Jenny Martin

You’ve heard agents and editors crow about writing voice and you’ve read every book and blog post about the ‘rules’ of writing  a stellar novel.

But what if voice isn’t really about the ‘rules’ at all? What if  it’s not about passive verbs and misplaced modifiers and too many  descriptive clauses? What if voice is so much deeper?

What is voice and how can I develop my own? Ironically, voice is one of the most difficult concepts for writers to grasp, yet it is the number one element editors and agents demand. If you’re interested in finding (and strengthening) your own unique  writing voice, if you’re dedicated to nurturing that magic spark, the  element that hooks a reader and keeps them turning pages, you won’t want to miss this session. I’ll be sharing all my secrets–the practical  tips that can make a novel irresistible.

This class takes place at 8:40 a.m. on Sunday, May 20.

About the speaker

Jenny Martin is represented by Sara Crowe at Harvey Klinger Agency. As a YA writer, a librarian, and a professional book reviewer, she’s drawn to all areas of storytelling. As a librarian, she’s a member of ALA, TLA, and AASL. As a writer, she’s a member of DFW Writers’ Workshop. Aside from writing, reading and recommending books for young readers, Jenny has presented at conventions, such as TCEA and DFWCON. She’s also had the pleasure of serving as a mentor for DFW Teen Writers’ Workshop and as an writing instructor for the University of Texas at Arlington’s Continuing Education program. Jenny posts her own brand of fierce nonsense at http://jmartinlibrarian.wordpress.com and haunts twitter as @jmartinlibrary.

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Rusty Shelton

Discoverability and the New World of Book PR

Shelf space isn’t what it used to be. A search on “leadership books” on Amazon returns more than 60,000 results. The same search on Google returns more than 130 million results. With retail bookstores increasingly giving way to digital devices, success in publishing is no longer about distribution, it’s about discoverability. This session will detail the many changes that are taking place in the publishing industry and will explore how authors and publishers can set themselves up to succeed in this new environment.

The class takes place at 2:10 p.m. on Saturday, May 19.

About the speaker

Rusty Shelton first spoke at Harvard on the changing world of public relations at the age of 23. Now he is the President and CEO of Shelton Interactive, a full-service digital agency focused on helping clients start conversations that matter.The firm is the lead digital agency for Chicken Soup for the Soul and Harvard Health Publications and has worked with top brands like IBM, Amazon and many small businesses and individual authors. Shelton spoke at SXSW Interactive this year and sits on the University of Texas Texas Exes PR Committee. Learn more at www.sheltoninteractive.com.

The Changing Face of Publishing

Rusty will also moderate our signature panel. The group will discuss recent upheavals in the publishing business, what’s ahead and what it all means for us as writers.  Participants literary agent Laurie McLean, self-published authors Cheryl Ammeter and Mark Fadden, New York Times bestselling traditionally published author James Rollins, book marketer Meredith Barnes and editor Stacey Barney.

The panel takes place at 10:40 a.m. on Saturday, May 19.

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Jennie Goloboy

You know that James Fenimore Cooper didn’t use a typewriter, and the Pilgrims never saw a zipper.  But how do you get the setting of a historical novel to feel authentic?  Focusing on early America, this class will consider the limitations of physical possibility in the past, and how such limitations affected the way people dressed, ate, and worked.  We will discuss how previous generations thought differently than we do about issues such as family, romance, and childhood. Students will learn how to find useful sources such as old novels and historic advice books which will help them with their own work.

About the agent

Jennie Goloboy is an associate literary agent at Red Sofa Literary.  A published author of both history and fiction, she has a PhD in the History of American Civilization from Harvard.  She is an associate member of the Science Fiction Writers of America, and a member of the Romance Writers of America, the Society for Historians of the Early American Republic, the Organization of American Historians, and the American Historical Association.

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Jill Marsal

This class will look at transformations happening within the publishing industry and at various publishers, the changing roles of editors and agents, what is hot and what’s not in the current market – what are editors looking for, other key changes in the industry that every writer should know about, electronic publishing, and various trends.  It will also discuss marketing and social media and how authors can use this, when authors should be developing their social media platform, and balancing this and writing, book promotion, and other things every author should know.

The class will take place 9:40 a.m. on Sunday, May 20.

About the agent

Jill Marsal is a partner at the Marsal Lyon Literary Agency.  She has been in the publishing industry almost 15 years, previously working as a Literary Agent with the Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency and at Dorchester Publishing, editing women’s fiction, romance, and suspense/thrillers.

On the fiction front, Jill looks for all types of romance (contemporary, paranormal, romantic suspense, historical, and category), women’s fiction and family stories, cozy mysteries, and thrillers. She is also looking for general commercial fiction and welcomes a dramatic storyline and compelling characters in interesting situations or relationships. On the non-fiction side, Jill’s areas of interest include business, current events, health, self-help/advice, relationships, psychology, parenting, and narrative non-fiction.

She is interested in being pitched any of the above.

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Paul Levine

The nuts and bolts of the business of writing are as essential to a writer’s success as the writer’s work itself. How does a writer get an agent and an attorney? How does the writer’s work get sold and how is the writer compensated? What will the agent and the lawyer do for the writer? How are they compensated? How do writers work together?

This class will cover: the principles of copyright law as the underpinnings of all writing; what agents do and what lawyers do, how their functions sometimes overlap and how they differ; the process of obtaining an agent and a lawyer, when and why an agent is necessary and when and why an agent may not be necessary; a review of a typical publishing agreement–royalties, advances, rights granted and rights withheld, etc.; the editing process: what happens if the publisher rejects the manuscript, the publisher’s ultimate acceptance of the manuscript, actual publication after acceptance, and promotion and publicity.

Bring all your questions concerning the business of being or becoming a successful book author–they will all be answered.

About the agent

Paul S. Levine “wears two hats” – he is a lawyer (www.paulslevine.com) and a literary agent (www.paulslevinelit.com).   Mr. Levine has practiced entertainment law for over 30 years, specializing in the representation of writers, producers, actors, directors, composers, musicians, artists, authors, photographers, galleries, publishers, developers, production companies and theatre companies in the fields of motion pictures, television, interactive multimedia, live stage, recorded music, concerts, the visual arts, publishing, and advertising. In 1998, Mr. Levine opened the Paul S. Levine Literary Agency, specializing in the representation of book authors and the sale of motion picture and television rights in and to books. Since starting his literary agency, Mr. Levine has sold over 100 fiction and non-fiction books to at least 40 different publishers and has had many books developed as movies-for-television and feature films.

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Pete Salicco

Fingerprints have been considered the “gold standard” in positively identifying individuals for law enforcement, natural and man-made disasters, as well as various other areas such as licensing and immigration.  With all of the new technology regarding forensics and evidence, is the idea of using fingerprints as the most reliable way to identify people and the best evidence at crime scenes true?  Can a machine be responsible for making fingerprint identifications (individualizations)?  Is there something else in fingerprints beyond the friction ridge skin?

Some of the answers regarding the truth about fingerprint technology may surprise you and even offer up ideas and spur your imagination regarding the future of this 100 year old practice.  After the presentation there will be a question and answer forum with the presenter, who is a practicing expert in the area of crime scene investigations and latent print examinations.

This class will help writers tell crime and mystery stories accurately and convincingly. It takes place at 3:10 p.m. on Saturday, May 19.

About the speaker

Pete Salicco is a former Police Officer turned civilian Crime Scene Analyst & Latent Print Examiner.  He has worked thousands of crime scenes from burglary to murder in course of his career.  Most of Pete’s police career was spent training to become a forensic specialist (Crime Scene Investigator) and latent print examiner.  Once trained,  Pete was given the opportunity to serve as a police officer and CSI for many years, until he decided in 1999 to give up the badge and become a civilian forensic specialist.  A 15-year Police veteran, Pete sought and gained Certification as a Latent Print Examiner and a Crime Scene Analyst from the International Association for Identification, one of the oldest forensic organizations in the world.

Pete has testified on numerous occasions in several jurisdictions as an expert in latent print and crime scene matters. He has performed thousands of latent exams, and work thousands of crime scene calls over the course of this 28 year career in Law Enforcement.  He is currently employed by the Dallas Police Department AFIS Team as a Certified Latent Print Examiner.  One of his main duties is latent print examinations,  however, he also operates the AFIS (Automated Fingerprint Identification Systems) and IAFIS (Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification Systems.  He also is used as a consultant for the Crime Scene Response Unit regarding crime scene matters and shoe and tire impression evidence collection and examinations.

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Kristen Lamb

Understanding Brand for the Digital Age Author

The Digital Age has changed everything and information now moves at the speed of light. Many of the old rules of advertising and marketing no longer apply and using these outdated tactics can actually cripple an author platform. How can a writer create a brand before the book is even ready for sale? How can an author brand help book sales? How can brand generate momentum? How can a writer create a brand and yet still have time left over to write more books? All this and more!

Understanding the Antagonist–The Engine of All Great Stories

Heroes are defined by the opposition. The stronger the opposition, the sweeter the victory. No antagonist, no conflict and no conflict, no story. No story, no book sales. The antagonist is tricky and many writers don’t fully understand the power of this role. This class explores the many types of antagonists and how to employ them to create page-turning tension guaranteed to rivet readers to your books.

About the speaker

Kristen Lamb is the author of the bestselling books, We Are Not  Alone–The Writer’s Guide to Social Media and Are You There, Blog?  It’s Me, Writer. She has consulted with all levels of authors, but some of her clients include New York Times Best-Selling Authors Sandra Brown, James Rollins, and Bob Mayer. Her WANA (We Are Not Alone) tactics also helped launch the self-published writing team Mark Williams and Saffina Deforge to the #1 best-seller slot…all of them. Their book Sugar & Spice commanded a top 5 slot in every fiction category on Amazon’s UK list. Williams and Deforge sold 90,000 books in four months, making their book the 11th best-selling e-book in history, and they attribute their success to WANA.

Kristen is currently represented by Russell  Galen of SGG Literary NYC. In her free time, Kristen trains sea monkeys  for the purposes of world domination….when she isn’t trying to saw  through her ankle monitor.

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“I assist Authors, Chefs, Children Authors, Publishers, Educators, Museums, and Photographers that would like to produce a book.  A book can be made in so many ways today that an author should consider all the options.  The company I represent is unique as we are a debt-free printer in a time that is under so much downsizing in the industry.  Working with Friesen’s has allowed me to offer a quality product that all of our clientele can be proud of upon completion. I cover four states for Friesen’s and meet with so many creative people. Authors are like artists painting with words. I am looking forward to visiting with you during my session on May 19th!”

How to Work with a Printer

This class will prepare you for printing a book by covering the following topics:

• Will the physical printing of books disappear?
• Correct focus while writing, publishing and printing the book.
• When should you get together with a printer for your book project?
• Types of books to consider printing.
• Editing.
• Graphic designer and illustration.
• Marketing the book.
• File preparation.
• Quantities of books for a first print run.
• Brief description of Friesen’s Book Manufacturing.
• Is Friesen’s the printer for you?

The class takes place at 2:10 p.m. on Saturday, May 19.

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Alec Shane

The Art of the Query: the Dos, Don’ts, and Everything in Between

Sending an effective query to an agency is one of the most important things a writer can do as he/she sets out on the path to becoming a published author. Agents receive so many submissions every day, it is far too easy for good, meaningful writing to get lost in the morass of incoming queries. This workshop will not only discuss how to ensure that your query gets noticed, from how to write an effective query letter to what makes a good writing sample, but will also break down the various pitfalls and red flags that befall many newer authors as they continue on their quest for representation. It’s important to know what to do – but it’s equally as important to know what not to do. Alec Shane will go over both.

This class takes place at 3:10 p.m. on Saturday, May 19.

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Stephanie Barko

Literary publicist Stephanie Barko’s award-winning clients include traditional publishers and their authors, small presses, and independently published writers. She promotes nonfiction & historical fiction, including history, business, memoir, biography, and spirituality. Stephanie especially enjoys guiding debut authors through today’s shifting publishing landscape.

Stephanie has presented on book marketing, publicity and platform creation at national conferences including the Writers’ League of Texas, Oklahoma Writers’ Federation, and Women Writing the West. Her articles and book reviews have been published in Western American Literature, Roundup Magazine, Brian Jud’s Book Marketing Matters, San Francisco Book Review, and the Texas Book Marketing Directory. She was a 2010 National Finalist in More Magazine’s Reinvention Story Competition, nominated by her peers as 2010 Book Publicist of the Year, and voted Preditors & Editors Best Book Promotion Service in 2011.

Building Your Platform in a Dynamic Marketplace

Writing and publishing a book is one thing, but finding a paying audience for it is quite another. In this workshop, book publicist Stephanie Barko leads you through her proprietary exercises designed to coax your book’s platform to the surface.

What we will explore:

• Platform definition
• Marketing elements
• Audience identification
• Reader acquisition

Who should attend:

• Writers presently writing a manuscript
• Writers with completed manuscripts
• Writers seeking agent representation
• Published writers wanting to increase their book sales

The class will take place at 10:40 a.m. on Saturday May 19.

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