Dinner with a Book at Park Plates Restaurant
Join Open Book’s Lynn Rosen for a delicious meal in the private dining room of Park Plates Restaurant, accompanied by a lively discussion of a terrific new book: Florence Gordon by Brian Morton. DATE: Tuesday, April 7th TIME: 7pm to 9pm COST: $45 (includes book discussion and a two course meal, tax and gratuity) Click here to register. ABOUT THE BOOK Florence Gordon is an aging feminist intellectual living in New York in contemporary times, when the arrival of her son and his family changes the balance in her life. As we get to know Florence, her son and his wife, and their thoughtful and questing college-age daughter, we get a taste of so much: the life of a writer, family dynamics, marriage, and coming of age, all set against a vibrant NYC backdrop. ABOUT OPEN BOOK Open Book is a long-running program of book discussion classes and author events led by book publishing professional Lynn Rosen. Lynn is an editor and former literary agent, and has taught literature, writing, and publishing at several area universities. She is a published author and now the proprietor of the Open Book Bookstore in Elkins Park, PA. COPIES OF FLORENCE GORDON ARE AVAILABLE FOR SALE AT OPEN BOOK. Note: Park Plates is a BYOB restaurant. Special menus are available, including gluten-free and kosher for Passover. Click here to register. Questions: 267-627-4888 or...
Meet Children’s Book Author Stuart Gibbs
Stuart Gibbs, bestselling author of books for middle graders, including the fun jungle (Belly Up, Poached), moon base alpha (Space Case), and the last musketeer series, will be coming to Open Book Bookstore to talk about and sign copies of the third novel in his spy school (Spy School, Spy Camp) series, Evil Spy School, publishing this month. His most recent novel, Space Case, was just nominated for a 2015 Edgar® Award by the Mystery Writers of America. DATE: Sunday, April 26th TIME: 3pm – 4pm LOCATION: Elkins Park Train Station Free and open to the public! Sponsored by Open Book Bookstore. Books will be available for sale at the event or can be pre-ordered. To pre-order call 267-627-4888 or email lynn@openbookphilly.com...
“The Voices in Your Head” Writers Retreat
As a follow up to last December’s successful “What’s Your Story?” Writers Retreat, Open Book and The Word Studio are pleased to present another day of writing instruction and private writing time at the bucolic Whitpain Farms Manor House in Blue Bell, PA. Be one of a small group of writers who will benefit from day of creativity, inspiration, and results! DATE: Saturday, April 11 TIME: 9am to 4pm LOCATION: Whitpain Farm Manor House, Blue Bell, PA Sign up here: “The Voice in Your Head” Writers Retreat includes: morning and afternoon writing workshops with Janet Benton of The Word Studio on finding and honing your unique voices; “Opening Voices,” a craft talk by Lynn Rosen, about novel beginnings that work and why; private quiet writing time; a light breakfast, a catered lunch, and a closing tea time; a chance to read your new work aloud; a pop-up bookstore with new fiction, writing books, and more! Cost: $185 early bird price through March 1st; after March 1st: $195 Co-presented by Open Book and The Word Studio. Spaces are limited. Click here to sign up now. For more information contact: Lynn Rosen: lynn@openbookphilly.com or Janet Benton:...
Writers at Work Conference: Managing the Business of Being An Author
As a published author, you wear many hats: entrepreneur, writer, designer, public speaker, publicist, and more. How can you manage the business side of your writing life without losing time for your art, or your other jobs, or your family? This one-day conference will provide tips you can use not just to sell more books, but to find the work-life balance that can be especially challenging for writers. WHEN: Sunday, March 22nd, 9am to 5pm WHERE: The Manor House at Whipain Farm, 1 Farm Drive, Blue Bell, PA 19422 http://www.whitpainfarm.com/ SIGN UP HERE! THE PROGRAM 9-9:30: Breakfast and Registration 9:30 – 10:20 Opening Keynote: Eric Smith: The Long Con: Building Your Social Platform Eric Smith is an author, blogger, and publishing professional living and geeking out in Philadelphia. As a blogger, he co-founded Geekadelphia, and later, the Philly Geek Awards with The Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University. By day, he can found working as the social media and marketing manager at Quirk Books. By night, he writes. He is the author of The Geek’s Guide to Dating and the new novel Inked. Eric will speak about how social media in publishing is all about that “long-con” — meaning, being active on social media doesn’t necessarily sell books, but it makes writers part of the community. This is is hugely important and will eventually sell books. 10:20 – 10:30 Break 10:30-11:45 Career Management: Finding the People and Resources You Need to Promote Your Book Panelists: Karen Pokras Toz, author; Cheryl Rice, author; Julia MacDonnell, author, and Daniel Kaye, author and publisher, Silver Dragon Books, moderated by Lynn Rosen As an author, what do you need to do to ensure your book reaches the most readers possible? Two successful authors describe how they identified their marketing and publicity needs, and how they moved forward on finding the right people and resources to meet those needs. 12-12:30: Lunch 12:30-1:30 Lunch Keynote: Finding the Write-Life Balance Julie Cohen, author of Your Work, Your Life … Your Way: 7 Keys to Work-Life Balance, is a Career and Personal Coach who helps her clients clarify and achieve their professional and personal goals. In this session, Julie will present a highly interactive program designed to help writers find that optimal mix of professional and personal priorities. (More info at: http://www.juliecohencoaching.com/about/julie-cohen/) 1:40-2:40 The Art of Getting Attention Speaker: Corinne Liccketto-Moulder, Director of Business Development, SMITH PUBLICITY, INC. (http://www.smithpublicity.com/smith-publicity-executive-team/) Book publicity is a very delicate art. What does it take to get press attention for your book? How do you craft and shape your message? How do you determine which media to approach and how do you get their...
“What’s Your Story?” Writers Retreat
Give yourself the gift of a day of writing! Join our new “What’s Your Story?” Writers Retreat. Spend a day in a bucolic setting in Blue Bell, PA, where you’ll have both writing instruction and free writing time. Be one of a small group of writers who will benefit from day of creativity, inspiration, and results! DATE: Saturday, December 13 TIME: 9am to 5:30 pm (or arrive early for an 8am yoga class; additional fee) LOCATION: Whitpain Farm Manor House, Blue Bell, PA Sign up here: http://tinyurl.com/retreatforwriters No matter how far along you are in your writing career, you can’t make progress if you don’t have time to write. Beginners and experts and everyone in between need both the literal and metaphorical space in which in to pursue the creative process. In addition, everyone needs to hone their craft with some expert advice from experienced writers and teachers. The “What’s Your Story?” Writers Retreat includes: morning and afternoon writing workshops with Janet Benton of The Word Studio on finding your unique stories and developing them naturally, using her unique methods; a special talk by novelist Nomi Eve, author of Henna House, on “Old Photos, Older Relatives, and Dusty Shoeboxes: Where Do Your Stories Live?” as well as a Q&A and book signing; private quiet writing time; a light breakfast, a catered lunch, and a closing happy hour; an optional early morning yoga class; a pop-up bookstore with new fiction, writing books, and more! Cost: $185 through November 2nd; after November 2nd: $195 Add a morning yoga class for an additional $15. Co-presented by Open Book and The Word Studio. Spaces are limited. Click here to sign up now. For more information contact: Lynn Rosen: lynn@openbookphilly.com or Janet Benton:...