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/
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THE PROGRAM
9-9:30: Breakfast and Registration
Eric Smith
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
Daniel Kaye
Cheryl Rice
Julia MacDonnell
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.
Karen Pokras Toz
12-12:30: Lunch
12:30-1:30 Lunch Keynote: Finding the Write-Life Balance
Julie Cohen
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
Corinne Liccketto-Moulder
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 attention. And what can you, as the author, do to maximize how “mediagenic” you are? Publicity expert Liccketto-Moulder shares some tips of the trade to help launch and/or shape your successful publicity campaign.
2:45-2:55: Refreshments and networking
3:00-3:30 Clever, Not Cute: Strategic Content Planning
Speaker: Colleen T. Reese, Content Marketing Manager at iQ media Corp
Colleen T. Reese
Colleen Reese is a serious content strategist, occasional tech blogger and not so serious dating advice columnist. She has developed social media campaigns for nationally recognized hospitality brands, local technology firms and several magazine brands. During this session, she’ll apply practices and theory from online dating to planning online content that sparks meaningful relationships between author and audience.
3:40-4:10 Innovative Ways to Fund Your Marketing Campaign
Amanda Barbara
Speaker: Amanda Barbara, Pubslush
Most publishers have minimal marketing budgets, and what they have, they reserve for their big frontlist authors. Barbara, president of crowdfunding site Pubslush, shares tips and insights on using this innovative method to create a marketing budget for your book.
4:15-5:30 Cocktail Reception
Relax and unwind with new friends to review what you’ve learned and how you will apply these tips to your writing life. And while you’re unwinding, at 5pm writer and former opera singer Carla Spataro will provide some acting prompts and exercises to help you become more “mediagenic.”
SIGN UP HERE!
