Saturday, September 9, 2023
8:30 a.m. Registration and light refreshments
9 a.m. Introductory remarks and logistics
9:15 a.m. “Long Story Short: My Journey to Publishing Success” keynote by Elizabeth Goddard
10 a.m. What Agents are REALLY Looking For by Scott Eagan
11 a.m. Workshops
A) The Well-Trained Author: Supercharge Your Brain to Generate Great Ideas—Elizabeth Goddard
B) Making Audiobooks: Reaching Ears and Hearts—Jon Drury
C) Understanding Narrative Flow— Lindsay Schopfer
D) Writing for Chicken Soup for the Soul—Jan Bono
E) The Art of the Query Letter: How to Wow Editors and Literary Agents with a Single Page—Melissa Hart
F) Book Marketing & Social Media—Nell Stamper
Noon Lunch (boxed lunch included with conference admission)
1:15 p.m. Workshops
G) You Need Killer Instincts to Write Romantic Suspense—Elizabeth Goddard
H) Nancy Drew Helps You Solve the “Mystery of the Children’s Publishing Gatekeepers”—Sonja Anderson
I) Unlocking Character Motivation—Lindsay Schopfer
J) Biplanes, Juggling Clubs and My Naked Great-Grandmother: How You, Too, Can Turn Historical Research into a Celebration—Melissa Hart
K) Potent PR Secrets to Help Sell Books & Services—Julie Bonn Blank
L) Multiple POV: Defining Character Voice—Christina Suzann Nelson
2:30 p.m. Workshops
M) The Well-Trained Author: Supercharge Your Brain to Generate Great Ideas—Elizabeth Goddard
N) From Spark to Story—Melanie Dobson
O) Messy First Draft to Polished Manuscript—Sue Fagalde Lick
P) Flash Fiction, Prose Poems, and Micro Memoirs: Writing in Miniature—Clare Lilliston
Q) Finding the Core Message of Your Memoir—Valerie Ihsan
R) Having a Marketing Plan Before Your Book Releases—Christina Suzann Nelson
3:45 p.m. Workshops
S) Heroes and Villains: Who Are They and Why Should We Care?—Connie Jasperson
T) Marketing to Public Libraries: An Untapped Market—Judy Gann
U) Grand Openings: Creating a Memorable Introduction to Your Story World—Alan E. Rose
V) Where Are You From? Writing About the Past for the Future”—Gretchen Staebler
W) What Makes Creative Nonfiction “Creative?”—Sue Fagalde Lick
X) Plaracterization: The Kiss Between Plot & Character—Joshua Mohr
5 p.m. Evaluation Drawing and Book Signing
