and editors at publishing houses, so you get to hear from publishing professionals first hand.
In addition, at conferences you get the chance to meet agents and publisher face to face. Many conferences feature sessions during which you can pitch your book idea directly to agents and editors. For instance, at the San Francisco Writers Conference, every year I have participated in their "Speed Dating for Agents" session. I get three minutes to pitch an agent before moving on to another. Some years I've pitched to as many as 10 agents! The interested agents give me their contact information, and I then follow up with a proposal. Also, I can send them the requested information an envelope that indicates that they did, indeed, request it, which means my work doesn't disappear into a slush pile. It may get read sooner; thus, I may get a reply sooner. In addition, the conference normally provides attendees with contact information for all the agents and editors participating in the conference, so you can pitch to them by query letter and at least mention that you were at the conference.
Then, of course, you might have the opportunity to talk to an agent or editor in the bar or in the lobby of the hotel where the conference is being held. Or you might meet another writer who gives you a lead on the perfect publisher for your book.
You just never know what will happen at a writers conference, but I can assure you that whatever happens it will be good and it will further your writing career.
Given that I live in Northern California, for the last three years I've attended the San Francisco Writers Conference. When I lived in New York, I had the opportunity to attend a variety of different conferences in Manhattan. Each time I've attended a conference I've left with loads of great information on writing, getting published, the publishing industry, publishing trends, and promoting myself and my writing projects.
Conferences are a great place to hobnob with other writers and to learn what they are doing to help themselves obtain an agent or sell their work to publishing houses. As nonfiction writers, networking with other nonfiction writers who are building their platforms can help us find places to speak and think of unique ways to make ourselves known in our own marketplaces.
Conference usually feature expert speakers who offer advice on building platforms, promoting our books, self-publishing, writing query letters and proposals, gaining Internet exposure, building readership, getting an agent, approaching a publishing house, pitching our work, writing for publications, and much more. In addition, many of the sessions are led by agents and editors at publishing houses, so you get to hear from publishing professionals first hand.
In addition, at conferences you get the chance to meet agents and publisher face to face. Many conferences feature sessions during which you can pitch your book idea directly to agents and editors. For instance, at the San Francisco Writers Conference, every year I have participated in their "Speed Dating for Agents" session. I get three minutes to pitch an agent before moving on to another. Some years I've pitched to as many as 10 agents! The interested agents give me their contact information, and I then follow up with a proposal. Also, I can send them the requested information an envelope that indicates that they did, indeed, request it, which means my work doesn't disappear into a slush pile. It may get read sooner; thus, I may get a reply sooner. In addition, the conference normally provides attendees with contact information for all the agents and editors participating in the conference, so you can pitch to them by query letter and at least mention that you were at the conference.
Then, of course, you might have the opportunity to talk to an agent or editor in the bar or in the lobby of the hotel where the conference is being held. Or you might meet another writer who gives you a lead on the perfect publisher for your book.
You just never know what will happen at a writers conference, but I can assure you that whatever happens it will be good and it will further your writing career.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
