Annual Conference 2021 Workshops

Featured Guest: Industry EXPERT JANE FRIEDMAN

Jane Friedman has worked in the publishing industry for more than 20 years. She’s the former publisher of Writer’s Digest, a Great Courses professor, and an author with the University of Chicago Press. Since 2001, Jane has spoken at hundreds of events worldwide, including BookExpo , SXSW, the Association of Writers & Writing Programs, and numerous creative writing programs. She has also served as a panelist for the National Endowment for the Arts and the Creative Work Fund in San Francisco. Her blog on the business of publishing enjoys 150,000 unique visitors every month.

Jane's presentations

Saturday: Essential Book Marketing Strategies for All Authors
Whether you’re traditionally published or self-published, every author must give some thought to marketing and promoting themselves as an author. But given how fast tools and techniques change—and how hard it is to attract attention—how can an author figure out what’s worthwhile to focus on? This session helps authors focus on the foundational elements that are most important to career-long book marketing, the bare minimum required for an online presence, and how to approach marketing when many of the traditional methods of publicity don't work so well, given dwindling media coverage and review opportunities. This session will provide a framework for developing a strategy and approach that’s appropriate for your strengths and your work.

Sunday: Today’s Key Book Publishing Paths: What’s New, What’s Old, and What’s Right for You? 
Over the last decade, the publishing industry has undergone tremendous evolution due to the growth of online retail and digital books, as well as the power of any author to publish and distribute their work at the click of a button. Jane discusses everything you need to know about how book publishing operates today, in plain English, to help you understand the pros and cons of every major publishing path available.