Thursday, August 27, 2009

Have Breakfast With Some of the Stars of the Publishing World

Breakfast with the Stars is the most important meal of the day on Saturday and Sunday at the Writer’s Digest Conference: The Business of Getting Published September 18-20, 2009 at the Marriott Marquis in Times Square, New York City. At these events, conference attendees get to network with publishing and marketing experts in a social setting and enjoy some thought-provoking talks given by key presenters.

Jane Friedman, publisher of Writer's Digest, kicks off breakfast on Saturday, September 19, talking about websites and blogs every writer should be reading. See if your favorites make the list. Next up is author Al Katkowsky, who will reveal how he took his idea, Question of the Day, from a simple group activity to a published book, and then turned it into an application for the iPhone, where it is still in the Top 50 in the Book category of over 8,000 apps. Peter Clifton, president and CEO of FiledBy.com, winds up the morning, advising on how writers can take advantage of his new website which offers custom web pages for 1.8 million published authors with an active ISBN in the U.S. or Canada.

On Sunday, September 19, author William Cane discusses how writers can get on the college lecture circuit. When his book, The Art of Kissing, was published, he became a highly sought-after speaker on the college lecture circuit and has spoken at more than 400 colleges and universities. Next, digital media consultant and publisher Kirk Biglione takes a look at digital rights management (DRM) and explains what it is in non-technical terms. He’ll also discuss the realities of digital media piracy and the impact that competing DRM systems are having on the development of the marketplace for e-books.

Jane Friedman wraps up Sunday breakfast with a talk about how the online writing and publishing world has exploded with new opportunities to help writers get published and get noticed by agents and editors. New community sites like WeBook and Authonomy put writers in collaboration with other authors/writers to qualify the best stuff, and get noticed by talent seekers. Friedman will share information about new and free digital publishing services that also give writers exciting ways to create and share content across multiple devices (e.g., iPhone or Kindle), that can test ideas or help promote writers and their work. And best of all, no tech experience is required.

Breakfast with the Stars is an add-on program to the Writer’s Digest Conference. Conference registrants can add on to the day for $35 a session. Tickets for either breakfast-only are $55 each.

To register for Breakfast With the Stars and find complete details on all speakers, sessions, events, travel and registration visit www.writersdigestconference.com.

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Now Available: One-Day Passes!

If your schedule makes it difficult to focus on your writing career for three full days, you're in luck. You can now register for Friday, Saturday, or Sunday separately:
  • Friday registration ($99) gets you a choice of sessions, plus admission to the First Annual Writer's Digest Poetry Slam!
  • Saturday registration ($209) admits you to our biggest day of sessions, and includes a 15-minute, one-on-one editor consultation, "The Editor Will See You Now."
  • Sunday ($159) also contains a wide variety of sessions to choose from and entitles you to "The Editor Will See You Now."
Click here to choose the registration option that's best for you!

Five Reason to Attend Writer's Digest Conference: The Business of Getting Published Conference

If you're serious about your writing career, you need to be at the Writer's Digest Conference in September. Here are five reasons why:

1) You'll get a one-on-one, professional evaluation from a WD editor.
The WD team interacts daily with writers from all walks of life and we have deep experience evaluating publishing materials. At your one-on-one editor meeting, a Writer's Digest editor will review your writing and discuss what paths are available to you, where you should focus your energy, and how to position yourself for greatest success. Plus: 10 writers who register for the conference and submit materials before the September 1 deadline will be selected to meet individually with an agent.

2) You'll start building relationships for long-term success.
Having a successful career as an author means you need to start building relationships with other writers, authors and industry people TODAY—not when you need something. At WD's The Business of Getting Published conference, you'll meet and interact with other writers, editors, agents and industry experts—and in-person networking is so valuable.

3) You'll move your career online.
If you've been holding off on building an author website, starting a blog, or jumping into Twitter, this conference will show you the best practices in the field. Don't wait to start until you have a book ready to sell–you need to get known BEFORE the book deal. You can do that online—and we'll show you how.

4) You'll learn the ins and outs of marketing and promoting your writing.
Once a book is accepted and published, a writer's job is just starting. Successful authors know it takes time and energy to market and promote a book, both on your own and in partnership with the publisher. WD's The Business of Getting Published shows you how the marketing and promotion process works—in person, online, and through social media tools.

5) You'll learn nuts-and-bolts information not covered in most writing conferences.
Most writing conferences focus on helping you hone the craft of writing, but being a good writer is only half the puzzle. You need to know how to find your audience through publishing, promoting and selling your writing.

Click here to register!